A Time of Terror

Rating:
Summary: a profoundly insightful study
Review: I feel this is a title all Americans should read and make their children aware of the bad things that have happened to African American in the past. We also need to remember that even though there is affirmative action, we still are all not considered EQUAL to man.

Rating:
Summary: A painful look back on a thankfully vanished epoch
Review: I read this book after reading the recent photo-book onlynching, _Without Sanctuary_, and viewing its website, ( ) That bookis a rape of the eye, with its massed imagery of communal murder. This book _A Time of Terror_ is a detailed first-hand account of one such crime. The author, as a sixteen year old boy, was arrested for rape and robbery. By his account, he was no more than an unwilling accessory, a wild kid just starting to go wrong. His companions were soon arrested, and one horrible night the white citizenry broke into the prison and lynched them. Cameron was beaten, strung up, and just about to be killed, when he heard a lady's voice commanding the crowd to release him. No one else heard anything like that, but the mob did indeed cut him down and help him back into the prison. This miraculous rescue helped turn him to Christ years later, once he was out of prison.

This narrative is very valuable for the flesh and blood details it provides to the era of lynching. Cameron records his terror at seeing familiar white faces, people he had cut grass and run errands for, howling for his blood. The lynching was not sudden--people moved into town days beforehand, and news of the impending atrocity was even broadcast on the radio. Firemen sent in to disperse the crowd with water spray instead invited the mob to come aboard the trucks and cut the hoses. Cameron tried to hide among other black prisoners, but the mob threatened to hang them all, causing them to finally give him up. Possibly most horrible of all, these events took place not in the South, but in Marion, Indiana.

Cameron faithfully tells his tale seemingly without embarrassment or residual hatred. His father was worthless. He and his friends were indeed up to no good the night they were arrested. Far from being passive victims, community blacks took their firearms and tried to drive into town to protect him, but they were turned back by police. And Cameron notes those few white people who were kind to him. All these details provide context, and makes the lynching appear even more monstrous than any sociological jargon possibly could.

The second half of the book is an account of his prison years, and it is nothing special. The epilogue, a speech given when he was presented with the key to the city of Marion, is a touching example of forgiveness, such that only greatness of spirit and possibly extreme old age can bring. A true black classic.

Rating:
Summary: A painful look back on a thankfully vanished epoch
Review: I read this book after reading the recent photo-book onlynching, _Without Sanctuary_, and viewing its website, ( ) That bookis a rape of the eye, with its massed imagery of communal murder. This book _A Time of Terror_ is a detailed first-hand account of one such crime. The author, as a sixteen year old boy, was arrested for rape and robbery. By his account, he was no more than an unwilling accessory, a wild kid just starting to go wrong. His companions were soon arrested, and one horrible night the white citizenry broke into the prison and lynched them. Cameron was beaten, strung up, and just about to be killed, when he heard a lady's voice commanding the crowd to release him. No one else heard anything like that, but the mob did indeed cut him down and help him back into the prison. This miraculous rescue helped turn him to Christ years later, once he was out of prison.

This narrative is very valuable for the flesh and blood details it provides to the era of lynching. Cameron records his terror at seeing familiar white faces, people he had cut grass and run errands for, howling for his blood. The lynching was not sudden--people moved into town days beforehand, and news of the impending atrocity was even broadcast on the radio. Firemen sent in to disperse the crowd with water spray instead invited the mob to come aboard the trucks and cut the hoses. Cameron tried to hide among other black prisoners, but the mob threatened to hang them all, causing them to finally give him up. Possibly most horrible of all, these events took place not in the South, but in Marion, Indiana.

Cameron faithfully tells his tale seemingly without embarrassment or residual hatred. His father was worthless. He and his friends were indeed up to no good the night they were arrested. Far from being passive victims, community blacks took their firearms and tried to drive into town to protect him, but they were turned back by police. And Cameron notes those few white people who were kind to him. All these details provide context, and makes the lynching appear even more monstrous than any sociological jargon possibly could.

The second half of the book is an account of his prison years, and it is nothing special. The epilogue, a speech given when he was presented with the key to the city of Marion, is a touching example of forgiveness, such that only greatness of spirit and possibly extreme old age can bring. A true black classic.

Rating:
Summary: a profoundly insightful study
Review: This book is not to be missed! James Cameron's retelling of his lynching is told with true artistry. Cameron seems to have a knack for knowing when his work is finished, when a sentence more or a sentence less would ruin the work. This is one that will stay with you for years!

Rating:
Summary: A Quick But Poignant Read...
Review: This book is not to be missed! James Cameron's retelling of his lynching is told with true artistry. Cameron seems to have a knack for knowing when his work is finished, when a sentence more or a sentence less would ruin the work. This is one that will stay with you for years!