Book excerpt: 27 VIEWS of CHARLOTTE: The Queen City in Prose & Poetry is an anthology of the city known for banking, trees, diversity, and sports. Journalists, novelists, poets, and essayists offer a broad and varied picture of life, present and past, in the legendary Southern city—from a history of the city’s stint as capital of the Confederacy, to a deeply personal essay about integrating restaurants during the civil rights era, to reflections on contemporary Charlotte’s overwhelming growth and New South reputation. Authors appreciate Charlotte’s diversity and vitality, tout its vibrant arts and food scenes, and praise surging Uptown. Yet they don’t shy away from its ongoing struggles: cultural, political, and economic. The views create a literary montage of Charlotte, reflecting its social, historic, and creative fabric.