Unspeakable: The Story of Junius Wilson (Caravan Book) [Hardcover]

Susan Burch~Hannah Joyner (Author)

Book Description

Series: Caravan Book | Publication Date: November 5, 2007

Junius Wilson (1908-2001) spent 76 years at a state mental hospital in Goldsboro, North Carolina, including 6 in the criminal ward. He had never been declared insane by a medical professional or found guilty of any criminal charge. But he was deaf and black in the Jim Crow South. Unspeakable is the story of his life. In addition to offering a bottom-up history of life in a segregated mental institution, Burch and Joyner's biography also enriches the traditional interpretation of Jim Crow by highlighting the complicated intersections of race and disability as well as of community and language.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Adroitly untangle[s] the twisted web of race, class, gender, and disability that ensnared Wilson for much of his life. . . . A significant contribution to African American history and the burgeoning fields of deaf and disability histories. . . . A remarkable and humane study."
-H-Net Reviews

"Extensively documented. . . . A well-researched history book that sensitively documents the life of one black, deaf man but seeks to instruct us all."
-Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education

"Remarkable. . . . In large part, a history of the changing culture in North Carolina, the change in treatment of the deaf, and the political developments of the nation. . . . A fine and worthy book."
-The Journal of American History

"[A] brisk and compelling narrative that proves surprisingly uplifting."
-Star News

"A heart-rending story of race and disability in the Jim Crow South."
-American History

"Highly recommended."
-CHOICE

This is an extraordinarily important book.
-David Cecelski, coeditor of Democracy Betrayed: The Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 and Its Legacy

About the Author

Susan Burch has taught history at Gallaudet University; Charles University, Czech Republic; and the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. She is author of Signs of Resistance: American Deaf Cultural History, 1900 to World War II.

Hannah Joyner is an independent scholar and author of From Pity to Pride: Growing Up Deaf in the Old South.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (November 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807831557
• ISBN-13: 978-0807831557
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #977,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instructive, important AND compulsively readable, June 2, 2008

By 

Lisa Schumaker (Maryland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unspeakable: The Story of Junius Wilson (Caravan Book) (Hardcover)

I was amazed what a page-turner this was, for a story so carefully documented. Even so I found myself frequently in the middle of a deep muse pondering what his story teaches us about communication, isolation and contingency, not to mention injustice stemming from racism and patriarchal attitudes toward the minority who communicate without speech. I noticed I was also learning a surprising amount about broader social and historical movements (American, southern, racial, psychiatric, deaf cultural, and more), without ever feeling bogged down. Truly impressive.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars unspeakable is right!!!, January 9, 2008

By 

R. Mays - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unspeakable: The Story of Junius Wilson (Caravan Book) (Hardcover)

i happpened to move to wilmington, n.c just when this story was coming to light in the press. i was gripped by the story and read every article that came out in follow up. when this book came out i had to have it.
to find out a deaf man was treated this way for a crime he did not commit is just.....well uspeakable.
the begining starts with a nice history of area and people. a lot of the begining is spectulaion and dead on at that. no one will ever know what junius' thoughts were in those early years. the story becomes more gripping when the facts start to arrive, via medical reports and staff and friends. it is truly a heartbreaking read. it still haunts me.
i recommend to everyone. the book is a nice piece of historical racial record. schools should add this to their curriculum.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible history book, January 14, 2008

By 

Steven Hardy-Braz (Farmville, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unspeakable: The Story of Junius Wilson (Caravan Book) (Hardcover)

Burch and Joyner have produced a wonderful example of what historical research can teach us. Mr. Wilson's story is heartbreaking but treated with respect and a gentle touch by this authors. The horrors experienced by this man speak for themselves and artfully told by these researchers and writers. This is a book that will appeal to many for many different reasons and leave all shaken. Perhaps it will also inspire others to help make the future brighter for others. I can think of no better use of historical facts than to improve the future.