Mississippi Books

This is the third book of Parkman's that I've read. Previously, I read Pioneers of France in the New World and The Jesuits in North America. About all three I would say a) they are absolutely amazing works of brilliant, inspired scholarship, b) Parkman's measured, objective, caring approach to the topics -- and the beauty and tone of his writing -- is extremely compelling, and c) my grade school, high school, and college education did not provide me with the gritty, fascinating facts about what REALLY happened back in the 17th Century in North America.

This is not James Michener (as much as I have enjoyed his works) packaging and making sense of history -- or the dry, intellectualized expert texts I had to read in school -- or the politically correct wholesome simplified upbeat teachings of my youth, with for example the perfect Puritans and the friendly Indians sharing Thanksgiving.

This is what really happened, detail by detail, based on exhaustive research of original texts -- letters, reports, maps, government documents, earlier histories, etc. Fortunately for Parkman, the early adventurers did a lot of writing, including many of the members of religious orders who accompanied or in some cases led the explorations.

My main takeaway from these true histories is how incredibly dangerous, unsuccessful, and unpredictable the courses of events were in these times (and probably in our time as well). In a way they are like anti-stories, or anti-history. Good often does not prevail over evil; heroes do scandalous things; scoundrels act heroic; no one is assuredly, consistently good or evil; when you least expect it there is a generous caring act; and when you least expect it, when all is going well, there is a foolish, unfortunate, destructive act that ruins all that has been accomplished, etc.

That is, while there may be certain patterns in events, these patterns themselves are constantly shifting, and the most logical and predictable outcomes almost never happen. In other words, Parkman has truly captured life in all its shades of grey and inconsistencies.

His treatment of the Indians is a perfect example. By modern day standards, it is egregiously politically incorrect. But he reveals them in all of their savagery, helpfulness, childish immaturity, wisdom, thievery, generosity, deceit, and unpredictable kindness. The commonplace cannibalism and similarly common extreme forms of repulsive torture done by Indians are carefully documented and reported throughout his texts, as well as the way their easily given friendship essentially saved the lives of most of the key European adventurers at one time or another.

These books are definitely not for the faint of heart or people who want a simplistic "Dummies Guide" to history!

While there is a new Introduction, this is the historic account of Robert LaSalle's exploration of the Louisiana territory in the 1680s. Parkman first published this treatise in 1869; it has since been reprinted numerous times. An excellent, thoroughly engrossing recounting of the exploration of the territory which LaSalle claimed for France in 1682, through which the reader not only learns of the daily travails of the little band of explorers, but also, the human frailties of the man, Robert Cavelier, known as LaSalle. This book gives life to a name from history, and exemplifies the methodical research done by Parkman in the days before telephones, faxes, and copiers. I was thoroughly impressed by the subject and the writer. Excellent; informative, totally enthralling reading-writers of today should take note! Kudos to the publishers (and Krakauer) for bringing this series (back) to life!

Parkman is that unusual combination of great scholar and wonderful writer. His books depicting the history of French exploration of North America and the conflict between the French and the British for control of North America remain the basic narratives of these events. Parkman's writing, combining narrative, psychological insight into major historical actors, and use of rhetoric that seamlessly reflects his narrative, is often superb. This particular book is almost entirely devoted to the career of the Sieur De La Salle, the French explorer obsessed with establishing French control over the Mississippi valley. Parkman provides vivid portraits of the almost incredible hardships of travel in North America, the character of politics in the French colonies, and an insightful treatment of La Salle and his associates. Parkman's powerful but restrained language often recalls the style of Tacitus.

I picked this up on a lark and found I couldn't put it down. A fascinating story, extremely well written and a pure pleasure to read. I travel extensively and found it amazing how many places I go to regularly have a direct link to La Salle. Couldn't recommend it more.

Frances Parkman was a man who lived and breathed his history. He not only researched his subjects thoroughly, but seems to have crawled inside their heads as well.

Parkman's gift for bringing people alive is nowhere more evident than in this complex story of Robert Cavalier de la Salle's attempt to realize his dream of making France a leader in the new world. Parkman's skillful examination of the man behind the story lets the reader understand why LaSalle and his ideas were the cause of such controversy. At the same time, Parkman paints a vivid picture of the new world frontier as it existed in LaSalle's time. This is a book that can be savored on many levels: as an entertaining adventure story, a psychological thriller, and a historical reference.

Parkman's prose is rich and full of details you will need to understand the complexity of the charcters and the consciousness of the times. Therefore, you should be prepared to spend time working your way through this book. Whenever I tried to hurry through a section, I found that I missed something important that was needed later on. In other words, patience is needed, but well worth it. Parkman was a true lover of history and the people who shaped it and it shows.

Karam-Read's book, "Manhattan to Mississippi..." shows us what really makes the places we love wonderful and special - the people. Possessed with a charm, dignity and charisma different than the people Karam-Read had known prior, the people of the Gulf Coast take their time to show genuine kindness, caring and respect for one another. There is truly something to learn from this cross-cultural glimpse of two foreign worlds exisitng within the same national border. I was deeply touched by this beautifully written work and will use caution before thinking stereotypically about a world I have not experienced.

