10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Patton's Journey Through Hell, September 25, 2007
This review is from: That Mean Old Yesterday (Hardcover)
That Mean Old Yesterday was an extremely interesting and engaging read. From the beginning I was drawn in, jaw dropped in disbelief and horror at the life she lived as a child. I have no experience with child abuse, and like she said the little bit I do know was from an article in the newspaper or on the internet, never anything as in depth and revealing as her life's story.
Coupling her story are alternating history chapters on slavery and racism that directly lead into each chapter about her. The connections lead well to helping the reader understand what she was going through. I am a little perplexed on how much emphasis was made on "white man" and slavery. Yes, this was a horrible time in the United States' history, and racism is a real and present hatred in some communities, but how can this be equated to encompass all of the "white man"? I'm her age, how can I be lumped up with everything she experienced and looked down upon because of this? Just the same for her in her situation. This was the one theme that was not present throughout, that we, in today's generation, have to deal with our ancestor's past, but we (today's generation and generations to come) should most certainly not be held responsible nor should we give in and blame how we or others act because of this or that. We are held accountable for what and who we are today, from what has happened in our lives, not everyone else's lives. Patton attempts to portray this message but always reverts to how white America has wronged her and the black race. Ultimately, of course, it isn't always a direct connection. She does correlate this past with how it affected the black family and how it resulted directly to the harsh treatment of how children are raised. But this isn't always clear.
Towards the end when she makes a statement of what if, it is a little unnerving. "...I had to learn their [white] literature, their ways, their humor and their ideologies - not necessarily to celebrate them but to absorb them and then use them to my advantage even if it was to turn it all against them one day, kind of like the spook who sat by the door." Patton has gone through a lot, has experienced a life of such traumatic events that you would not wish upon anyone, but she is a very intelligent woman and has learned from her past and utilized it more so than a majority of other people. I wish that some of what she learned would not be to "use against" the white man, but to use it mend the cultural difference, for it is only when this can happen that these societal problems can be cured.
I was very impressed with Patton's literary use of the interwoven historical chapters and how it expressed and illustrated her life as it progressed. Importantly, Part III, "Redemption", noticeably missed these chapters, which showed an important change in how Patton viewed this part of her life.
I deeply admire Patton for who she is and what she has been through. She is a courageous, intelligent, strong, outspoken woman full of élan. It is this type of person (not woman, or black woman, but person) that I would have loved to have had as one of my professors. Definitely recommend to read, if just to have yours opened to reality and a different perspective of a child's life.
4 stars.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An honest, sad, raw and inspirational read, November 17, 2007
This review is from: That Mean Old Yesterday (Hardcover)
That Mean Old Yesterday, by Stacey Patton, is a wonderfully written, if heart wrenching, memoir of growing up in New Jersey as a African American child given up for adoption and of the sad consequences of very poor oversight on the part of public agencies. Ms. Patton, however, doesn't write for pity - she writes with a passion and a journalist's eye. She also has a thesis that is marvelously woven in regarding slavery and its lasting imprints on the African American family, specifically with regard to corporal punishment. One needn't look past the jacket cover to see that the author obviously overcame adversity that is difficult to comprehend, however well written in That Mean Old Yesterday. Scars may fade but impressions don't. Obviously a talented writer and a very bright young woman, I am hopeful this is just the beginning. But it is her choice, quite obviously, about sharing such thoughts and emotions through her writing. I would very much like to see her expand on her ideas on slavery and its impact on African American culture. If nothing else, her poetry is wonderfully raw and emotional. So is That Mean Old Yesterday. A great book that should be getting more acclaim then it has thus far.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Phenomenal & Inspiring!, November 27, 2007
This review is from: That Mean Old Yesterday (Hardcover)
That Mean Old Yesterday is not just another book about child abuse, a difficult childhood, or a woman who has prevailed. It is a phenomenally written book about a remarkable woman; a woman who has defied odds and stereotypes. A woman who has achieved more in her 29 years than most people achieve in a lifetime...and she truly achieved everything with her will, determination, courage and stamina. Stacey Patton also encourages readers to look deeply into our past, our heritage, by entwining chapters of her life with chapters that deal with history: slavery, slave/master association and slave families. This book was difficult to read because of Patton's authentic and realistic accounts, but it was even more difficult to put down for the same reasons. This book will empower anyone who reads it. A must read for Book Discussion Groups! A must read for young adults...a MUST READ for all!
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