Excited: My dad's new book

[Rachels]

My dad is an author who does a lot of writing about the Civil Rights Movement, and his latest book was just published. It's exciting because he was able to interview many of the surviving original activists from the sixties, and it's a wonderful collection of their stories. I can find the book easily on all the usual places, but none of them so far have the cover photo up. Weird-- it's a beautiful cover, my favorite yet. Anyway, if you like that kind of reading, check it out. It's called Cradle of Freedom by Frye Gaillard.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[sbjf]

That's a great accomplishment! I bet he had an exciting time writing this one with all the interesting interviewees. Too bad he couldn't interview Margaret Mitchell, I went on a tour of one of her homes (the little 'dump' where she wrote Gone with the Wind), and was facinated to learn about her role in the Civil Rights Movement.

[COElizabeth]

That's great! Which aspects of the Civil Rights movement does he focus on - specific locales, groups?

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02

[barbarhow]

How great is that?! Congrats to your Dad. I will look for it at the library-we love that kind of reading in this house.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03

[Rachels]

This book focuses on the beginnings of the movement in Alabama-- Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, etc. My dad interviewed King and Bobby Kennedy before they wer assassinated, so some of that is included. For this, he interviewed lots of people who are less-known but were integral to the movement: Fred Shuttlesworth (the leader of the Birmingham movement), John Lewis (a now-congressman from Atlanta who was one of the founders of SNCC), John Patterson (governor of Alabama during the freedom rides), etc. What came out of it is a pretty comprehensive story about what it was like to be there and to be a part of tthe whole thing. My dad's particular gift is writing nonfiction so that it reads like a novel. History books generally leave me pretty cold, but this feels very alive and exciting and tragic and hopeful. I'm biased, of course, but also proud. This is his 19th book, but the best one so far.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[Rachels]

ETA a link to his agent's website, which is the only place I've so far been able to find a photo of the book:
http://rusoffagency.com/non_fiction/cradle_freedom/cradle_of_freedom.htm

If you click the thing on the left that says "learn more about this book," there's an excerpt.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[sarahfran]

Congrats! That's really exciting! I'll check for it at the library, too. I'd love to read it.

My parents were activists in the movement. My father was a university chaplain in the early 60s(at my mom's college--Drew Univ in NJ), and he and other ministers from the North East were called upon to help register voters in the South. Dad marched at Selma, and was a few lines back from the front where police were beating activitsts. He and mom were almost run over by locals who drove up onto the sidewalks to scare (or worse) the activists in town. Their stories are amazing.

I've been meaning to sit down with both of them with a videocam to capture the history. I'm so proud of them, and want Dylan to grow up knowing more about this part of his grandparents' lives.

I wish your dad great success with this book, and I'm looking forward to checking it out!

-Sarah
Mom to Dylan, 8/18/03

:) Motherhood is such a joy! :)

[newbelly2002]

Congrats to your dad, Rachel! That's incredible. Pass on my best wishes for quite an accomplishment. I'll be sure to try and pick up a copy next time we're back Stateside.

Paula
Mama to Dante, 8/02