Shantyboats and Roustabouts

“In Shantyboats and Roustabouts, Gregg Andrews reveals what Hank Williams called ‘a picture from life’s other side.’ The human stories he brings to light from the silty banks of the Mississippi are both heartbreaking and heroic, salvaged from the American nexus of poverty and freedom.” ~T. R. C. Hutton, author of Bloody Breathitt: Politics and Violence in the Appalachian South

“Andrews sensitively tells of the toil, racism, pain, joy, music, and preaching on the river. The reader benefits from a seamless narrative filled with unforgettable people. The river poor will enter your soul and you will not be able to lose them.” ~Noralee Frankel, author of Freedom’s Women: Black Women and Families in Civil War Era Mississippi

“Andrews continues his remarkable stream of intimate writings about poor and working-class people. His empathetic, colorful, and masterful account opens a new genre of ‘history from the river bottoms up.’” ~Michael K. Honey, author of To the Promised Land: Martin Luther King and the Fight for Economic Justice

“Andrews knows and understands the hard-working people of the Mississippi River bottoms. Shantyboats and Roustabouts, with admirable research and lucid prose, affirms their place in America’s urban waterfront landscape.” ~Bonnie Stepenoff, author of Working the Mississippi: Two Centuries of Life on the River

“. . . a fascinating study of life, labor, and culture on the river in St. Louis. Andrews reveals that the river poor were not simply marginal—they nurtured and clung to a vibrant, defiant culture increasingly at odds with American society. Written in an accessible, almost rollicking style that matches its free-wheeling subjects, this book opens vistas on urbanization, poverty, race, and music. It will especially interest labor historians for its work on roustabouts—the longshoremen of the river. It could also be a centerpiece in interdisciplinary undergraduate classes dealing with regional music and literature.” ~CHOICE

“Gregg Andrews has written ‘a 'history from the river bottom up’ of the people who lived and worked on the Mississippi River. . . . At times these stories read as a flood of information, but the core chapters could be assigned for teaching students about life on the Mississippi River. Vivid images tell their own compelling story alongside the text. Andrews also includes a comprehensive bibliography that would be useful for anyone interested in the history of rivers in the South. . . . Andrews's book serves as a useful antidote for anyone interested in understanding the history of life and death on the Mississippi River.” ~Journal of Southern History