Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.