It Was Never About a Hotdog and a Coke! A Personal Account of the 1960 sit-in Demonstrations in Jacksonville, Florida and AX Handle Saturday [Paperback]

Rodney L Hurst Sr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2008 | ISBN-10: 1595941959 | ISBN-13: 978-1595941954 | Edition: 1st

On August 27, 1960, more than 200 whites with ax handles and baseball bats attacked members of the Jacksonville Youth Council NAACP in downtown Jacksonville who were sitting in at white lunch counters protesting racism and segregation. Referred to as Ax Handle Saturday, the award winning "It was never about a hot dog and a Coke" chronicles the racial and political climate of Jacksonville, Florida in the late fifties, the events leading up to that infamous day, and the aftermath.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

It Was Never About a Hot Dog and a Coke won the 2008 National Best Books Award for Multicultural Nonfiction, the 2009 Independent Publishers Award Silver Medal for Southeast Best Regional Nonfiction, the Bronze Medal in the 2008 Florida Book Awards Nonfiction category, the Florida Historical Society 2009 Inaugural Stetson Kennedy Award, the Jacksonville Florida 2009 Historic Preservation Commission Historic Preservation Award, the 2008 Sabrina Book Reviews Best Book Award, and the 2008 Sabrina Book Reviews General Nonfiction Award. 

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: WingSpan Press; 1st edition (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595941959
• ISBN-13: 978-1595941954
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,244,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When eleven-year old Rodney Hurst accepted his American History teacher's invitation to join the Jacksonville Youth Council NAACP, he could not have guessed the enormous impact it would have on his life, Jacksonville history or the Civil Rights Movement. Hurst's award winning book, It was never about a hot dog and a Coke(R)! subtitled "A Personal Account of the 1960 Sit-in Demonstrations in Jacksonville, Florida and Ax Handle Saturday", recounts the events leading up to, and the fallout from, the bloody events of August 27, 1960.

Hurst writes with clarity and a historical eye. He details the times, the mood, and the people of Jacksonville during a time of high racial tension, and change. Part memoir, part history and part biography, It was never about a hot dog and a Coke(R)! provides a chronicle of those pivotal events and gives an in-depth look at those persons whose lives and actions helped make Jacksonville and America what it is today. The book is a captivating history lesson, whether you were there, only heard the stories, or, as is the case with so many people today, know next to nothing about the violent years of the Civil Rights struggle.

Hurst has received critical acclaim and has won numerous awards for It was never about a hot dog and a Coke(R)!, winning the Silver Medal for Nonfiction of the 2009 Independent Publisher Awards, the Bronze Medal for Nonfiction of the 2008 Florida Book Awards, The Inaugural Stetson Kennedy Award presented in 2009 by the Florida Historical Society, the Winner for Multi-Cultural Nonfiction in the 2008 USA Book News Book Award, the 2008 Sabrina Book Reviews Award for Best General Non-Fiction, shared the 2008 Sabrina Book Reviews Award as the Top Book of the year, and the 2009 Winner for Nonfiction in the Southeast Region of the Reader Views Literary Awards.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Was Never About a Hotdog and a Coke, July 20, 2008

By 

Allen F. Nash "Book Investigator" (Ocala, Fl USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Was Never About a Hotdog and a Coke (Hardcover)

I found Mr. Hursts account of his experiences during the the civil rights struggle in Jacksonville, Fl during the early 1960's to be the most compelling, riveting, and accurate that I have ever read. It forces you to remember where you were and what you were doing on those dates and times. Excellent! A must Read!!
Allen F. Nash
Book Investigator
Ocala, Fl.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written and well-edited, May 8, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It Was Never About a Hotdog and a Coke! A Personal Account of the 1960 sit-in Demonstrations in Jacksonville, Florida and AX Handle Saturday (Paperback)

Quoting from the back cover:

"On August 27, 1960, more than 200 whites with ax handles and baseball bats attacked members of the Jacksonville Youth Council NAACP in downtown Jacksonville who were sitting in at white lunch counters protesting racism and segregation. Referred to as Ax Handle Saturday, It was never about a hot dog and a Coke chronicles the racial and political climate of Jacksonville, Florida in the late fifties, the events leading up to that infamous day, and the aftermath."