When I read the title, I knew I had to buy this book for my "7th year in the south" daughter-in-law from upstate New York. My husband, much like Daisy's, loves for me to read to him as we're traveling. I read (aloud) as we drove from Memphis to North Carolina/Virginia, and we loved it! Here,in the south, we feel it is our privilege and our duty, to make sure our 'Yankee transplants' find their niche and 'fall in love with the southern family, neighbors and friends.' We're looking forward to the next book from this young lady!

A delightful read on a subject I've never given much thought to. The style of prose is easily read, intelligent in language and the topic one that, much to my surprise, deserves an audience. Thanks to Daisy, I'll make it a point to visit Mississippi and very soon.

Reviewed by Robert Beardsley, President
The Ruthmere Foundation, Inc.
Elkhart, IN

All dessert and no spinach first, this slender volume is an inviting introduction to a state until now I knew little about. Like Antarctica, I know where Mississippi is but I have never been there. Thanks to Miss Daisy I want to go tomorrow. "In Mississippi there are no strangers--only new friends to meet."

In clipped, stylish prose, our writer first introduces her new husband, a gentlemanly reincarnation of Rhett Butler. Like Ruth, she follows him to his homeland, leaving behind without regret the glitz and concrete canyons of her earlier fast-paced life in the City. With charm and sensitive humor she introduces his people and their kind, gentle ways. Chapter by chapter, we explore the ways and byways of this large, fertile state, its food and topography. The Mississippi Gulf Coast despite the ravages of Hurricane Katrina still sounds gorgeous. In "Ol' Mississip" yesterday and today live comfortably together. The hoop skirts are gone but Southern Belles with their practiced and effective charm do survive. More importantly, racial integration and all the good that comes from it seems to be working here. Her impressions are warm, intimate, and inviting. There is more to America than New York, California, Florida and Kansas and Daisy tells us where to find it.

I come from Indiana but now I want to savor Mississippi. This is December reading with a glass of wine by the fire after dinner. Don't miss "Tastes of the South". Gumbo, jambalaya, sweetened tea, bacon juice, yes, bacon juice, Vidalia onions, crawfish and shrimp soufflés alone will make you hustle south to explore the gustatory, scenic and social pleasures of this beautiful part of our country.

More, please, Miss Daisy!

From Manhattan to Mississippi - from this Manhattanite's perspective - is a delightful tale of scores of unexpected treasures revealed in a Southern Gulf Coast State. The riches discovered there are not material for the most part but are more cultural and civilizing. Karam Read intoxicates you with unanticipated stories of unyielding refinement and propriety intermingled through all classes of Mississippian society. This discerning glance into a world many believe no longer exists can easily be consumed in one sitting and I highly recommend the read.

I agree with the earlier reviews but I'd like to provide some details about this book's strengths.
First, Payne places the people who made the Mississippi movement at the center the story. He tells the story of both the original local leaders who made it possible for the civil rights movement to happen in Mississippi and the activists who followed their lead in the 1960s.
Second, he extends the time span of the civil rights movement, showing that it would not have been possible without the "organizing tradition" referred to in the subtitle. Payne expertly traces the relationships and linkages between different generations of heroic troublemakers in Mississippi.
Third, he shows that the original radicals, and I mean those who wanted to change Mississippi from its roots, were those who had already challenged the system to achieve personal gain. "Bourgeois" blacks in Mississippi weren't uniformly complacent or fearful. Wisely, Payne does not use this fact to justify any notion of a "talented tenth" that ought to lead the masses.
Fourth, the chapter on Ella Baker is a stunning and riveting account of one heroic troublemaker who didn't receive enough recognition for her efforts.
Fifth, when Payne writes about what we typically consider the civil rights movement, he places you in the midst of the activists and makes you feel their exhileration, exhaustion, frustration, fear, and courage. Scholarly books never have this quality. At the same time, he does this in a historical context and with a critical eye which absolutely illuminate the raw material in a way that first-person and journalistic treatments rarely approach.
For these reasons, and many more, this is clearly the best of many excellent books on the civil rights movement. Some could fault Payne for placing less emphasis on the national and institutional dimensions of the freedom struggle. But, in the case of the black American struggle for freedom, Payne shows us the story begins with, and is carried by, people who tried to change their communities, not their nation.

Two years ago the author taught a short course at my college on the Mississippi civil rights movemement. He used this book, and I've been recommending it to people ever since. His style and content are both amazing, and I feel really lucky to have had an opportunity to read this book in a course structured around it. _I've Got the Light of Freedom_ offers a new perspective on the way history is taught and remembered. Organizing and people's history are emphasized in what happens to be one of the best movement books out there. It's everything scholarly writing should be. Kudos to Charles Payne.

The real history of the civil rights movement. Who really made the difference in a day to day way on the front lines. Not only that, a description of how to organize from a working class, feminist perspective in the context of the African-American freedom struggle. A must read for anyone who is trying to build the movement we need today to make a world free of oppression.

As a history major, I have various interests. One of my favorite things to study is the civil rights movement. Of all the books that I have seen, few match the caliber of this book. It takes the state of Mississippi (which may be the book's greatest irony)and shows how powerful a grassroots movement such as the civil rights movement can be with the proper forms of leadership. I urge anyone who is interested in learning about the civil rights movement should start with this book!

I'd pair the book with a more nationally-oriented one, such as the Taylor Branch trilogy, which give a better sense of national politics, but Payne's book is both profound and profoundly moving in its depiction of local communities and Ella Baker's "Organizing Tradition", which turns a number of assumptions about the movement on their head. I've read the book a few times with students and never fail to be personally engaged and to have invigorating classes with students. Great, great stuff!

