The Sweet Hell Inside: A Family History

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.