Customer Reviews

If the Creek Don't Rise: My Life Out West with the Last Black Widow of the Civil War

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Raised by the widow of a man born into slavery, Rita Williams had a childhood like few others. Her mother died of carbon monoxide poisoning soon after her father ran away with another woman. Rita was four-years-old, and the relative who gave her shelter was her Aunt Daisy, the last surviving African American widow of a Union soldier.

Rita came to an unforgiving aunt and unforgiving territory around Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Daisy was a fighter and her enemy was racism. Young Rita received mixed messages, believing in the `60s that doors were opening for blacks and females while instructions from her aunt were to hold back because "uppity niggers" got lynched.

Daisy was a child of her time. She came from a family that she described as so poor that "we had no chairs, we ate standing up." She was 21 when she first met her future husband; he was 79. It was from him that she learned about his life as a slave and how he had run off to join the Union army after another beating by his owner. His father, she learned, lived on a neighboring plantation and was allowed to visit twice a week. His mother was sold when he was six, and he never saw her again. Such heartbreaking reminiscences became part and parcel of who Daisy was.

Daisy believed that she could make Rita stronger - she even washed floors to pay for her neice's schooling so that Rita could be somebody. And, become someone she did. Today she is a former actress, musician and college professor, a thesis advisor for the of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California.

For us she has crafted an affecting memoir rich with not only her amazing coming-of-age story but pictures from the past of racial injustices and a nation, families torn asunder by civil war.

- Gail Cooke

From the open lines of "If the Creek Don't Rise," I knew I was in for a treat: "Out my kitchen window, the November wind off the Pacific whipped up light frothy waves on Silver Lake." It felt as if I had fallen into a Raymond Chandler detective novel, so rich was the imagery that I could almost feel the spray of the waves--I was hooked! Williams is a consummate storyteller, drawing you in with her rich descriptions of the landscape (both inner and outer), her insights into highly complex and, at times, contradictory characters, and events that sweep one along as a canoe in the rapids. There is never a false note. I read the book cover-to-cover in one sitting, so anxious was I to see how it turned out, and I felt enriched by sharing Williams' incredible journey. If I did not know this was true, I would swear it was a yarn spun by a true raconteur, but what makes her book so amazing is the inner work she has clearly done to be able to report the story with love and an undeniable quality of forgiveness. Such prose comes only from remarkable people, and Williams is that, and more. I can hardly wait for her next offering. This is great literature!

How I wish I could have read Rita Williams' book in some type of time warp when we first met in college! If the Creek Don't Rise chronicles Rita's youth up until the moment I met her. Maybe I could have been a better friend to Rita had I been able to read the entire, haunting history of her life long, long ago. But like college kids, I'd blurt out, "Rita, tell me about those scars on your wrist." And she'd answer just as frankly, and we comforted each other's vast emptiness . . . and we'd play like little girls together. We played ike sisters; I always called Rita my sister. And when my biological twin recently completed a family genealogy, Rita asked me, "Am I in it?"

Rita is just like her book---walking, living, breathing poetry. When I first offered Rita a Kiwi fruit in the early 70's, Rita said, "Ummmm . . . That's how a woman should taste!"

I love my friend. She's the real thing--all empathy and laughter and giving. She has put her writing talent above career and ambition, successfully following her heart and sharing her commitment with all of us--her readers. Her metaphors are clean and new and brilliant; they've always been. I recommend If the Creek Don't Rise to you with my whole heart.

This memoir of Rita's amazing life had me eager to devour it, yet sad that it had to end. The fact that Rita survived a brutal childhood with her crazy-making Aunt Daisy is nothing short of a miracle. I marvel at the courage it took for her not only to triumph over adversity but to chronicle the naked truth with such grace. "Beautifully written, Rita. Brava!"

If you're thinking you need to be (a) a history buff (b) African American (c) the product of a difficult childhood to read and love this book, think again. On the power of Williams' prose alone, the book is worth reading--but there's so much more. With all the talk of making history come alive for our kids, and ourselves, and our national debate--Williams Just Does It.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. And I'm a book reviewer.

This book is phenomenal. I've been reading memoirs all spring (jeanette walls, ruth reichl, etc.), and this one is my favorite so far because it's not just a story about personal tragedy and triumph, but also a well-articulated look at a very complicated, conflicted time in American history. Her story is startling and heartbreaking, and I'm excited to talk to other people who have read it, because it's the kind of thing you can't not have an intense personal reaction to. This one will be AWESOME for book clubs.

I have passed this book on to my 14 year old daughter. It is a "coming of age" book that she'll enjoy. It's a glimpse into a frigid world of poverty and resentment, knitted with redemption and spirit. Bravo to Rita!

I loved her story, I couldn't keep away. Only one problem, it ended way to soon. There were so many parts of her life that I can relate to, and the way she handled them were so inspiring.

I had not heard of this author and picked the book up on a whim. If you like stories of the West, it is fascinating! Reading about Aunt Daisy opens a door to the lives of so many pioneers who were not white and were not written about, and all that they survived. I just wish Rita had included what happened to her Aunt. I want to know more.

I bought Rita's book not knowing what to expect...Simply put, once I began reading it, I couldn't put the book down! It is a mind boggling story that inspires one to rise above life's circumstances, against all odds and MAKE it STANDING up! Rita takes the reader along with her on her journeys in the rugged Colorado wilderness as she struggles to understand her Aunt Daisy, her family, and her place in this world. No easy task for any of us let alone faced with the difficulties she encountered beginning as a precocious, delightful, bright-eyed, four year old.