Monday, November 9, 2009


Blood Done Signed My Name
By Timothy B. Tyson

The very first sentence will hook you into reading this book. “Daddy and Roger and ‘em shot ‘em a nigger.” I found this to be a very interesting book. It brought back many memories, of what was going on during the Civil Rights issues in the 1960’s. The theme of the book is about what went on in Oxford N.C. after a black man was killed by a white family. The town erupted when the blacks thought that justice was not done. Marches, firebombing of businesses and riots prevailed . The author spent many years, researching records, trying to understand the history of this era.

As I read, I recognized many familiar names and places. Although I didn’t remember all that went on at Oxford I kept thinking that the same things (marching, school bomb threats, fear, and anger) were going on in my own little home town.

Timothy B. Tyson is a professor of Afro-American studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He believes most of the information he found in papers and public records of the time were slanted toward the white man’s point of view. He interviewed many black people from Oxford to get their perspective. Mr. Tyson thinks we have been lied to all through out history because both races were taught that “Whites” were superior.

6 comments:

imac said...

Whatever the colour, all men are equal.

Renie Burghardt said...

That is what the problem was, blacks being taught that white's were superior. Imac is right, all men are equal under God's eyes. It must be a somewhat painful book to read. It would be for me.

Take care!

Little Penpen said...

is this your book report? LOL glad you enjoyed the book that you drove for six hours to pick up.

Sandy said...

So much cruelty went on then and even now...
What's this about a book report???

possum said...

And then there is life in this USA from the Native American's point of view. Still another point of view, one non-natives can barely imagine. I remember being taught that we were all stupid, illiterate, sneaky thieves and murderers as early as first grade. It helped me to understand why I should NEVER EVER tell anyone I was an Indian.

Meggie said...

Being a New Zealander, & having Maori people as neighbours & friends and later, relatives, we looked upon segregation with horror. I can remember being shocked to the core, at how the Afro-Americans were treated.
It was quite beyond my ken.