One of UF’s youngest professors has released a new book. Ben Wise, a historian of modern America who focuses on Southern history, gender and sexuality and cultural history, recently published “William Alexander Percy: The Curious Life of a Mississippi Planter and Sexual Freethinker.”
In this biography, Wise paints the complex picture of a man who is mostly known as a white supremacist, but also provides a unique perspective through his world travels and life as a queer male and sexual liberationist.
Published a few weeks ago through University of North Carolina Press with a cover designed by his wife, the book has been met with positive reviews from critics and historians.
Although this biography is Wise’s first published book, he has already made a name for himself in the field.
In 2009, he was awarded the C. Vann Woodward prize for the best dissertation in the field of Southern history, and he has had several articles published since 2008.
At UF, he’s known as one of the “cool” professors of the young generation who does interesting modern readings of history and culture. Two years ago, he was named a teacher of the year in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
This semester, he is teaching undergraduate-level courses Race and Power in American Society, 1865 to 1920 and American Culture from 1880 to 1940, along with independent study, master’s and doctorate courses.
