Customer Reviews

At the Falls: Richmond, Virginia, and Its People

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Most books about Richmond have focused on what we call the "great and good", that is the powerful families who have traditionally dominated the city. Tyler- McGraw, however, chooses to concentrate on the history of the ordinary people of Richmond - working class whites as well as African Americans and woman, who are almost completely forgotten by the official historians of the previous generations.

As someone connected to the city by family ties and who is intimately familiar with the place Tyler - McGraw's history rings true to me and much more than any other book I've seen about Richmond it reflects the history of my own family and of the Richmond I know. A good book, highly recommended.

Overall a pretty good read but I was surprised to find many prominent Richmond inhabitants and residents and other Virginians virtually passed over while many lesser lights, nationally (and, I feel quite sure, locally) speaking, received extensive treatment. While I appreciate the author filling what is surely a void in Virginia historical reportage, in the interest of truth in advertising I would have preferred Ms. McGraw and her publisher call the book, "At the Falls: Richmond, Virginia and Its Minority and Female People."