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Books by Julie Hedgepeth Williams, published by NewSouth Books.
They are, as NewSouth's motto states, "regional books of national interest."  I know you'll enjoy them, wherever you live.  - Julie
Praise for Julie Williams' books:

"Julie Williams has masterfully crafted the tales of the 'Three Joes' into one fabulous story, which reminds us in such a warm and personal way of our Southern literary and social heritage. Read her book and imagine yourself as I did walking the fields of Turnwold Plantation and the streets of Eatonton, Atlanta, and even London as you ponder the fascinating linkages between her characters. You will feel their presence in the pages of her book and be moved.”

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 James Marshall

Uncle Remus Museum

"In Three Not-So-Ordinary Joes, Julie Williams has once again taken figures from the past and brought them to life in the present. Williams' gift for telling stories against an expansive historical backdrop draws readers in and puts a personal face on history. Her story of Joseph Addison Turner's resilience in pursuing his dream of placing Southern literature on the map in the 1800s also finally gives Turner his due. This with her attention to historical detail makes Three Not-So-Ordinary Joes a far from ordinary tale."

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                    Dianne Bragg

                    Department of Journalism                       and Creative Media,                                 University of Alabama

"Julie Williams has this uncanny ability to take your hand and make you fly with her to times past as you read her wonderful prose. You feel the chilly air on your face when she describes the night setting on the doomed Titanic and you agonize with Albert as he weighs his next steps in the face of mortal danger rushing towards his little family... Somehow she opens up the lives of her heroes and describes their world in a supremely immersive manner that leaves you sad when you finish reading."

"In Wings of Opportunity, Julie Williams vividly recreates the complex tale of civic pride, two aviation pioneers who had little interest in public image, local journalists who didn’t know what to make of them, and the fascination of ordinary citizens with the amazing invention of flight. An accomplished historian, Dr. Williams shows with this account that she is also a masterful storyteller."

Istvan "Steven" Zerkowitz Roger-Wilco

"This is a fascinating story that read like a novel for me.  My first time sitting down with the book I almost read halfway through.... The author has a compelling storyteller's voice which is easy and addictive to read, making this an entertaining and unusual story to read.... I just loved Albert and Sylvia both and thank Ms. Williams for bringing their personal story to the public with all its controversial sidestories put out there for the world to ogle.... A riveting, fast read...." 

Nichola Manning

Back to Books

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Wm David Sloan

Founder, American Journalism Historians Association 

"The Wright brothers' Montgomery, Alabama, flight school was opened in 1910, and their aircraft was powered by a thirty-five horse power engine. The flying machine was both crude and flimsy, but it did fly. As Williams points out, airplanes were hot items in everyone's imaginations during this moment in American history, and this new school stirred the imaginations of the hard working folk in Montgomery. Today, as we fly in comfort across our country, we should pause and remember how it all started. We owe special thanks to the Wright brothers and also to Julie Williams for this well researched and most enjoyable book."

 

Bill Barnes

World War II pilot and historian 

"If you enjoy seeing how one writer 'begats' another, there is lots to love in Three Not-So-Ordinary Joes. Williams connects an unlikely collection of literary characters, eighteenth-century’s Joseph Addison, planter J.A. Turner, and Joel Chandler Harris, father of the Uncle Remus stories. Williams writes with an understanding of character and place. Reading Joes, it occurs to me that, as a storyteller, I might not be doing what I do if it weren’t for that bewigged fellow in the 1700s, a Confederate journalist, and his printer’s devil, who became one of the most revered writers of his time."

 

Andy Offutt Irwin

Professional Storyteller,

Artist in Residence at Oxford College, Emory University

"Williams presents a warm biography of her great-uncle by marriage, his first wife, and their son -- one of the few families to escape intact from the sinking of the Titanic.... Related with obvious affection for her great-uncle, the author also gives a good sense of the difficulties in piecing together family histories and how even close relatives might not know the whole story.  In addition to Titanic buffs, genealogists and missionary history readers will like this."

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Megan Hahn Fraser

The Library Journal

"A remarkable book. I absolutely could not put it down. Williams has made an invaluable contribution to documenting aviation history in Alabama."

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Billy Singleton, chairman, 

Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame

"A great testament to this book is that Julie spent more time on their lives before and after the Titanic disaster than on the disaster itself because the lives of the survivors were often interesting in their own right.  This measure of respect brought home that these were real people, not just characters in a Hollywood flick."

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Patrick Bryan Miller

Reviewer

"Julie Hedgepeth Williams... weaves a riveting tapestry of the early history of aviation and the growing pains of a Southern city trying to shake off the negative splatter of the Civil War. Besides aviation buffs, scholars interested in newspapers as community builders, public relations as fundraising for inventors, and the power of technology to transform culture will find Wings of Opportunity a lively read."

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Journalism History 

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