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Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story
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Average Rating:  out of 40 Reviews
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Price: $14.95
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Sale: $4.98
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Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
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EAN (European Article Number): 9781400083114
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Timothy B. Tyson
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Publisher: Three Rivers Press
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Dewey Decimal Number: 975.653500496073
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Publication Date: 2005-05-03
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Reading Level: 368
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Description: When he was but 10 years old, Tim Tyson heard one of his boyhood friends in Oxford, N.C. excitedly blurt the words that were to forever change his life: "Daddy and Roger and 'em shot 'em a nigger!" The cold-blooded street murder of young Henry Marrow by an ambitious, hot-tempered local businessman and his kin in the Spring of 1970 would quickly fan the long-flickering flames of racial discord in the proud, insular tobacco town into explosions of rage and street violence. It would also turn the white Tyson down a long, troubled reconciliation with his Southern roots that eventually led to a professorship in African-American studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison--and this profoundly moving, if deeply troubling personal meditation on the true costs of America's historical racial divide. Taking its title from a traditional African-American spiritual, Tyson skillfully interweaves insightful autobiography (his father was the town's anti-segregationist Methodist minister, and a man whose conscience and human decency greatly informs the son) with a painstakingly nuanced historical analysis that underscores how little really changed in the years and decades after the Civil Rights Act of 1965 supposedly ended racial segregation. The details are often chilling: Oxford simply closed its public recreation facilities rather than integrate them; Marrow's accused murderers were publicly condemned, yet acquitted; the very town's newspaper records of the events--and indeed the author's later account for his graduate thesis--mysteriously removed from local public records. But Tyson's own impassioned personal history lessons here won't be denied; they're painful, yet necessary reminders of a poisonous American racial legacy that's so often been casually rewritten--and too easily carried forward into yet another century by politicians eagerly employing the cynical, so-called "Southern Strategy." --Jerry McCulley
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Blood Done Sign My Name |
Date: 2008-10-15 |
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Details: Nevada County is our chosen home, but we previously lived for almost a decade in North Carolina near where the events in this book took place more than 30 years ago. We feel it is an important book in illustrating racial attitudes that were present, and still are in the south today.
Being native Californians, we didn't really realize these subtle attitudes fully until we lived and experienced them ourselves. This book written by a native North Carolinian Timothy Tyson, is well worth reading for bringing an even deeper layer to our understanding of racial issues. He is a professor of African American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His style is full of the color and expression of a great storyteller as he relives his personal experience of the tragic event in a small southern town in such a recent history...our history.
Timothy Tyson's story has added a deeper understanding of how we must all face our history, even if we don't feel it applies to our own beliefs, before we can truly understand that we are all responsible, and move forward towards better humanity.
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Review Summary: It took my breath away |
Date: 2008-07-30 |
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Details: I had the pleasure of meeting and spending a week with Dr. Timothy Tyson as part of a Civil Rights Tour in Alabama with my public school district. Although I was "required" to read this BEFORE the tour, I did't pick it up until after I had returned home. Reading Tyson's words in print doesn't compare to listening to him in person, but the book is extremely powerful and eye opening to say the least. My parents were of the segregationist baby boom in Alabama and little mention of the civil rights movement was ever made to me during my childhood in the deep south. It is my opinion that most Americans are of the impression that it began with Brown v. Board and ended with the assassination of MLK. The book is only the beginning of an unearthing of long-buried truths about the struggle for racial equality and the unsung heroes who continue the fight. |
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Review Summary: A beautiful piece of FICTION |
Date: 2008-06-19 |
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Details: I read this book for a college course and found it shocking and heartbreaking. I grew up very close to where the event of the story take place. After I had finished the book I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Tyson. This is when I began to become suspicious. I also met the offspring of people involved in the story. They, along with many other residents of Oxford confirmed what I already suspected. Much of this story is COMPLETELY MADE UP! Some of the events did actually happen, but are blown WAAAAAY out of proportion, and the means by which Mr. Tyson acquired some of his information are very shady. So my verdict: as a piece of fiction I think it's a beautifully tragic piece of fictions. As a "true story" this novel loses all credibility and so does Mr. Tyson for any of his other work and he should be prosecuted for his slanderous words. |
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Review Summary: Worth reading |
Date: 2008-05-27 |
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Details: I recommend this book not only to those of us who lived through the time but also to younger adults who care about racial issues in America. The author's personal account allows readers to experience recent history through his eyes. The book is informative and a very good read! |
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Review Summary: Through the Eyes of Many |
Date: 2007-12-15 |
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Details: Blood Done Sign My Name is a non-fiction work that combines the personal memoirs and research of Timothy Tyson, Professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin. The most striking aspect of the novel is the description of Dickie Marrow's murder from the points of view of different citizens of Oxford. This unique feature makes the book appealing to many age groups. Teenage readers can relate to Tyson's personal anecdotes about growing up in rural Oxford, North Carolina. Even if younger audiences do not understand the symbolism behind the text, they can still enjoy the well-developed characters and eventful plot. Adult readers can gain insight into many themes concerning race and white supremacy. Tyson elegantly expresses the naiveté of children on the issue of morality and treatment of other races. This is best conveyed in the passage where young Tyson taunted a black child solely because his friend had started an insulting chime. The author describes that it was fear--not hatred--that bred the twisted idea of white supremacy. Parents can also connect with the decisions and actions of Vernon and Martha Tyson. The Tysons believed that their children should be exposed to many different opinions yet respect all races. The difference in perspectives in the work allows readers of all ages to enjoy and understand the truth behind the Civil Rights Movement.
The book contains a few minor flaws that diminish the lucidity of the text. The plot is rather erratic; from time to time, the events are not connected perfectly. This technique may be Tyson's personal style of writing, but it proves to be rather confusing at major points in the plot. For example, Tyson usually explains a personal memory of the murder and follows it with completely unrelated information about another character. These discontinuities in the plot make the book difficult to comprehend at first. Gradually, however, the reader gets acclimatized to this original form of writing. The gaps between personal stories build suspense and enable the reader to process a feasible prediction for the sequence of events. The novel also includes many extraneous details about minor characters that play an insignificant part in the plot. Tyson extensively describes his mother's childhood, even though his mother does not affect the sequence of events in any fashion. This extra information, however, does not detract from the book's overall theme. Though the story contains a few negligible weaknesses, Tyson maintains his overall claim and presents it in an interesting and distinctive manner.
Blood Done Sign My Name is an enthralling story that expresses the moral wrongs of racism. To call it a mere story does not do Tyson proper justice; it is more fitting to call the book a documentary. By citing several engrossing stories throughout the novel, Tyson maintains the reader's attention and successfully proves his thesis. Other than its occasional lack of continuity, Timothy Tyson has written a classic non-fiction work for readers of all ages.
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