Cover Story: This trip was to be a return to the mysteries of my youth
“This trip was to be a return to the mysteries of my youth, proof that I had overcome the fear of the South that James Dickey and John Boorman had left me with some years earlier. It began in 1971 when I was 12 years old, still living in my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. My father took me to see the most-talked-about summer release, Deliverance. I remember the movie vividly: the weekend warriors caught between the perils of an impossible river trek and the tremendous moral issue of whether to bury the body of their slain stalker or go to the authorities and hope that truth would prevail.
“As we drove home from the theater, my father turned to me and said, ‘By the way, I’ve accepted the job Georgia State University; we’ll be moving to Atlanta.’
“Silence – dead silence – ensued. (Dad wasn’t known for his timing.) Recognizing the connection, he attempted to reassure me. ‘But don’t worry, they’re not all like that.’”