Customer Reviews

Separate Fountains

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Mrs. Byars has written a masterpiece. I laughed and cried. The images are vivid and you can imagine yourself on the streets of Jonesboro in the 1940's. What a great tribute to her father, a man with great integrity and honor. A man who did not see color only the goodness in a person.

I can't stress how deeply this book moved me. As a child of the North I simply didn't know that such conditions existed. Yes, I was well read and also active in civil rights in the early fifties, nevertheless, I didn't nor could I know about the agonies and fear of everyday life. Ms Byers does a brilliant job of bringing to life - a small Georgia family over a number of years but most of the action happens over one hot summer in post-world war II United States. This book should be required reading for Americans and would be eye-opening for most Europeans.

Growing up sheltered in a small town in Georgia the author learned lessons of faith and courage by watching the examples of her parents and their friends. The author deals openly with race, poverty and disease. Many of us who are familiar with her time and location identify with the trials of the family. Others will learn more about the daily life of small southern towns before the era of civil rights .

If you enjoyed The Help, you will equally enjoy this true story. The harsh realities of life viewed through the innocence and clarity of a 12 year old gives true perspective in what is truly just, brave, and kind.

Separate Fountains is an absolute joy to any reader of any age. This story of how the unbreakable love of a family overcomes all odds will warm your soul and tickle your funnybone. I thought the reading was very much like Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird". This book is very very hard to put down. Once you begin, you are swept off into the South to feel the fear that was caused by the cold grip of the Klu Klux Klan and how good honest folk of Jonesboro thwarted their schemes to keep as much peace in the town alive as possible. If you are in need of an uplifting experience, this is the book for you. True family love will always rise above all that opposes it, and True friends will always be there when you least expect it. This is a book for everyone; be sure to pick up a copy for yourself and another for someone you love!

Patti Byars has written a most accurate and sensitive book on life as it really was in the rural south during the 40's and 50's. She handles segregation and its people, the good and the bad, with truth and dignity. Separate Fountains would be a great reading requirement in schools.