The author creates the most believable characters in Lauren's Line. The vivid descriptions of the characters and surroundings allowed the reader into the mind and body of each character. The names matched each person to a T!!!
Great book!

This was the funniest book I read all year. If you are an English major or an English teacher, you will fall down laughing at this satire of an English department. If you're not in academia, you'll still find it very funny but you'll never know how realistic it is. The humor is dark, and the writing style is subtle. One of my favorite parts was the memorial service for the dead Lauren (I don't want to give it away but it involves public nudity.)

I loved this book so much!!! I definitely recommend Lauren's Line. It was a totally original, fun read. It was actually a relief for me to find this book, because the last dozen books I read were all uninspiring. This was the first book in about a YEAR that I really "got into" in a totally natural, fun way. I literally couldn't put it down. I was even reading it in the bathroom and on the subway. It's just so funny the way the author creates a cast of characters at this university, and each person is SO believable. Anyway, I highly, highly recommend this unusual book!

If you're familiar with Sondra Spatt Olsen's work, you always know after the first paragraph that you're in for a good read.
And if you've taken English courses at a large urban school and wondered what goes on behind the scenes, Lauren's Line tells it all in a lucid trenchant way, skewering the characters and serving them really well done. You're sure to recognize your English 101 teacher.
Olsen's a professional. What you see is what you get and that's people in all their pettiness and all their bigness. Hooray for George Reilly! He gets my vote for English Department Chair.

Once I started reading Lauren's Line I couldn't do anything until I put it down. So many hilarious characters, so absurd their world at a public college.
In fact the other day I was at a dull oral review here at my state college as my mind wandered I snickered to myself remembering the professor in Lauren's Line who bought multiple canvas totes the year he graduated from Harvard so he could advertise his education for the rest of his life. Maybe that doesn't sound that funny in the awkward way I wrote it but Sandra Spatt Olsen really will have you in stitches when you read her take on the story. I mean when was the last time a book made you laugh a good six months after you read it?
Also the book is small enough to easily fit in my purse so I could carry it around. It's cute too. Its red spine looks good on the shelf.

Marvelous. Should be required reading for all college and university students.

Much of our common knowledge of U.S. civil rights movement's history comes from books and films portraying the nationally known struggles of the 1950s and 1960s. This book tells a different story - the struggles of the largely African American activists who, working without the benefit of the national spotlight, sought to open up the closed society of Mississippi to equal treatment for its African American citizens. It was a tremendous and extremely dangerous task. Mississippi was the toughest nut to crack among the Southern states. It was the most impoverished state in the union, where subjugation of African Americans was strictly enforced through intimidation, violence, disenfranchisement, job firings and economic ruin. Any sympathetic whites who dared to even question Mississippi justice were financially ruined and all but run out of the state. In this seemingly impossible to change social, political, and economic climate, a movement of local Mississippi African Americans emerged, with the help of activists from other states, who challenged the situation head-on by attempting to empower African Americans through voter registration drives, by attempting to set up cooperatives in order to gain economic power, and through education. The emphasis was not so much on organizing for desegregation of public facilities as it was on changing the power structure of Mississippi, to enfranchise its African American citizens and gain for them political and economic justice. Working from the bottom up, these activists had few allies, were largely ignored by the national media, and faced life threatening dangers on a daily and nightly basis. Many were savagely beaten, shot at, and repeatedly jailed. Several were murdered. They persisted, working diligently and out of the spotlight. Local People details the successes and failures of these every day struggles, and by doing so, lifts this aspect of the movement from obscurity to its rightful place in history. Prof. Dittmer is a first-rate writer - this book is very hard to put down once you start reading it. What emerges is a portrait of some of the most courageous people in our nation's history, such as Fannie Lou Hamer, Amzie Moore, and Bob Moses, and the local people who responded to the activists efforts. Local People is essential reading for any true understanding of the civil rights movement.

In my opinion this work looks at the civil rights movement in a way that all historians shoud take note of. Dittmer's in-depth bottom up look at the way movements happen allows a deeper understanding of the incredible struggles that local Mississippians went through for a few small steps toward racial equality. It also knocks the national leaders (JFK, LBJ, MLK) off the pedestals that mainstream history has placed under them and shows the truly peripheral role that they played in the struggle.

If you have any interest in the civil rights movement in Mississippi, this is the work you should turn to. It has great depth and is written with an enthusiastic flair that is not often found in similar works. I echo the comment....you won't be able to put it down until the last page is read.

This was required reading for a graduate course in American history.

John Dittmer's Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi paints a portrait of one of the most horrendous acts committed in our nation's history. The torture and abuse the black population endured just to be able to vote was unimaginable. Black men from Mississippi fought for our country in World War II but they could not have a voice in who helped run our country. They remained disenfranchised in this state. White supremacy ran rampant in Mississippi for decades.

Trying to keep blacks from voting in the 1940's made headlines in the Jackson Daily News which read: "DON'T TRY IT!": "Don't attempt to participate in the Democratic primaries anywhere in Mississippi on July 2nd* Staying away from the polls on that date will be the best way to prevent unhealthy and unhappy results." (2) Senator Theodore "The Man" Bilbo played a major role in what became known as the "reign of terror" in trying to keep blacks from voting. Although a complaint was filed with the US Senate committee to Investigate Campaign Expenditures claiming Bilbo had something to do with ostracizing blacks he denied all charges of wrongdoing and was exonerated.

