Bearing Witness: Not So Crazy in Alabama [Paperback]

Carla Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2005

When Carla Thompson, a Harlem native, landed in Montgomery, Ala., she knew she was in for an adventure. "Bearing Witness: Not So Crazy in Alabama" chronicles her journeys through the jungle of higher education, holidays with the relatives, and the world of churching. Each new adventure brings a cast of characters as varied as the patches on grandma's quilt -- from the itty bitty beauty queen to the wheelchair-bound whiz kid.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Disappointed by her efforts to launch a writing career in L.A., Thompson accepted her mother's invitation to return to the family's roots in Montgomery, Alabama. Expecting to find small-town boredom and backward southern folk, Thompson settles into teaching at local colleges where she figures the locals will be dazzled with her experiences in New York and L.A. She finds "an uneasy mixture of civil rights and Confederate landmarks," but she also finds a rich assortment of people who have as much to teach her as she thinks she has to teach them. She is wry and witty in her observations about the entanglements of family politics and color differences among black folks, as well as her self-realizations. An avowed conservative Republican, Thompson offers a fresh perspective on race and class in a changing American South. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

She uncovers the depth and essence of the people around her, from unwed mothers to sorority sisters. ---- Library Journal

Thompson offers a fresh perspective on race and class in a changing American South. ---- Booklist

Carla Thompson has penned a delightful memoir. "Bearing Witness" is a pleasant book for a quick, enjoyable read. ---- RawSistaz Reviewers

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: August Pr (May 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963572083
• ISBN-13: 978-0963572080
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,039,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The good life, July 16, 2005

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bearing Witness: Not So Crazy in Alabama (Paperback)

After finishing her graduate degree at Loyola Marymount University in production, Carla Thompson decided to launch her career in Los Angeles. She managed to land low-level positions in Los Angeles production houses. She also had a lot of car trouble and maxed out her credit cards attempting to make her own videos but somehow, she wasn't making it big time as she had planned. Her mother, retired from the post office after 32 years, invited her to come stay with her in Montgomery until Carla could get on her feet. Although Carla had been raised in Harlem, her family was originally from Alabama and she had memories of not so pleasant summers spent with her grandparents there when her northern accent and Catholic religion made her an outsider. Carla didn't have high hopes for her new home in Montgomery. After accepting teaching positions in two local universities, she was pleasantly surprised at the "New South." It was not at all what she expected. She noted that blacks and whites have managed to create and maintain a peaceful coexistence and she didn't feel like that out-of-place person as she did when she was younger.

Carla Thompson has penned a delightful memoir. She describes her trip from Harlem to Los Angeles to Alabama in a funny, witty way that is sure to win the hearts of those who have made similar journeys and those who wish they had. It is an honest assessment of life as she views it. BEARING WITNESS is a pleasant book for a quick, enjoyable read.

Reviewed by alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You don't have to "be there" to enjoy, June 9, 2005

By 

Jonathan Smalls - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bearing Witness: Not So Crazy in Alabama (Paperback)

What's a black, female, academic doing in a place like this? Going crazy? Growing. The book is a poignant perspective of a 21st century town that still embraces much of the post-civil rights thinking.

Having lived on both sides of the Mason-Dixon I could identify with many of the experiences. But what's great is if you haven't lived on both sides, it's okay. Carla will take you there. You'll be easily drawn into not only the time and place, but the author. I was left wanting more.