I have a garden home in Birmingham, Al. The attic gets extremly hot in the summer. I would like to know if I put insulation between the rafters of the roof will help, if so what do you recommend.

The code for your area for attics is R-30 insulation. Not to cheap. I would probably put in an attic fan. Inexpensive, and they work great. Set it on a thermostat to keep the attic cool.