From Muscle Shoals to Montgomery to Mobile, there's just no place quite like Alabama. Take a journey off the beaten path through the Cotton State with author Kelly Kazek as she uncovers the stories that make Alabama one of a kind. Kazek, a longtime Alabama resident, unearths tales that have existed only in rumor, anecdote, legend and lore. This collection is packed with little-known stories of strange sites, like the world's largest Nehi bottle; curious critters, like the first monkey in space; and colorful characters, such as the outlaw Tom Clark. Whether funny, far-fetched, gripping or grisly, Forgotten Tales of Alabama is filled with stories you won't soon forget.

Kelly Kazek is managing editor of the News Courier in Athens, Alabama. In her more than two decades as a journalist, she has won more than 120 national and state press awards. She is the author of two other books, Fairly Odd Mother: Musings of a Slightly Off Southern Mom, a collection of her syndicated humor columns, and Images of America: Athens and Limestone County. She lives in Madison, Alabama, with her daughter Shannon, their beagle Lucy and cats Mad Max and Luvey.