This informative memoir is about a dangerous time. The events are a part of our history, and through Rodney's story we learn more about the people and groups involved and the courage it took to sit. The book is well-written and well-edited. Thanks, Rodney, for taking the time.

Kaye Trout
Reviewer

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Human Dignity at its Best, April 18, 2008

By 

Sabrina "sabrinasumsion dot com" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Was Never About a Hotdog and a Coke! A Personal Account of the 1960 sit-in Demonstrations in Jacksonville, Florida and AX Handle Saturday (Paperback)

Just by the title, the reader knows that this book is charged. Most everyone in the country from young children to elderly adults knows about the super-charged racial tensions in the South during the 1960's. Most adults are keenly aware of the tension between "blacks" and "whites" still existing. With this presidential election containing an African American candidate, the race issue is upfront and personal in our nation. As Colbert King, an op-ed columnist for the Washington Post brought up in a recent article, race can no longer be a non-issue. It is an issue. It will be an issue until people of all colors of skin can sit and have open, honest dialog. I say, it's about time!

It Was Never About a Hot Dog and a Coke is an honest and in depth look at the community of Jacksonville Florida during the height of the civil rights movement in the United States from the perspective of an African American male. It is written by the then president of the Jacksonville Youth Council NAACP. He was there and helped organize the sit-ins that challenged the segregation policies. The anger from this challenge led to unforgivable (in my mind) Ax Handle Saturday.

What this book has to offer beyond what I have read in other places is the unsung heroes. Rodney Hurst Sr. has done his homework and presents pictures, newspaper articles and names of the key people from both sides of the issue. The good and the bad, Mr. Hurst documents the situation well.

The best part of this narration, to me as a white woman reading It Was Never About a Hot Dog and a Coke, was the fairness. This book could easily have been a black supremacy, whites are evil manifesto. Many white people committed atrocious crimes in that era (and many other times) and justified it by thinking somehow a few genes' difference made them better than another. Instead, the narration of the book simply states the actions taken by the parties in the area. There are countless stories of senseless actions that justify anger and hatred but the book is instead filled with dignity and respect. I applaud the author for treating this subject with divine amounts of grace and tact.

To me, race is one of those things that I was raised to ignore. I credit my mom mostly for that. She is the epitome of the "Aryan" race with blue eyes and naturally light blond hair but she taught me from an early age that the color of someone's skin doesn't matter one whit. I still think she's right. She taught me "by their fruits ye shall know them" and I believe her. Underneath it all, we are human. We all bleed red. Some stupid cosmetic difference does not grant one person more rights than another.

I also know that I have never endured racism. I have friends that are minorities that have told me stories of having to physically protect themselves from being attacked simply because of the color of their skin or the slant of their eyes. I feel blessed that I have only once witnessed racism. Without incriminating myself, I was appalled and took steps to ensure the event never repeated. I think the most shocking thing to me was that racism STILL existed and it was close to home. Shouldn't we be enlightened by now? Really, is it that hard just to play nice and get along?

Mr. Hurst states in the book that there isn't a simple answer to this problem. I don't have any magical solutions to this problem which has affected our nation for centuries either. I feel at times I am an insignificant speck in a pool of tension and not big enough to make a difference. I am not wise enough to have the magic key but I do have hope for the future. As I looked into my baby daughter's eyes after finishing this book, her smile gave me hope. Maybe, if I'm a good enough mother and teach my children to follow the example of our Savior and love everyone regardless of frivolous differences, I will be a part of the solution.

This book is awesome and eye opening. This is a book everyone, regardless of race, religion or creed should read. I hope teachers everywhere will consider this book as part of curriculum in American History classes. I also hope it can be a tool to opening people's eyes to the damage stupidity and ignorance can bring. Bless Mr. Hurst for this non-media biased peek into the events of that era in out history.