The state constitution had been set up in such a manner that made it almost impossible . for any black man or woman to be able to register to vote. The four main criteria were:

1. Prevent them from registering in the first place
2. Two year residency requirement
3. Two dollar poll tax
4. "Understanding clause" which stated that any prospective voter must be able to read any section of the constitution or as an alternative, be able to understand it when read to him, or to give" a reasonable interpretation of it". (6)

The vast majority of white Mississippians believed blacks should not vote. For four decades blacks struggled against forces of white supremacy with limited success. Most of the' power coming from the "Delta Aristocracy" dominated the state politically and economically for almost half the century (10).

Racial violence was a daily reality for blacks in Mississippi. The caste system that existed before World War II still lingered and remained well into the future, After the war black activism began. Efforts began to be made for voter registration. Organizations began to form in order to advance the black population into what should already be theirs, human rights. Many still held jobs associated with slavery. Jim Crow commanded the pace of life in Mississippi. "Keeping the Negro in his place" was the duty of every white citizen (20). The black vote was not progressing the way organizations like the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) wished it would. Three of the factors that accounted for the failure to register large numbers of black votes are as follows:

1. Tactics of intimidation
2. No on to vote for
3. Registration campaigns centered on the small black middle class

Organizations such as the NAACP and the RCNl (Regional Council of Negro leadership) were both working toward the same goal; however, their differences were more territorial than ideological. They had to remember that their common enemy was the same. Mississippi came to be in a class by itself. The philosophy of the white population came to be that it was "open season" on blacks. If any black man ever achieved anything or got
ahead in any way white supremacy out ranked him every time. Voting remained the main objective for blacks for many years. They continued to have many obstacles in which to overcome in order to just get registered. The state kept the difficult tests in place and violence was EVERYWHERE.

By the early 1960's outsiders began to infiltrate the state. Freedom rides began, college students began protesting in different ways, sit-ins and demonstrations started; and during this time President Kennedy's only goal was to avoid violence. Voter registration came to a standstill after the murder of Herbert Lee, a member of the Mississippi state legislature. His murder was sending a message to the black population which was standing up for your rights in southwest Mississippi could get you killed (109). Organizers came to the realization that no progress could be made unless someone was willing to die.

The activist decide to go to the Delta which was the most oppressed and poor area of Mississippi. There they find that the poorest people are the most willing to act because they have nothing to lose. Violence follows them everywhere but patience begins to subside with the black population and they start to fight back.

James Meredith applied to Ole Miss after serving in the military and enrolling in Jackson State in 1960. His main goal was to desegregate Ole Miss. After many appeals, Meredith was admitted and the governor, Ross Barnett, had been in secret negotiations with the Kennedy' son how to keep Ole Miss from becoming integrated. The Kennedy's had trusted Barnett to keep the peace with this matter; however, on September 30, 1962 the Ole Miss riot took place when Meredith entered Oxford with federal Marshalls. When it was over two men were dead and 160 marshals were injured (140).

Hunger, illiteracy and voting were concerns that needed to be addressed immediately. The SNCC(Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee) forced the Kennedys to do what they did not want to do, to "be on somebody's side" (153). The black community became excited. They got involved. The Greenwood movement, as it was known, survived the repression it experienced and the SNCC workers returned to their projects once again. However, the federal indifference and the white narrow-mindedness did not put an end to the fight for civil rights. At the same time in Jackson they were getting ready for a campaign against segregated facilities and discriminatory employment practices. They were insisting on the use of courtesy titles, equality in hiring and promotion, and an end to Jim Crow practices (157). After gaining some momentum in their quest the NAACP decided to reverse their direction which is still unclear. In Jackson, the Kennedys' primary objective was to bring an end to violence, which meant getting black people off the streets. They preferred order to justice (169).

Violence, hunger, and hatred continued to ensue throughout the state. Pastors of black churches finally opened their doors to organizations so they would have somewhere to meet. Voting rights were still a primary goal. With more organizations in the middle of things conflicting strategies became a problem. They all wanted the same end result but the ideologies were not the same. Therefore, they each had a different opinion on how things should be done.

Willie Dillon a COFO (Council of Federated Organizations) participant and parent of children, who went to Freedom Schools, had his house bombed in McComb. The police blamed him and arrested him for operating a garage without a license. He pleaded guilty after intimidation and without the guidance of an attorney and was fired from his job. McComb's blacks were consistently bombed by the KKK, if the blacks were active. McComb's white leadership was silent. Black principals and ministers who had not been active in the COFO movement were bombed. Black residents went to the justice department, but to no avail. Eventually the government heard rumors of marshal law and white bombers were eventually arrested and the KKK terror stopped. The bombers were let off with a stern warning. With nationwide media watching, McComb desegregated for the cameras; but returned to the old way of life once the media was gone. Black activists decimated the Klan's authority and won some small battles; and some white moderate voices were beginning to be heard.

