Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi by Richard Grant

2 reviews

pun1sher's review against another edition

challenging informative

Very interesting from an outsider (european) perspective, a lot of info about 19th/20th century Mississippi and Deep South that I'd probably never learn otherwise, especially regarding the history of Black people in the south.
There are many stories of racially motivated violence in here that are squeezed in amongst stories of bizarre Natchez traditions; I could see it inspiring distaste. All in all, I can't say I didn't learn from it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Hate crime, and Racism

sjanke2's review

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Natchez (pronounced "matches"), Mississippi is a complicated place. It was pro-Union during the Civil War, is home to several white liberals, and most recently elected a Black gay man as mayor by an overwhelming margin. But the white community, despite its progressive intentions, wears blinders that obscure the town's history of slave-holding and -trading, Klan violence, and school segregation. (Read: they basically host an annual confederacy-themed debutante ball?) 

Richard Grant blends these stories of the wealthy antebellum south with the true historic tale of Ibrahim, a former African prince who was kidnapped and enslaved in Natchez. The middle sagged with garden club drama, but I generally found this book fascinating. 

 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Hate crime, Kidnapping, Racism, and Slavery