By
just saying (Arlington, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Roux in the Gumbo (Kindle Edition)
I could have told this story but I am humbled to realize that I could not have written it.
I was born in the area that this book has beginnings. This was difficult to read not because of editing or errors but because I could smell the air, see rows and rows of cotton, shotgun shacks as I read about Tallulah and Rebi etc.
As I read I shared what I was reading with a friend and was hesitant to go on but I could not stop. The sharecroppers, the joints off the beaten path, the migration to cities remind me of people I know. The people that are incredulous and unwilling to believe are people (much like my nieces and nephews) that are uninformed and never will be considering the school systems are working very hard to have slavery and post slavery deleted from school books.
If the chaos of baby momas, who's cousin to who, who went to jail or was killed on the way seems confusing and hard to keep track of, that means you can't imagine living in Louisiana not so very long ago; nor will you remember the restrooms for 'coloreds' or the part of the cafe designated for 'coloreds'.
I think the outraged should not be indignant but rather, cognizant. We walk on the backs of those before us.
I was born in the area that this book has beginnings. This was difficult to read not because of editing or errors but because I could smell the air, see rows and rows of cotton, shotgun shacks as I read about Tallulah and Rebi etc.
As I read I shared what I was reading with a friend and was hesitant to go on but I could not stop. The sharecroppers, the joints off the beaten path, the migration to cities remind me of people I know. The people that are incredulous and unwilling to believe are people (much like my nieces and nephews) that are uninformed and never will be considering the school systems are working very hard to have slavery and post slavery deleted from school books.
If the chaos of baby momas, who's cousin to who, who went to jail or was killed on the way seems confusing and hard to keep track of, that means you can't imagine living in Louisiana not so very long ago; nor will you remember the restrooms for 'coloreds' or the part of the cafe designated for 'coloreds'.
I think the outraged should not be indignant but rather, cognizant. We walk on the backs of those before us.
4.0 out of 5 stars A labor of love, January 31, 2014
By
Joyce DeBacco (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Roux in the Gumbo (Kindle Edition)
This book was a labor of love for Ms. Robinson, and it shows. The story of her family plays out painfully through the pages as numerous tragedies and heartaches befall them. Because the story starts during Civil War times and continues to the present, I lost track of the players about two-thirds of the way in. Nonetheless, it didn't diminish the story being told. I'd say the best way to approach this book is to hear it as if you were seated with your grandmother listening to her tell it. Although there are some issues with editing, structure, punctuation, and point of view, the end result is a rich, compelling story, and an engrossing read.
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