In 1964 COFO emerged as a powerful force in the election by trying to get blacks registered and voting. COFO was expanding. Some people returned to school. CORE(Congress of Racial Equality) and SNCC had low morale and few activists signed up in 1964. Women were discriminated against in SNCC as secretaries when they were qualified for much more. The Freedom Democratic Party would be an independent force, the successor to both COFO and SNCC.

Freedom Democrats contested the Mississippi elections of five House representatives. More than a third of the House membership voted to bar the Mississippi members. National publicity and lawyers came to Mississippi because of the contention. COFO and the NAACP could not agree on anything and were increasingly hostile towards each other. COFO was abolished and SNCC went under the FOP. SNCC activists were alienated from mainstream politics. White terror made it so blacks did not want to vote. Natchez was a town of the "Old South". Charles Evers emerged as that section of Mississippi's main leader and played the organizations against each other. The Natchez blacks demanded equality in the police force, government and business or the blacks would boycott white stores. FOP did not agree with Evers, but Evers won with popularity. He was cautious and did not march when the other organizations thought they should. Evers went against FOP thought and ended the boycott to white stores that had compromised. FOP was on the major decline, defeated in Natchez. FOP
money was running tight. New strategies would have to be employed.

In early April 1965 the Mississippi Freedom Labor Union (MFLU) and the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) were created to organize black farm and domestic workers in the Delta region. The MFLU efforts failed not only because the traditional hostility of white Mississippians toward all labor unions, but also because farm workers had no leverage to use against the planters. Efforts to form farmers cooperatives in the region barely made a dent in the problems of black unemployment and poverty. CDGM was one of the nation's pioneer Head Start programs, providing poor children with preschool training, medical care, and two hot meals a day. It also provided employment at decent wages for hundreds of local teachers and paraprofessionals at Head Start centers.

On June 4, 1966, James Meredith began his 220 mile walk from Memphis to Mississippi's state capital of Jackson to challenge the fear that was still dominant among black Mississippians and to convince them it was now safe to register and vote in the Magnolia State. On the second day, Meredith was shot, but while he was recuperating leaders of the national civil rights organizations continued the march. During the first week of the Meredith march there were few white hecklers. Local officials were eager to avoid incidents of violence and the march itself had an informal and relaxed quality. That all changed during the final ten days with familiar tactics of repression and mob violence; but it also became more militant as the ideological and philosophical divisions among its leaders became more apparent (395 & 396). When the march ended anticlimactically on June 26th, and the national civil rights leadership left the state - fighting over who would pay the march's bills - Mississippi was still segregated, black poverty was still getting worse, and local black Mississippians were still left to pick up the pieces.

SNCC as an organization had little impact on the Mississippi movement after 1966; it had become preoccupied with internal problems centering on the definition and implications of black power and it had voted to expel all whites from the organization in December 1966. The local people, who had been the backbone of the old COFO coalition and the Freedom Democratic Party (FOP), faced challenges from black and white political moderates. FOP leaders agreed that the 1967 state and local elections would make or break their party (410). In the face of urban race riots in the North, and calls for revolution among black nationalists, FOP continued to work within the political system and welcomed support from all people who identified with its theme of black empowerment. State legislative strategies conspired to dilute black voting strength(gerrymandering congressional districts, creating multimember legislative districts requiring at-large voting, and increased filing requirements for independent candidates); this, combined with black political infighting and white intimidation limited FOP's achievements (411-415).

Recommended reading for anyone interested in American history, civil rights history.

Mr. Potter has done a great service, in the service of bringing to life (literally) the wonderfully detailed personification of the steamboat "Sultana's" explosion and fiery sinking; woven marvelously into the adept story-telling describing how such an event would vanish from history, and the circumstances that created each and all.

Extensively documented, fleshing out all angles of the event before, during and after.

Simply marvelous.

I finished reading The Sultana Tragedy: America's Greatest Maritime Disaster on December 7 while on vacation in Aruba. The news of that day was that it was 58 years since that infamous day at Pearl Harbor. Yet it struck me odd that practically no one today was aware of the Sultana tragedy of April 27, 1865. The 2300 killed by the enemy at Pearl Harbor were only slightly higher than the estimated 1800 who lost their lives that forgotten night with the Sultana.

As my fifth and seventh grade sons stepped into the overheated Jacuzzi to listen to Jerry Potter's story, the initial shock of the excessive hot water put them in an appropriate listening mood. Memphis Attorney Potter's study of the disaster is no doubt the most comprehensive examination of this 133-year-old incident. Why, I wondered, why did this disaster become lost in the memories of America? While I have vague memories of the Sultana from my Tennessee history professors and Memphis law school days, Potter's book easily captivated my attention as I roved through its 300 pages with 655 footnotes, pictures and a comprehensive list of the passengers. Perhaps, this history was lost because of timing. April 1865 had seen headlines of the end of the Civil War, the assassination of President Lincoln and the capture of John Wilkes Booth. And the Eastern newspapers were apparently not that interested in what happened on America's western front.

My sons being very familiar with last year's top movie, "Titanic," gave their full attention as I explained what I had just read. As a 31 year veteran of the Army and history buff, it puzzled me also why the Army has not covered this topic substantially. The Titanic's 1522 deaths are less than the 1800 who died with the Sultana. Of the approximately 765 individuals who immediately survived the disaster, nearly half would die within days of their recovery from the dark and cold Mississippi River. These U.S. prisoners of war had just endured the worst of all times at the infamous Andersonville and Cahaba prison camps. Over 20,000 US POWs had died during imprisonment while the South had over 23,000 of its prisoners to die in Northern prisons. Many recently released prisoners, weighing in at less than 100 pounds, believed that they were finally going home after the War. The worst was over they thought.

