Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored

Description

Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored by Clifton L. Taulbert In this beautifully evocative tale of life in the segregated South, Clifton L. Taulbert looks back at his "colored" childhood with deep pride, striking honesty, and unusual affection. Undaunted by the segregation, Taulbert's aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and friends are a loving, dignified, and humorous lot. Together they instill in young Taulbert a deep sense of community, optimism, and self-worth. Whether trying to pick 200 pounds of cotton in one day, eagerly awaiting the yearly arrival of the minstrel show and the chance to see the beautiful colored ladies on stage, or learning a life lesson from his grandfather, Taulbert had faith that, despite the hardships of his young life, he could realize his dreams.    Kindle Edition, 154 pages Published October 1st 1995 by Council Oak Books (first published 1991) From Publishers Weekly A businessman included in Time magazine's recent issue on blacks "making it in white America," the author lives with his wife and children in Tulsa, Okla. It's a long way from tiny Glen Allen, Miss., where Taulbert grew up in the 1950s, a time and place he describes with love in this funny, sweet, touching memoir. Although his community knew the sting of discrimination, relations between white and colored were generally amicable. His cruellest memory of childhood occurred in Jackson, when he and his uncle were evicted from a circus by an usher: "This ain't the night for niggers." That is the only bitter note in a book about poor families who shared joys, sorrows and occasional treats in celebration of their heroes--Jackie Robinson, Marian Anderson, Joe Louis et al.--and about the author's triumph as an honor student in high school and college. Photos not seen by PW. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.   From School Library Journal YA-- In this touching autobiography, readers are treated to a view of life in a close, nurturing family in a small Mississippi town during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Taulbert writes of people who believed in hard work and had a strong sense of family pride and affection. There are special excursions to Greenville for frozen custard and hot french bread with his beloved ``Poppa;'' there is a long-anticipated trip to a tent show where he and his uncle are turned away because it is not the ``night for niggers.'' But always there is the strong presence of the church, the place for putting aside the misery of backbreaking labor and renewing faith in the future. Illustrated with family photographs, this book is a loving testimonial to Taulbert's family, with a very positive, endorsing message. Well written with good descriptions, it is a gem of a book. Barbara Weathers, Duchesne Academy, Houston Copyright 1989 Cahners Business Information, Inc.