The Sweet Hell Inside: The Rise of an Elite Black Family in the Segregated South (National Book Award Winner) [Paperback]

Edward Ball (Author), Edwina Harleston Whitlock (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2002

From National Book Award winner Edward Ball comes The Sweet Hell Inside, the story of the fascinating Harleston family of South Carolina, the progeny of a Southern gentleman and his slave, who cast off their blemished roots and prospered despite racial barriers. Enhanced by recollections from the family's archivist, eighty-four-year-old Edwina Harleston Whitlock -- whose bloodline the author shares. The Sweet Hell Inside features a celebrated portrait artist whose subjects included industrialist Pierre du Pont; a black classical composer in the Lost Generation of 1920s Paris; and an orphanage founder who created the famous Jenkins Orphanage Band, a definitive force in the development of ragtime and jazz.

With evocative and engrossing storytelling, Edward Ball introduces a cast of historical characters rarely seen before: cultured, vain, imperfect, rich, and black -- a family of eccentrics who defied social convention and flourished.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Impressively researched and fascinatingly told” (The State (Columbia, SC) )

One of the top ten nonfiction books of 2001 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette )

“A striking contribution, filling in some important gaps in America’s often uneasy racial dialogue...Ball has done a masterful job. (Washington Post Book World )

“Thoroughly engrossing…Ball’s earlier book, Slaves in the Family, earned him a National Book Award. This one is even better.” (Seattle Times )

“Ball is a graceful storyteller, deftly weaving individual experience into social and historical trends.” (O Magazine )

“A striking contribution, filling in some important gaps in America’s often uneasy racial dialogue...Ball has done a masterful job.” (Washington Post Book World )

“Excellent (and highly readable)...an absorbing story” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette )

About the Author

Edward Ball was born in Georgia, raised in the South, and worked in New York as an art critic. His first book, Slaves in the Family, told the story of his search for the descendants of his ancestors' slaves. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife, Elizabeth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (November 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060505907
• ISBN-13: 978-0060505905
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing narrative, July 19, 2003

By 

M. Bequette "hoopdude65" (Federal Way, Washington USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sweet Hell Inside: The Rise of an Elite Black Family in the Segregated South (National Book Award Winner) (Paperback)

This book caught me so well, that even though I left my original copy on an airplane, I had to get another copy! In this book, I found it much more than just about the Harleston family. There was so much in there about the history of Charleston, the beginnings of Jazz and Blues, and the the transformation of the South in the late 1800's and 1900's.

There was a lot to like about this book: the style, the pace, the depth of the family history, as well as the way the events were placed in the course of what was happening at the time. I particularly enjoyed the information related to the music and art of the time.

This is a tremendous book, and a great read. While I realize it could have been about 100-200 more pages, I would have liked to know more about the life of Edwina during her adult years. While she was one of the few members of the her family still alive in the mid-1900's, it seems the meat of the book ended in the 1930's.

A highly recommended book, a sure one to keep around...and pass around!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sweet Hell Inside: The Rise of an Elite Black Family in the Segregated South, September 26, 2005

By 

Robert M. Franklin III (Fairfax,VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sweet Hell Inside: The Rise of an Elite Black Family in the Segregated South (National Book Award Winner) (Paperback)

Interesting read title does not clearly depict the nature of the book. The title makes it seem as a dark story of an african american family in the south. The book chronicles the struggle and racism that faced by this family and many families during the civil war time period.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars photos and recollections superb, January 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sweet Hell Inside: The Rise of an Elite Black Family in the Segregated South (National Book Award Winner) (Paperback)

1/29/03 After scanning through the many pages of illustrations and photographs and portraits of the Harleston family ,I found the book even more intriguing by going to the 'Notes'(pgs 353-371) and the Index(Pgs 375-384) and follwing through on the events in the lives of certain of the Harlestons(e.g.):Eloise"Ella" Harleston and Edwin A."Teddy" Harleston.