The Sultana Steamship, one of the largest and best steamers supposedly every made, was only designed to carry 376 passengers. In the hurry to leave Vicksburg, an estimated 2500+ passengers crowded aboard, including crew and other non-military passengers. The Steamship Captain hurried a boiler repair that remains the primary suspect of the explosion, yet others believed that perhaps a revengeful Rebel might have placed explosives in the coal. Bribery, political influence, greed, indifference, criminal misconduct, and gross stupidity allowed the overloading of the ship at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Visions of being home in a few days perhaps were worth the crowding in the minds of these ex-prisoners who had seen much worst.

Prior to departure, the steamer's first clerk remarked that this would be greatest trip ever made on western waters since there were more people on the Sultana's board than previously carried on any one boat in the Mississippi River. The Sultana also carried a large store of freight of sugar, wine, mules, hogs, and the crew's pet alligator. Due to the spring time floods of the Mississippi River, water was cold and swift; the river spread several miles as it flowed over fields and its banks. Even though other steamers were available, the ship's crew and passengers wanted to get the trip on.

At approximately 2 a.m., April 28, 1865, the worst nightmare that could occur happened. The Sultana's boilers blew sending scalding steam over many passengers; decks crashed pinning hundreds of passengers in an inferno to burned alive, and it was miles to the shore in icy cold water- and there was only one lifeboat. For days following, bodies were found floating in the Mississippi - many unclothed. Animals were found lunching on human carcasses days later.

My sons asked why no movies tell the story concerning the Sultana since it includes hundreds of touching stories. Assuming Potter's accurate description, perhaps it is really too tragic for viewers to envision. I wondered where could actors be found to portray the large group of frail men on the steamer? Absent Hitler's holocaust camps, perhaps there have been no collection of humans as frail as these released Confederate Prisoner of War Camps survivors.

While citizens of Memphis, whose allegiance had been with the opposing force, opened their homes and care giving to the survivors with true Southern hospitality, the aftermath of seeking fault and blame paints a sad story. Potter's research included the investigations that followed. Further, the lengthy court-martial of Captain Frederick Speed who was convicted but then set aside by the Army's Judge Advocate General. No doubt this explosion should not have rested on one lowly Captain when others were equally or more responsible. Although it is apparent that there were many faults in arriving at the disaster and even questions as to what caused the Sultana's boilers' to explode, the matter was swept under the rug.

Most tragic is the manner in which this country treated these victims. This feeling is best summarized by a bitter survivor: "The men who endured the torments of a hell on earth, starved, famished from thirst, eaten with vermin, having endured all the indignities, insults and abuses possible for an armed bully to bestow upon them, to be so soon forgotten does not speak well for our government or for the American people."

We have a museum in our little river town , it is a sternwheeler from the early 20's , I used to go there with my friends and brothers and roam around and just soak up history...on one of the walls (that were filled with memorabilia and posters) was a poster of the Sultana with a drawing of it blowing up and telling of the great loss of life...so when my brother told me of a book he read of the event I had to get it too...this book covers the ship's last voyage from beginning to end and is very good...I learned a lot from this book..a lot of interesting photos too...

This is a little known event in the Civil War era. The Sultana was carrying released Union prisoners of war from Vicksburg to Camp Chase in Ohio. Due to an imcomplete repair of one of the four boilers and the vast over crowding of the steamship, there was a huge explosion a few miles above Memphis on the Mississippi River. The explosion and sinking resulted in the loss of between one-two thousand people, mostly soldiers.

Potter, who is a lawyer by trade, investigates why there were so many soldiers on board and why the boiler repair was incomplete. His theory is that the Captain-Mason bribed the Head Quartermaster Hatch so that all the released soldiers were placed on board the Sultana rather than two other steamships. The Captain also hastened the repairs of the boiler rather than take the ship out of service. This set the situation up for the accident. These two factors caused the ship to roll much and the boilers were affected. When the boilers blew, the resulting fire doomed a great majority of men.

Potter also describes life in the Confederate prisoner of war camps and what it was like for those who had to live a life in one. These soldiers were indeed weakened to the point where they could not muster much energy to save themselves when the steamship was sinking. When they went into the water, most drowned.

This is a great short read on a little known event of the Civil War. Potter did a great job writing a very informative history of a little known tragedy.

One of the returning Union POW's on the Sultana was my 3rd Great-Uncle Pvt. Wesley Lee of the Ohio 102nd Infantry. Uncle Wesley was one of the fortunate ones. He survived that awful disaster. Jerry Potter has done a great service to Uncle Wesley's comrades who perished in the Sultana explosion and aftermath. His excellent research, along with Gene Salecker's earlier work, goes a long way to bringing to light what has to rank as America's most "forgotten" tragedy. No Civil War library shelf is complete without this book.

The author's style takes you there with vivid descriptions, entertaining dialogue, and funny anecdotes. The South comes alive with this fascinating novel!

A wonderful story well told. I could not put it down. Gives a very interesting and valuable insight to life in the South in the mid 1900s.

