Mississippi Books

Once you're through reading Chaplin's memoirs and David Robinson's biography, you easily get the impression that's everything a Chaplin-fan needs to know about their hero. I assure you such is not the case; I can name several other books just as significant for any student of the comedian's life and work, and CHARLIE CHAPLIN: INTERVIEWS is certainly among them.

Kevin J. Hayes has done a wonderful job collecting some of the relatively few truly insightful interviews Chaplin ever did, beginning with "The Funniest Man on the Screen" by Victor Eubank (published 1915), in which Chaplin, who at that time had just signed his Essanay-contract, expressed some very reflected thoughts about comedy, being still just a newcomer in the movie-business. There are twenty-four interviews in all, other titles included are:

"Beneath the Mask: Witty, Wistful, Serious Is The Real Charlie Chaplin" (Grace Kingsley, 1916)
"Charlie Chaplin, Philosopher, Has Serious Side" (Frank Veeland, 1921)
"Shy Charlie Chaplin Opens His Heart" (Mordaunt Hall, 1925)
"Future of the Cinema: Mr. Charles Chaplin" (Robert Nichols, 1925)
"Chaplin Explains Chaplin" (Harry Carr, 1925)
"Chaplin Draws a Keen Weapon" (Robert van Gelder, 1940)
"Charlie Chaplin's MONSIEUR VERDOUX Press Conference" (George Wallach, 1947)
"Ageless Master's Anatomy of Comedy: Chaplin, An Interview" (Richard Meryman, 1967)
...etc.

The latter title is not really an interview, but rather an essay written by Chaplin where he covers both personal feelings and his view on the movie industry of today (which, of course, is the 1960's). Despite the fact that some interviews have nearly reached a century of age, they stand out as remarkably fresh and modern in their style and subjects. Naturally, some are better than others --the MONSIEUR VERDOUX press conference offers little except several attacks on Chaplin's politics and questions concerning Orson Welles' contributions to the screen-play-- but the very best are simply terrific.

The book includes no photos, but who needs that when all these great articles are available? CHARLIE CHAPLIN: INTERVIEWS is a unique sampling of some very sensitive and interesting interviews, which every admirer of the great comedian should read and own. I'll sure get Hayes' similar Buster Keaton-book one of these days.

Monette Morgan Young wrote about the area she knew best, the northeast corner of Calhoun County, Mississippi, where she was born and reared. This area included the old communities of Cherry Hill and Reid with their focal point at the Poplar Springs Baptist Church. She blends her library and census data research with the information from family Bibles and hours of discussions with older family members and hundreds of letters she exchanged with far-flung distant cousins. To this she adds her own personal memories of growing up as a single child on a small isolated farm and the daily life there. I think this is a great book, but I am a bit biased since I'm her son and I helped her edit and publish this book. There are no longer paper copies, but it is available on line at the Scribd web site. I don't know why it is listed by Amazon.Com, but I thought I'd put up this review of it.

Chickasaw the Scout is a relative of my wife and the story is family legend. It describes in detail how a Southerner is conflicted about the WBTS and how important preservation of the Union was to Levi Naron. Chickasaw was Chief of Union Scouts (spies) for the Southern Campaign and served Sherman, Grant, and others in the TN, MS, AL, GA theaters of operation. Needless to say, he could not return to Chickasaw County, Mississippi after the war because of retaliation from his neighbors so he relocated to Kansas on government land grants where his family still resides.

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

While the United States Congress was debating the Civil Rights Act of 1964, many organizations were pressuring the congressmen to support the Act. In the end, Hubert Humphrey believed that the church organizations had been "the most important force at work" 1James F. Findlay surveys the efforts of religious organizations in his article "Religion and Politics in the Sixties: The Churches and the Civil Rights Act of 1964" and tries to show whether Humphrey was correct.

