Irreverent History of Arkansas

Arkansas has always been the state people forget about — until it suddenly crashes onto the front page with diamonds in cow pastures, dueling governors, civil rights battles, or a president from a town called Hope. Mocked as a land of barefoot hillbillies and moonshine stills, praised for its wild rivers and stubborn resilience, Arkansas has never fit neatly into anyone’s box.

Irreverent History of Arkansas: Diamonds, Deliverance, and Razorbacks takes listeners on a wry, sharp-eyed tour through the state’s messy past. From Hernando de Soto’s doomed expedition to Walmart’s rise as the world’s retail empire, from the Little Rock Nine walking past mobs and soldiers to Razorback fans calling the Hogs like it’s a holy ritual, this is Arkansas as you’ve never seen it before. It is equal parts tragedy and comedy, poverty and power, scandal and survival.

With humor, grit, and affection that never turns saccharine, this book refuses to let Arkansas hide in the shadows. You’ll laugh, shake your head, and maybe even come away with a strange respect for a state that is always underestimated and never boring.