I read the entire book on a one-day trip from west to east coast. Never have I read a novel that held my attention like this one, while teaching me more than I have ever known about the Black and White subcultures of Mississippi in the last century. You can't help but learn as the book sweeps you along from one authentic experience to another. You live it and come away with a profound understanding of conditions and actions within and between the Black and White sides. The main character, at the beginning an eleven year old White boy, lives these things, as the author no doubt did. The book is well worth reading if for the love story alone. You will want to keep this one in your personal library. A cracking good read - don't let it pass!

A riveting page-turning novel that every American, black,white,and other, should read. This book will place you deep in both the white and black subcultures of rural south Mississippi at mid-twentieth century, one of the most turbulent periods of the nation's history. A gripping new perspective on the social revolution in the United States and the Viet Nam War, and how the two linked to profoundly mark white and black youth of this place and time. The main character depicts a segment of American society that has, until this book was published, been unrecognized as a real victem of the time. Triumph and tragedy, race and violence, promise and betrayal, love and heartbreak - this book will educate you. Read it! You'll be glad you did.

Having not grown up in the USA culture, racism has always been perplexing to me.
This deeply personal and insightful novel is not only educational and entertaining,
but grips the heart and soul of one who reads it. As the author "lives" the story,
one is brought to a better understanding of the dynamics of our race-conflicted country.
A Must-Read!

The book arrived in perfect condition. While I've never read either story before, I know that my brother enjoyed these classics about 40 years ago. I home school and we have studied American history. I was sorry to read in some reviews how offended some people were by the terminology used in the book. I am pigmented and have been called "nigger". The funny thing is that I am not of African-American heritage!!! It goes to show how ignorant people can be! I have taught my children that everyone is a human and we treat others the way we would want to be treated. Slavery is a chapter in our history that we should be ashamed of. These are old stories, written at a different time. It's the way it was. Prejudice still exists today. My sixth grade son is learning about "voice" in writing. I bought this so that we could enjoy a classic while learning about voice, that part in writing that makes a story come alive.

This was a trip back for me in two ways. For one, it takes place in a different time when life was a little simpler. Also it takes me back to the first time I read it. I am 50 years old and haven't read this since elementary school. Even though it is set back in time, I could relate to the feelings of these young boys and remember well that time of my life.

It's a must read for your kids (particularly boys) and anyone who has or has not read it. I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time.

Tom Sawyer is one of the most entertaining books u will ever read. In this book, Tom Sawyer gets himself into a lot of trouble. He got in trouble at home, at church, and at school. His mischievous antics will keep you entertained throughout the entire book. Although he got into trouble frequently, he also had an uncanny ability to get himself out of trouble with the help of his good friend Huckleberry Finn. The adventures of these two boys have entertained readers for over a century. As soon as you start reading this book, you will not want to put it down. I would recommend this classic novel for readers of all ages.

I LOvED this Book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved the adventure, the excitment, and the comedy!!!!!!!!!

In a letter to his friend Franz Overbeck dated 14, November, 1879, Nietzsche says, "If you do not know the latest book by Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, it would be a pleasure for me to make you a little present of it."

Both novels define the picturesque masterpiece and are the twin highpoints in American prose.

In a world so hectic as ours, it is always a pleasure to be able to pick up a few lines of prose that returns us to the center and gives us reflections from outside our normally self-centered life.

Dr.John Hopkins

Beach Walks by George Thatcher In this well writen book, the reader is transported to their "beach" whether mental or actual. Mr. Thatcher has a wonderful way of communicating more than sights and sounds that goes to the heart and soul of the subject offered. Obviously, Thatcher is a man of rich life experiences and a high level of respect for life. His educated presentation is meaningful to readers (and beach walkers) of all ages. Around our house, one page can lead into a lengthy discussion. Thatcher's chronical is a treasure!!!!!! Son of a Beach Walker

For a land-bound Arkansas boy, BEACH WALKS opens new vistas of nature and beauty that I have not experienced as a way of life but only in passing on too-quick vacations. But Thatcher's introspection transcends the Coastal life to all who are one with God and nature.

Beach Walks is more than a collection of thoughts inspired by years of beach walking the Mississippi Gulf Coast by an observant, curious and perceptive beach walker. These thoughts, often lyrical, are enhanced with various quotations from Psalms to Mae West and Stalin, and frequently include fascinating scientific and historical facts, as well as entertaining trivia. Though this book will be especially meaningful to those familiar to the Gulf Coast, its essence is universal, transcending time and place.

Beach Walks is a lovely series of daily musings by George Thatcher, whose way of writing reminds me of paintings with words. George has an acute and creative sense of observation as well as a rich interior life! I am giving this book for gifts; a friend told me yesterday she reads my gift daily as a kind of devotional. Susan McNease

having a unique maiden name as Elzy, I like to see what I come across on the web. When I came across David Weaver's book on black divas and whom the book was about I couldn't resist. Not only is this a book about a wonderful singer, but about a person whom made her dream a reality with the help of god and some wonderful friends. The determination she had, her beliefs. This book was so informative and easy to read, that I am going to pass it on to others to read. I don't know if she is a relative but this book has given me the inspiration to find out.

Ruby Elzy, on the scant evidence of the one recording that I have yet heard (St Louis Blues, in the film of Birth of the Blues), was a great artist, both as actor and singer.

