Probably more than any other nation on earth the Germans are a nation judged by stereotypes. Countless times, I have played a game with friends and acquaintances, asking the question: "When you think about the Germans, what spontaneously comes to mind?." The same answers are repeated time and time again. The rest of the world thinks they are efficient, serious, honest, and are a nation famed for curious customs - Ledenhosen, Sauerkraut and Ommpah bands. But how much truth really lies behind these stereotypes? Here I have taken an irreverent view and tried to peel back the layers to reveal a humorous side to modern Germans, after 15 years of living amongst them; a nation with unusual habits that include men and women who go naked together in the sauna, a passion for driving on highways with no speed limits, drinking copious quantities of mineral water and beer (not together ) and holding quaint beliefs that modern medicines should be avoided because they are full of harmful chemicals. In addition, they have developed the worlds most unusual design in toilets, everyone sleeps in passion-killer beds, the women have great figures but sometimes neglect to shave their armpits and the authorities don't bother to install barrier controls, they trust their citizens to pay on public transport. They produce the world's best detective series, but nobody has ever heard of Tatort outside the country and they are a nation with a sharp incisive wit despite a deep-seated British prejudice that their language is blunt and they have no sense of humour. This truly is a country worth getting to know better.

A groundbreaking Black artist and his career in the Jim Crow South This book is the first biography of Graham Jackson (1903-1983), a virtuosic musician whose life story displays the complexities of being a Black professional in the segregated South. David Cason discusses how Jackson navigated a web of racial and social negotiations throughout his long career and highlights his little-known role in events of the twentieth century. Widely known for an iconic photo taken of him playing the accordion in tears at Franklin D. Roosevelt's funeral, which became a Life magazine cover, Jackson is revealed here to have a much deeper story. He was a performer, composer, and high school music director known for his skills on the piano and organ. Jackson was among the first Black men to enlist in the Navy during World War II, helping recruit many other volunteers and raising over $2 million for the war effort. After the war he became a fixture at Atlanta music venues and in 1971, Governor Jimmy Carter proclaimed Jackson the State Musician of Georgia. Cason examines Jackson's groundbreaking roles with a critical eye, taking into account how Jackson drew on his connections with white elites including Roosevelt, Coca-Cola magnate Robert Woodruff, and golfer Bobby Jones, and was censured by Black Power figures for playing songs associated with Confederate memory. Based on archival, newspaper, and interview materials, The Life and Music of Graham Jackson brings into view the previously unknown story of an ambitious and talented artist and his controversial approach to the politics and culture of his day. Publication of this work made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

A groundbreaking Black artist and his career in the Jim Crow South This book is the first biography of Graham Jackson (1903-1983), a virtuosic musician whose life story displays the complexities of being a Black professional in the segregated South. David Cason discusses how Jackson navigated a web of racial and social negotiations throughout his long career and highlights his little-known role in events of the twentieth century. Widely known for an iconic photo taken of him playing the accordion in tears at Franklin D. Roosevelt's funeral, which became a Life magazine cover, Jackson is revealed here to have a much deeper story. He was a performer, composer, and high school music director known for his skills on the piano and organ. Jackson was among the first Black men to enlist in the Navy during World War II, helping recruit many other volunteers and raising over $2 million for the war effort. After the war he became a fixture at Atlanta music venues and in 1971, Governor Jimmy Carter proclaimed Jackson the State Musician of Georgia. Cason examines Jackson's groundbreaking roles with a critical eye, taking into account how Jackson drew on his connections with white elites including Roosevelt, Coca-Cola magnate Robert Woodruff, and golfer Bobby Jones, and was censured by Black Power figures for playing songs associated with Confederate memory. Based on archival, newspaper, and interview materials, The Life and Music of Graham Jackson brings into view the previously unknown story of an ambitious and talented artist and his controversial approach to the politics and culture of his day. Publication of this work made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The single quality that sets the English apart from their European cousins is that they are an island people. Their closest neighbours are the fish in the sea. This unusual relationship brings out unexpected behaviour and highlights their eccentricity: they drive on the opposite side of the road to the rest of the world; like their beer warm rather than cold; prefer roundabouts to traffic lights; pretend that foreign languages don't exist; sprinkle vinegar over their chips and for centuries used a peculiar measurement system with strange units of feet, stones and hands. The English are indeed an enigmatic folk, normal on the surface, but stranger with every layer revealed: encyclopaedias could be written about their quirky habits. This slim volume attempts no more than to scratch the surface of a big subject.

Probably more than any other nation on earth the Germans are a nation judged by stereotypes. Countless times, I have played a game with friends and acquaintances, asking the question: "When you think about the Germans, what spontaneously comes to mind?." The same answers are repeated time and time again. The rest of the world thinks they are efficient, serious, honest, and are a nation famed for curious customs - Ledenhosen, Sauerkraut and Ommpah bands. But how much truth really lies behind these stereotypes? Here I have taken an irreverent view and tried to peel back the layers to reveal a humorous side to modern Germans, after 15 years of living amongst them; a nation with unusual habits that include men and women who go naked together in the sauna, a passion for driving on highways with no speed limits, drinking copious quantities of mineral water and beer (not together ) and holding quaint beliefs that modern medicines should be avoided because they are full of harmful chemicals. In addition, they have developed the worlds most unusual design in toilets, everyone sleeps in passion-killer beds, the women have great figures but sometimes neglect to shave their armpits and the authorities don't bother to install barrier controls, they trust their citizens to pay on public transport. They produce the world's best detective series, but nobody has ever heard of Tatort outside the country and they are a nation with a sharp incisive wit despite a deep-seated British prejudice that their language is blunt and they have no sense of humour. This truly is a country worth getting to know better.