Customer Reviews

The Lyncher in Me: A Search for Redemption in the Face of History

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Lynchings of black Americans was a form of terrorism that existed too commonly in our country years ago. It's a legacy that still has a hold on society today and anyone who doesn't see that is fooling themselves. Read looks at the idea that the tendency to create violence--in society, within our families--is a reality that most of us could relate to. The writing in "The Lyncher in Me" is poetic and evokes stark images of dysfuntion, violence and, ultimately, redemption. The criticism that Read is "self-congratulatory" or "preachy" is absurd. I was able to hear him speak at a reading and from what I gathered upon meeting him, nothing could be further from the truth. He might be proud of what he's done, but after having heard and read about his experience, I think he's earned that right. He not only shoulders the task of trying to make amends for his family's role in the lychings, he goes above and beyond to try and put out a story for one of the victims.

The final third of the book really delves vividly into the story of Elmer Jackson (one of the men lynched--Read wasn't able to find any leads on the other two men). It's clear in reading this portion that Read has taken great pains to meticulously research and reconstruct this man's life and history, including all things related to him. It's fascinating and impressive. I'm not sure that I would have the tenacity and determination to stick with something so daunting (especially since Read apparently is not only a writer, but a school teacher and a father to three growing boys).

For those of us who come from family violence, it's a wonderful lesson in coming to terms with the humanness of those ugly parts of our family that we too often like to pretend are buried and forgotten. A beautifully written book, highly recommended.

In The Lyncher in Me, Warren Read holds himself accountable for his family's involvement in the Duluth lynching with grace, humor and unflinching insight into his own personal story as well as that of his family. It was incredibly brave of him to stand before those families at the memorial unveiling and serve himself up as a responsible party. It was important for him to say to those families of the murdered men, "I know what happened and I won't let you be forgotten". Pretty courageous considering the arguably tangential relationship he shared with the victims. Read's use of the garden metaphor flowed effortlessly throughout the book and served his readers well as a way of taking an emotional break from the heavy issues of racism and civil rights. I especially enjoyed his personal journey that unfolded throughout The Lyncher in Me and his willingness to share even the darkest corners of his childhood. All in all a great civics lesson and a great read. Read's writing is spare, unguarded and wholly engaging. I can't wait for his next book!

This is an unusual book in that it's both a memoir and an interesting look at American history. Read manages to retell an event in compelling "true crime" fasion while laying the possible effects that event had on his family in the traditional "family dysfunction" memoir style. The fact that he seeks out the family of the victims for a kind of reconcilation might puzzle some people, but I thought it was a pretty amazing thing to do and the perfect ending to a powerful story. I thought the connection to Fred Phelps in Topeka was a timely reminder of intolerance today(I've been in Topeka and that family is out in the streets constantly, so the author very likely did see them). There were moments that struck me as "preachy" but maybe that was just my interpretation. This is a different kind of book--a real story where the author does more than just "tell", he dissects and reflects on his experience, so the reader needs to be prepared be more than just an observer of someone else's life. I didn't realize the lingering effects of this book until well after I put it down. A strong companion to other books written for this genre.

I completed Warren Read's second book, Rodney's Mother, this time a collection of fiction short stories and really liked it very much. Read has the ability to draw a vivid picture and brings readers into the story. I would very much like to see a couple of these stories be developed into full length novels. I look forward to his next venture!

I found this book a bit slow. I bought this book because I have always been interested in this time period and the civil rights movement. I would recommend this book.

This was a good book. It was in good condition so it was easy to read. I came on time and I was very happy about that. Thank you.

Warren Read is the great-grandson of Louis Dondino, one of the ringleaders of a riot in 1920 Duluth that led to the lynching of three circus workers accused of raping a young girl. In an effort to make amends, the city of Duluth dedicated a memorial to Elmer Jackson, Elias Clayton, and Isaac McGhie. Warren Read spoke at the ceremony, apologizing for what his great-grandfather did.

Read follows Michael Fedo's (author of THE LYNCHINGS IN DULUTH) lead in disguising the names of the two young people responsible for the lies that resulted in the murder of the three blacks. If you're hoping for "the why" you won't find it here.

Read provides some interesting anecdotes, mainly Elmer Jackson's rather casual response to his own hanging. Just before he died, he surrendered a pair of dice, saying "I guess I won't need these anymore."
Another touching narrative was Louis Dondino's friendship with Black Bill, a railroad worker he knew later in life after he moved to Washington state. Warren Reid also spends most of the book complaining about his own dysfunctional family. His father also did time in prison for molesting his own children, and his stepfather seemed to revel in psychological if not physically abusing Warren. There's even a somewhat humorous incident involving a twelve-year old black girl who bullied Warren for an entire school year after he insulted her hair-do. Also, during the summer, Warren and his sister Karen would escape to their grandparents home in Wisconsin. Read does an excellent job describing what sounds like rural living from the nineteenth century. His grandparents had no indoor plumbing or electricity. They took sponge baths and got their water from a nearby spring.

After his speech at the ceremony in Duluth, Read tracks down Elmer Jackson's relatives in Topeka, Kansas, and in Marshall, Missouri. His historical account of the all-black community of Pennytown near Marshall is extremely compelling. Coincidentally, while staying at a hotel in Topeka, Read, a gay man, just happens to run into a demonstration by The Westboro Baptist church led by Fred Phelps, the virulent homophobe, that picketed Matthew Shepherd's funeral in Laramie, Wyoming, and funeral of fallen Iraqi War veterans. Call me a cynic but this seemed like an awful coincidence.

Much of Read's book is rather self-congratulatory, especially after he apologizes for his great-grandfather's part in the lynchings. It's easy to apologize for somebody else's mistakes. Read's version of the Lyncher in himself, was his hatred for the black girl who'd bullied him in his band class. If he'd confronted the Phelps demonstrators, I would have been more impressed.