Aberration of Mind

Suicide and Suffering in the Civil War–Era South

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877), Military
Cover of the book Aberration of Mind by Diane Miller Sommerville, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Diane Miller Sommerville ISBN: 9781469643571
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: September 25, 2018
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Diane Miller Sommerville
ISBN: 9781469643571
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: September 25, 2018
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

More than 150 years after its end, we still struggle to understand the full extent of the human toll of the Civil War and the psychological crisis it created. In Aberration of Mind, Diane Miller Sommerville offers the first book-length treatment of suicide in the South during the Civil War era, giving us insight into both white and black communities, Confederate soldiers and their families, as well as the enslaved and newly freed. With a thorough examination of the dynamics of both racial and gendered dimensions of psychological distress, Sommerville reveals how the suffering experienced by Southerners living in a war zone generated trauma that, in extreme cases, led some Southerners to contemplate or act on suicidal thoughts.

Sommerville recovers previously hidden stories of individuals exhibiting suicidal activity or aberrant psychological behavior she links to the war and its aftermath. This work adds crucial nuance to our understanding of how personal suffering shaped the way southerners viewed themselves in the Civil War era and underscores the full human costs of war.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

More than 150 years after its end, we still struggle to understand the full extent of the human toll of the Civil War and the psychological crisis it created. In Aberration of Mind, Diane Miller Sommerville offers the first book-length treatment of suicide in the South during the Civil War era, giving us insight into both white and black communities, Confederate soldiers and their families, as well as the enslaved and newly freed. With a thorough examination of the dynamics of both racial and gendered dimensions of psychological distress, Sommerville reveals how the suffering experienced by Southerners living in a war zone generated trauma that, in extreme cases, led some Southerners to contemplate or act on suicidal thoughts.

Sommerville recovers previously hidden stories of individuals exhibiting suicidal activity or aberrant psychological behavior she links to the war and its aftermath. This work adds crucial nuance to our understanding of how personal suffering shaped the way southerners viewed themselves in the Civil War era and underscores the full human costs of war.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Freedpeople in the Tobacco South by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book Cinema in Democratizing Germany by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book Archives of Dispossession by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book On Becoming Cuban by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book A Reforming People by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book Domesticating Slavery by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book The Short Life of Free Georgia by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book Right Moves by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book The Vegetarian Crusade by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book Gettysburg--Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book Insurgent Cuba by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book Haya de la Torre and the Pursuit of Power in Twentieth-Century Peru and Latin America by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book A Golden Haze of Memory by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book Ducktown Smoke by Diane Miller Sommerville
Cover of the book The CIO, 1935-1955 by Diane Miller Sommerville
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy