Redneck Boy in the Promised Land

Praise

“Best known as Cooter, the good ol’ boy mechanic on The Dukes of Hazzard …. [Jones] engagingly zips through his destitute boyhood in the segregated South and his days as an alcoholic civil rights activist [and] recounts his transformation from boozin’, brawlin’ womanizer to successful actor to two-term Democratic congressman from Georgia.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“Growing up in Georgia, 'Cooter' was one of my heroes. I’m not sure, but I think it was required by law. Who would have thought that one day I would actually come to know Ben Jones, and, in knowing him, find that he remains one of my heroes. You’ll understand why when you read this book. Ben Jones is nothing less than a great American.”
—Jeff Foxworthy, author of Jeff Foxworthy’s Redneck Dictionary

"Ben Jones and I go way back, before anyone called him "Cooter" or "Congressman". He always told the truth. A little on the slant, maybe, which only made it more interesting. And like the wildboy I knew then, his book, Redneck Boy in the Promised Land, is gutsy, funny, and good-hearted. And definitely reader-friendly."
—Russell Banks, author of The Reserve

“This modern-day Will Rogers writes with a mix of humor, pathos, and passion in a rip-roarin’ book with a down-home flavor.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A warm, witty portrait of a quietly extraordinary American life.”
—Kirkus