Leaving Pipe Shop: Memories of Kin [Paperback]

Deborah E. McDowell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 1998

"McDowell captures the aspirations and realities of the working-class residents of Pipe Shop, infusing them with unshakable dignity, luminous grace, and profound compassion."—Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, San Francisco Chronicle

In the illuminating language of memory, Deborah McDowell tells the story of her family, living a segregated life in Bessemer, Alabama, where her father worked at U.S. Foundry and Pipe, nicknamed Pipe Shop. Through the intimate details of their daily lives, she shows us how civil rights affected a working-class town, among three generations of women and men. McDowell movingly uncovers a world rarely portrayed, where she was raised to love the sounds and meanings of words and to value a place and culture that has passed. "What an eye McDowell has for important stories hidden in the everyday details, and what a good storyteller she is."—Tonya Bolden, Washington Post Book World "[McDowell] weaves the plainest drab cotton threads into a magic carpet."—Adele Logan Alexander, Women's Review of Books "Engrossing. . . . The author has a seductive way with words that makes Leaving Pipe Shop as good as a piece of sweet potato pie served after a plate of greens and fried chicken."—Boston Globe Illustrated

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Americans coming of age in the 1960s faced a society in flux: attitudes about sex, race, and politics were radically changing; revolution was in the air and the nation seemed fractured, unable to find a common cause to unite its fragmented people. Author Deborah E. McDowell grew up near Birmingham, Alabama, the crucible of the civil rights movement, and the remarkable Leaving Pipe Shop is a memoir of those years. What distinguishes Pipe Shop from similar books is McDowell's emphasis on the everyday lives of ordinary people inhabiting that time and place. Martin Luther King, Ralph Abernathy, and George Wallace make only cameo appearances in this account; the main players on McDowell's stage are the members of her family, her church, and her neighborhood.

"Pipe Shop" refers to the black working-class neighborhood in Bessemer (just outside of Birmingham) where Deborah McDowell grew up. Her book begins with her return to Pipe Shop to investigate her father's death, part of the class-action lawsuit filed by victims of asbestos poisoning against the steel mill where he once worked. McDowell's trip home elicits plenty of memories--how her neighbors reacted to bus boycotts and boycotts of white-owned businesses, going to hear Martin Luther King speak, and the murder of her own activist pastor. Leaving Pipe Shop is an evocative portrait of one African American community's struggle to cope with the changes that swept through a nation. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The author, a professor of English and African American studies at the University of Virginia, was summoned home to Pipe Shop, Alabama, to investigate whether her father's early death at age 51 in 1981 had been caused by asbestos poisoning from his work at a pipe and foundry company. (The matter remains unresolved because her father's employment records have been lost.) The trip back to the small Southern factory town triggers sad memories of a childhood impacted by the realities of segregation, but also fond recollections recounted here of a closely knit family life. Despite the author's rambling, somewhat disorganized style, her prose comes alive when she describes family members, such as her domineering grandmother, whom she called "Mother" and who advised her to get out of Pipe Shop if she wanted to succeed. She also recalls the importance of learning to read as well as the influence of the black church on her upbringing. Though she felt estranged from her father after she found out he was unfaithful to her mother, McDowell's recognition of the humiliations he suffered at the hands of his white employees is powerful and haunting.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1edit edition (September 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393318435
• ISBN-13: 978-0393318432
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,094,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars long lasting pleasure grows from the reading of this book., May 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Leaving Pipe Shop (Hardcover)

McDowell has written a talking book. The dialog brings the people to life and gave this reader the feeling of accompanying the author on visits to her community. Matriarchial society, authoritarian upbringing of children, love and caring, laughter and sadness as well as the events of the 50's and 60's are memorably brought into focus. I urge you not to ignore this little-known gem of a book