Book excerpt: From its dubious beginnings as a pirate-filled colony to a popular tourist destination, North Carolina has an amazingly colorful history. Author and illustrator Ben Fortson presents that history in the form of off-the-wall anecdotes, poignant insights and sublimely silly illustrations. Take a hilarious look at Daniel Boone's larger-than-life Carolina personality. Peruse an uproarious account of the Andrew Jackson birthplace controversy or politically astute commentary on the power of tobacco in the state. Fortson takes readers on a side-splitting and educational ride through the annals of Tar Heel State history.