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Growing up in Mississippi
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by:
ISBN:
0-7414-2067-8
©2004
Price:
$13.95
Book Size:
5.5'' x 8.5''
, 174 pages
Category/Subject:
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General
Not since “Cane River,” an Oprah Book Club pick, has a book come along to strike a familiar discord of memories for Black Americans with such vivid imagery and accurate reflection.
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Abstract:
Growing Up in Mississippi is a true story. Bertha’s story. But more than that, it is the story of what it was like for many young black girls of her generation to be born into poverty and to grow up surrounded by the meanest forms of racial discrimination. To be educated in run down, second rate schools, marry early and work long hours for low pay just to keep food on the table. Read about the wayward Uncle Wigley, a cursed character among many black families who resorted to inflicting abuse on family members. A poignant work of literature and classic for the millennium.
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Customer Reviews
Horrors of Racism
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07/26/2004
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Reviewer:
Marguerite Press
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An absolute must-read! Bertha Davis has done the world a great service by reminding us of how far African-Americans have come. In this memoir the reader finds himself/herself enmeshed in the horrors of racism and hatred in America, from the 1950's through the 1960's. Davis speaks of being the last one waited on hostility in a small dry goods store, in the tiny town of Webb, Mississippi. Davis recalled the details surrounded the murder of Emmet Till, in Money, Mississippi, in 1955. She also spoke of her single mother, Victoria Mae Thomas, who struggled to raise her four children, by being a sharecropper. Readers will be amazed by all of the things that went on, especially since it was so many years after slavery was abolished. But, Bertha and her family was forced to be like slaves, and at one point were shot at when they attempted to leave a plantation. Davis allows the reader to re-live her experiences of moving to Indiana, in 1965. She was shocked to discover that people weren't as friendly as the ones down home. And, of course there were some of the same prejudices in Indiana: still Davis returned to school, and after a twenty-four year absence, she obtained her GED, then went on to graduate from Indiana Vocational Technical College.
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Compelling autobiography
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09/01/2004
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Reviewer:
Brandon A. Perry, Staff Writer
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Most people who have been raised outside the so-called Deep South seem to have a general idea of what life has been like for African Americans, past and present. Drawing from a combination of historical facts and cultural stereotypes many outsiders conjure up visions of plantations, catfish and growing urban communities that are now receptive to minority economic and social development. But no matter how talented Hollywood producers and fiction writers might be in their portrayals of life in the Deep South, hardly anything can be more compelling and moving than hearing the experience from one who has truly lived it. Bertha M. Davis an Indianapolis author, strives to cature the essence and lessons of the twentieth century Southern experience in her latest book, Growing Up in Mississippi. This autobiography was written originally for my family because I wanted my children and grandchildren to see how far I've come, "said Davis, in explaining why she wrote the book. A friend who admired the manuscript said it should be published for everyone to read." Davis, who's a chaplain for women inmates at Marion County Jail #1, is genial, gracious and even comforting when interacting with others. But she has also maintained a tough and durable spirit that has successfully carried her through a succession of difficult trials. Growing Up in Mississippi capture the early years of Davis, mostly in the 1940s and 50s. She was raised in poor conditions in an enviornment drenched in racism. An unfortunate but common scenario for Black children at that time. As Davis' grandmother stated in the book, "Colored folks' lives didn't mean a thing. They were killed like animals and left to die." Davis was raised by her single mother, a half-Native American who was distant emotionally but provided for her children the best way she could. Life was by no means easy, especially when one takes into account an abusive uncle and all the work Davis had to do in the cotton fields. But Davis emphasized that Growing Up in Mississippi is not a tragedy, but a story of hope against the odds. The experiences faced by her family, she said brought them much closer and inspired the college graduate to break an inherited cycle of poverty and underachievement in education. "I decided to put this out on the market because I think it will be a blessing to everyone, especially high school age youth, Davis said." "Whenever I see young people who are struggling to find themselves, I remind them that they can be anything they want to be, regardless of their present circustances." Davis has spent the past months promoting her book at libraries, schools and various events such as Indiana Black Expo's Summer Celebration, and The Hoosier Dome. She was one of 12 authors who shared their work with students during a recent celebration for arts and sciences at Key Learning Community. "I can't remember when I've had a more enjoyable time," said Davis. "One of the students personally thanked me for coming and said my life's story has taught her a lots." "We had a really great day because the students and authors were both enriched by that experience," added Mary Nolan, coordinator at Key Learning Community. Overall, Davis said she would like people to realize that they can be successful by moving forward and not using others as excuses for complications. "Often we hear people blame their past, the absence of a father or the white man for holding them back," Davis stated. "But you don't have to do that because there are so many opportunities out there today. If you're willing to work hard you can achieve anything. I was able to overcome the obstacles and you can too if you just put one foot in front of the other and try." Davis is also the author of Marriage and the Family.
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