The powerful story of how one man and a university emerge from the repressive traditions of the South

And Roll Tide became his life’s mantra.

Charleston, SC, Aug. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In Palmetto Publishing’s latest memoir release, My! Bama: A Mom-Noir, Joe “JoHo” Hornsby chronicles his long and compelling relationship with the University of Alabama from both sides of the lectern. As a student, he enjoyed the full Bama experience from the social, academic, and athletic sides, including Greek life and the University’s rich football history. Later, as a professor and director of the Blount Initiative, he carved out a home for exceptional students, broad-minded teachers, and small, seminar-style classes that dared to cross intellectual boundaries. 

“The stories I tell form a sort of emotional convulsion of my life in Tuscaloosa for 45-plus years,” Dr. Hornsby says. “Thus the word My! in the title. Indulgent? Perhaps. But at heart it is a Love Story. My! Love Story. Without Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neil. So the acting is better.”

From a perspective that is both satiric and critical, and at times poetic, JoHo recounts how both he and the University slowly emerged from the repressive traditions of the South—particularly Alabama’s sluggish acceptance of integration and alternative lifestyles—and struggled to transcend a state where the past is never past and find their way into the 21st century. 

My! Bama: A Mom-Noir is available for purchase online at Amazon.com.

*About the Author*:

Joe “JoHo” Hornsby’s journey with the University of Alabama began at the ripe old age of five when he began going to Bama football games and other activities, and ended with his 2019 retirement as a University faculty member. During his college years, he earned three degrees at Alabama: a BA in English, an MA in English and a JD in Law. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto where he wrote a dissertation on Chaucer and Medieval Law. Going back to Alabama as a faculty member, Joe’s specialty was Medieval English literature. Then began a new journey through the early stages of Parkinson’s Disease.

*Attachment*

· My! Bama

CONTACT: Leah Joseph
Palmetto Publishing
publicity@palmettopublishing.com