David Weaver's fine book is a most moving and informing tribute to Ruby Elzy's life and career. It is also a tribute to the achievement of a people emerging with triumph from slavery and discrimination. Despite their triumph, this book also indicts the nature of ongoing discrimination, against Afro-Americans and against all other people of colours and beliefs and ways of life that cannot be accommodated by the fear-based, unreasoned and unreasonable prejudice of other people across the world. This world is too small a place to contain both a diverse humanity and oppressive, evil prejudice.

In spite of the great interest and pleasure that I found, and continue to find on re-reading, in David Weaver's first book (surely, other books may follow), reading it was a painful experience - it has forced me to confront my own, deep-seated prejudices. There is a story where Ruby Elzy is walking with her friends and is mocked by a racist white boy. When she starts to sing a joyful spiritual instead of being downcast, the boy then acknowledges, in a kind of begrudging wonder, that she surely could sing.

David Weaver's work in creating this good book has helped many of us to share that boy's wonder. Sharing his admiration and affection for this great woman and her people is a gift that earns him the warm, well-earned gratitude of his readers.

David Weaver is now preparing a CD of Ruby Elzy's work and no doubt this will be sought after by many people on its release.

Ruby Pearl Elzy was born in small town Mississippi, but even when she was a young child it was evident that her voice would be too big to keep her there. Her dream of becoming an opera singer seemed unfathomable considering the fact that her father had abandoned the family and her mother worked multiple jobs,one as a school teacher, just to meet the basic needs of the family. But like her mother, Ruby had strong faith that God would make a way for her and neither of the two women was afraid of hard work. Their faith and work ethics, coupled with the dedication and help from others, both black and white, allowed Ruby to continue her education and eventually study at the famed Juilliard School. Despite racism and the barriers it created, she was able to perform on stage, radio and film, her trademark role being that of Serena from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Although she never accomplished her dream of starring in Verdi's Aida, her brief career was full of notable accomplishments. Tragically, Ruby Elzy died in her prime, before she could accomplish her goal to sing in grand opera. Yet, she left an indelible legacy that has inspired many.

Before I picked up this book I didn't know who Ruby Elzy was, but thanks to this book, I not only know of her accomplishments, but also a little about her on a personal level. I was even inspired to search online for audio clips so that I could hear the voice I read so much about. David Weaver has crafted a work that is a perfect balance between Elzy's personal and professional lives. When he writes about issues such as her divorce from her first husband or her relationship with her father, he does so with a respect that is often missing in today's biographies. He also does a wonderful job recreating the zeitgeist of the 1930's era by providing just enough relevant historical information. It is obvious from reading the book and scanning its extensive endnotes that BLACK DIVA OF THE THIRTIES is a well-researched book; it provides a comprehensive view of an important, but often overlooked woman, whose life was cut too short.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

A gifted four-year-old black girl child sings in church in a remote village in the hills of north Mississippi. She, two sisters, brother and schoolteacher mother are deserted by the father. In the 1920s existence in this farming community is hard for white folks, and much harder for a deserted black family of a woman and four children. By the time this girl is grown she will have graduated from Juilliard as a singer of classical music, given concerts throughout the country, entertained at the White House, performed in movies, become a favorite of George Gershwin and originated the role of Serena in Porgy & Bess. How it all happened has to be a biography because you would not believe it in a work of the imagination. It is all true. And it is well told in Black Diva. Although published by a University Press it is as far from academic gobbledygook as could be. Mr. Weaver writes well and has constructed an exciting story. This is not one of those bios where you know little more when you finish it than you did before. He "connected" with this girl, Ruby Elzy, and you get to know her, the times, the music, the atmosphere as well as if he had written a novel. Once famous, Ruby is now nearly forgotten. She shouldn't be. I invite you to read this book. You'll like her. And you'll want to hear her sing.

BLACK DIVA OF THE THIRTIES: THE LIFE OF RUBY ELZY is a fascinating and moving tribute to the great American soprano by first-time author David Weaver. Mr. Weaver's solid musical background serves him well in capturing the successes and the ultimate tragedy of this incomparable artist's life and career, and it's a testament to the author's style and sensitivity that no lofty musical pronouncements tarnish the pages of this book. Weaver treats his subject with intelligence and respect and it shows.

Biographers new to their craft often fall into the trap of overstating (and overstuffing) their subject's history, but all such pitfalls are avoided here. The book is a model of its kind and portrays Ruby Elzy's life and times in a warm, comprehensive and thoroughly engaging fashion. Weaver is also a born writer and I defy anyone to sample the marvelously evocative Prologue and not read on.

The book is a joy to read but more importantly, through the quality of his writing and the integrity of his research, Weaver ensures that Ruby Elzy's distinguished contribution to 20th century music will not be forgotten. The greatest test of any musical biography is whether the reader is compelled at the end of the book to seek out the subject's recorded legacy. With BLACK DIVA OF THE THIRTIES David Weaver has accomplished that task triumphantly, leaving the reader only to regret that so little recorded material by Ms. Elzy has survived her untimely passing.

This is a wonderful book by a gifted writer and an essential addition to every serious music lover's library.


Derek Mannering is the author of MARIO LANZA: A LIFE IN PICTURES published by Robert Hale, London. The author's acclaimed and newly revised biography MARIO LANZA: SINGING TO THE GODS will be published in the United States in summer 2005 by University Press of Mississippi.