Rating: 
Summary: Illuminating one family's history in Black America
Review: I found "The Sweet Hell Inside" to be an illuminating, informative read! Being an African-American especially interested in the black/white dynamics of American history, I found Edward Ball's story of the Harlestons of South Carolina hard to put down! The in-depth story of how the black Harleston family began, prospered, endured, and survived;the digressions Ball made re African-American parts in jazz, art, the funeral-home industry;the "Harlem Renaissance";and the very human traits of all the various characters, combined to make "The Sweet Hell Inside" a voyage of discovery and enlightenment for me. I think most other readers will find it likewise! This book is a treasure-trove of family, racial, and American history. I especially liked this book because the author allowed the characters to "speak" through their papers, records, and other memorabilia, and via his sixth cousin,Edwina Harleston Whitlock!
Rating:
Summary: Illuminating one family's history in Black America
Review: I found "The Sweet Hell Inside" to be an illuminating, informative read! Being an African-American especially interested in the black/white dynamics of American history, I found Edward Ball's story of the Harlestons of South Carolina hard to put down! The in-depth story of how the black Harleston family began, prospered, endured, and survived;the digressions Ball made re African-American parts in jazz, art, the funeral-home industry;the "Harlem Renaissance";and the very human traits of all the various characters, combined to make "The Sweet Hell Inside" a voyage of discovery and enlightenment for me. I think most other readers will find it likewise! This book is a treasure-trove of family, racial, and American history. I especially liked this book because the author allowed the characters to "speak" through their papers, records, and other memorabilia, and via his sixth cousin,Edwina Harleston Whitlock!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Once Again
Review: I was dazzled once again by the depth and scope of effort and research put into a book by Edward Ball. I was such a big fan of his first book, Slaves In the Family, I was doubtful he could equal his own work. What a nice to surprise to find that as good as Slaves In the Family was, The Sweet Hell Inside was even better. The book follows generations of the Harleston family of South Carolina from the early 1800s to the present. Harleston was a white ancestor of the author who took a black common law wife with whom he had five children. Being of mixed blood the Harleston family lived a separate, more priviledged life than other black South Carolina residents, but one that was also very separate from the white residents. The family history is fascinating with members working in various performing and visual arts, participating in the Harlem Reniassiance, and educating some children who would grow up to be pioneers in jazz music. Its astounding that one family could have had such an influence in so many areas and that they have the documentation to prove it. Much of the documentation and oral history come from Edwina Harleston Whitlock a direct descendant of white Mr. Harleston and his former slave/wife Katie. The compilation of material provided from Ms. Whitlock coupled with Ball's narrative talent make this a must read.
Rating:
Summary: I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK
Review: the cover photo got me! i love anything "vintage black" and was intrigued about the subject matter of the book when i saw it. after reading the jacket and looking at the pictures inside, i was convinced to buy it. a very worthwhile purchase. though my family is from NORTH carolina and not south carolina, the harleston story could have been my family's story - very easily. my mother's ancestry obviously parallels this family's - it's apparent when you see the different shades of "light" we are. i was hooked from page 1 and was sorry when the story ended. the most heartbreaking characters were teddy and elise. the love they shared and the struggles they endured should have had a happier ending. i could not stop thinking about tantie and her heartbreak! apart from their story, this book gives such a vivid picture of the lives of black americans at the early part of this century - from jim crow to jazz, from servitude to entrepreneurship. i am in love with this book! the strange part is that i live in atlanta and wish i could bump into edwina harleston and have just one afternoon to talk with her. she really is walking history. GET THE BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK
Review: the cover photo got me! i love anything "vintage black" and was intrigued about the subject matter of the book when i saw it. after reading the jacket and looking at the pictures inside, i was convinced to buy it. a very worthwhile purchase. though my family is from NORTH carolina and not south carolina, the harleston story could have been my family's story - very easily. my mother's ancestry obviously parallels this family's - it's apparent when you see the different shades of "light" we are. i was hooked from page 1 and was sorry when the story ended. the most heartbreaking characters were teddy and elise. the love they shared and the struggles they endured should have had a happier ending. i could not stop thinking about tantie and her heartbreak! apart from their story, this book gives such a vivid picture of the lives of black americans at the early part of this century - from jim crow to jazz, from servitude to entrepreneurship. i am in love with this book! the strange part is that i live in atlanta and wish i could bump into edwina harleston and have just one afternoon to talk with her. she really is walking history. GET THE BOOK.
Rating: 
Summary: BORING
Review: There is no other word that better describes this book than boring.
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