The most important organization during the fight to pass the bill was the National Council of Churches. Under its organizational umbrella were many religious based organizations including the Federal Council of Churches which was "the principal Protestant ecumenical body of the early twentieth century and a major advocate of the Social Gospel. The members of the NCC saw the struggle for economic and political justice as their moral duty before God. They saw Jesus Christ as the example of someone who always advocated for the disposed. In the early 1960s they embraced the fight for civil rights. The plight of African Americans in the south fit in with their larger purpose of justice for all. The Protestant Social Gospel movement was alive within segments of the Catholic Church also, particularly in Latin America. Catholics and Jewish groups joined the NCC in their fight for the Civil Rights act. On moral grounds they could not refuse to help. The civil rights movement was largely led by ministers and they invoked the biblical righteousness of their cause. Segregation and violence were obviously against the gospel and many religious people began to see it. Findlay writes about the different methods that they used to persuade congress. The debate lasted ten months but everyday there were large church groups in the gallery and often there were small to large demonstrations in front of congress or in the Washington Mall. There were church services everyday dedicated to the passage of the Act in Washington D. C. and many other places in the United States. Thousands of people wrote letters to their congressmen. Some of the letters are quoted in the article and Findlay remarks that they are the letters of people not used to writing to government representatives. According to Findlay, The organizers knew where all the congressmen stood so they concentrated their efforts in the Midwest and Border States where they could turn some votes. Ministers preached sermons on the immorality of segregation and the equality of men before God. They urged parishioners to write in support of the Civil Rights Bill. There were also roving four-person teams that included a minister, an African American civil rights worker, a legislative expert and a contact person from the NCC. These teams would educate parishioners on the importance of passing the Bill.

Findlay writes that there was a profound belief in the hearts of many religious activists that segregation was immoral and that it had to change for the country to grow. He believes that the religious activism for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a precursor for the modem conservative religious activism that continually advocates for their ideas of morality to become the law. He believes that many people who were silent during the early sixties felt there was no one speaking for them and they became the group that later was tapped by Jerry Fallwel and Pat Robertson to constitute the Moral Majority. Findlay concludes that the Church organizations helped a great deal but that it was a combination o fthe labor, civil rights and religious organizations that successfully helped in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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

One seldom recalls that black students caught up in the civil rights movement were also struggling during this era simply to get an education. The author takes us through a turbulent era from inside the hurricane as both teacher and participant in the civil rights movement. Dramatic, gripping and filled with dry humor, this is a must read for anyone interested not only in the civil rights movement but in the history of black education in this country.

Michael Ballard is an archivist at Mississippi State University and draws upon his considerable expertise and research to provide the reader with an invaluable handbook to Mississippi's civil war battles, battlefields, and commemorative sites. Enhanced with easy-to-follow maps and a wealth of historical information, readers and visitors can trace the progress of the Civil War in its campaigns, and exploits in the Mississippi theater, which included sieges, trench warfare, naval bombardments, and calvary engagements. Civil War Mississippi is a handy field guide and an invaluable aid for the casual tourist and dedicated Civil War buff alike.

"The Clearing: A True Story of Childhood Survival and Self Acceptance" grabs you from the first page. You are instantly captured by the strength of a Mississippi family trying to achieve the American dream in spite of the turmoil of the sixties.

It's a wonderful story of a very lovely young lady and her quest to be the best person she can be inspite of tremendous adversity during the beginning stages of her life. She was adopted four times from birth to age eight. The joy of the story is the young girl's relationship with her grandfather, who gives her the moral foundation to accept all people and to follow her childhood dream to become a writer.

I personally met Ms. Yancey at a book signing. Not only is she a good writer, she is personable and friendly. I highly recommend this book.

This is an incredible book. The author sketched each bridge on the Mississippi River from New Orleans all the way up to Luling, Iowa (pretty much most of the navigable waterway). The book has proved to be a valuable resource to my own research on the river's bridges.

Well, it has been nearly two years since I finished writing this book on my hometown, and I couldn't be more pleased! I've received lots of emails, letters, and comments expressing thanks (though occasionally, I get a little flak for what I missed. I know, 128 pages is very limiting. Sorry.)

A couple reviews were written, one by the Clinton News and another by former mayor Dr. Walter Howell for this Journal of Mississippi History. If I can get copies (and permission) I will try to paste them here on Amazon.

Blessings,
Chad

The only thing better than reading the essays and seeing the full-color plates was to have been to the exhibit in person. The art is fascinating. The exploration of these artist's intentions and influences is inspiring. This is a first-rate publication that accompanied a first-rate exhibition.