| Red Clay Dirt & Mountain Author: Monda Raquel Webb Genre: Poetry/ Short Stories Publisher: Monda Media, LLC Release Date: June 1, 2012 Paperback: 188 pages Source: From the Author Buy the Book: Amazon |
Book Description
Know who you are and whose you are - for it determines the course of your destiny.
Good storytelling is timeless. Author Monda Raquel Webb packs her goodie bag of stories with unabashed honesty, American history and essential life lessons.
From the red clay of Georgia to the majestic mountains of West Virginia to the Federal Enclave of Washington, DC, four short stories poignantly demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit over adversity.
Dawson, Georgia 1939: A dangerous run-in with the Ku Klux Klan teaches a lesson of self-worth.
Albany, Georgia 1961: In the midst of the Civil Rights Albany Movement, a teacher is blackballed in her home state of Georgia for trying to get African Americans to register to vote and is sent to teach on an Indian reservation.
Beckley, West Virginia 1948: A coal miner's family tries to survive when the sole provider's foot is severed.
Washington, DC 2012: A young woman fights the power structure in a David vs. Goliath story against the backdrop of the most political city in America, the Nation's Capital.
Review
This book is divided into four sections centered on a poem and a city with the authors family as the common thread. Note: All of these are true stories of the authors family passed down.
The first short story is Dawon, GA in 1939. The story starts with a modern city woman visiting her family in the South for her grandmother's funeral. This story is one I can really relate to. There are so many of us who were raised during the summers by Southern grandparents and went back to school in the North (West for me). I liked this story because the author painted a clear picture with this story of many of the things I love about the South.
The second story takes place in Albany, GA in 1961 during the Civil Rights movement. This is one story that should have been much longer. As you know I always have issues when I feel the book/story just stops. I learned some new information regarding the African American teachers during the 60's and I want to know more. What happened 5 years later? 10 years? What?!
The third story takes place in Beckley, West Virginia in 1948. This story was interesting because I had no idea about the coal mining business and how they segregated the workers and families. This story centers around a young boy named Lewis and his family. After his father losses his foot in a mining accident they have to leave the house he was born and grew up in. There were a few too many characters in this short story but they all were some how connected to Lewis. This is the best story out of the four.
The last story was the shortest and takes place in Washington DC in 2012. This one is a modern story that everyone can relate to! The corporate giants versus regular people inside the giants machine is a great ending to this book. After all the stories of struggle and sacrifices, I love that humanity is the conclusion.
The first short story is Dawon, GA in 1939. The story starts with a modern city woman visiting her family in the South for her grandmother's funeral. This story is one I can really relate to. There are so many of us who were raised during the summers by Southern grandparents and went back to school in the North (West for me). I liked this story because the author painted a clear picture with this story of many of the things I love about the South.
The second story takes place in Albany, GA in 1961 during the Civil Rights movement. This is one story that should have been much longer. As you know I always have issues when I feel the book/story just stops. I learned some new information regarding the African American teachers during the 60's and I want to know more. What happened 5 years later? 10 years? What?!
The third story takes place in Beckley, West Virginia in 1948. This story was interesting because I had no idea about the coal mining business and how they segregated the workers and families. This story centers around a young boy named Lewis and his family. After his father losses his foot in a mining accident they have to leave the house he was born and grew up in. There were a few too many characters in this short story but they all were some how connected to Lewis. This is the best story out of the four.
The last story was the shortest and takes place in Washington DC in 2012. This one is a modern story that everyone can relate to! The corporate giants versus regular people inside the giants machine is a great ending to this book. After all the stories of struggle and sacrifices, I love that humanity is the conclusion.
Reviews by Other Bloggers
Recommendations
I recommend this book to older teens and adult readers.
Challenges
This book is number 17 in my Good Reads Challenge
This book is number 9 in my Genre Variety Reading Challenge
This book is number 12 in my Books by Women Reading Challenge
Photos from Book Signing April 18, 2013
Photos from Book Signing April 18, 2013
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