Before Freedom, When I Just Can Remember: Twenty-Seven Oral Histories of Former South Carolina Slaves
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Book Overview
During the 1930s, the Federal Writers' Project undertook the task of locating former slaves and recording their oral histories. The more than ten thousand pages of interviews with over two thousand former slaves were filed in the Library of Congress, where they were known to scholars and historians but few others. From this storehouse of information, Belinda Hurmence has chosen twenty-seven narratives from the twelve hundred typewritten pages of interviews with 284 former South Carolina slaves. The result is a moving, eloquent, and often surprising firsthand account of the last years of slavery and first years of freedom. The former slaves describe the clothes they wore, the food they ate, the houses they lived in, the work they did, and the treatment they received. They give their impressions of Yankee soldiers, the Klan, their masters, and their newfound freedom. Belinda Hurmence was born in Oklahoma, raised in Texas, and educated at the University of Texas and Columbia University. She has written several novels for young people, including Tough Tiffany (an ALA Notable Book), A Girl Called Boy (winner of the Parents' Choice Award), and The Nightwalker. She has also edited My Folks Don't Want Me to Talk About Slavery and We Lived in a Little Cabin in the Yard, companion volumes to this book. She now lives in Raleigh, NC.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:089587069X
ISBN13:9780895870698
Release Date:January 1989
Publisher:Blair
Length:135 Pages
Weight:0.41 lbs.
Dimensions:0.3" x 5.1" x 7.6"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Before Freedom: 48 Oral Histories of Former North and South Carolina Slaves
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
Great resource on the mind set of former slaves. A genealogist insight on the people and the times.
Before Freedom by Belinda Hurmence
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
This book was given to me by my social studies teacher as an extra credit reading assignment, so I read it just for the credit thinking that I would hate it. Little did I know how many metaphors and parallels to my life I would find. When I finished the book, I could not believe what some slaves had gone through. There were many theories that came out of this book, including that for many slaves, freedom was a two-edged sword. Yet to figure out what I mean by that, you will have to read the book yourself! I would strongly recommend this book to any 8th grade social studies teachers teaching the Civil War who want to make an impact on their students and wake them up to realize that history repeats itself and that the "killing of an old person is like the burning of a book in a library" - Mrs. Mahoney (my awesome 8th grade social studies teacher)!
Want to know what slavery was like? Ask a former slave.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
A fantastic book that reveals the details of slave life through personal interviews of former slaves. Throw away the history books, forget what you learned in social studies, this is real. The book is printed using the dialects of the interviewees, so you almost feel as if you can hear the person speaking. A great read. Difficult to put it down once you pick it up.
Very good representation of what slaves thought
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
This book was a very realistic view into the lives of slaves. I have gotten a better feel for the lives slaves through this book more than any other. It is well put together.
I thought that this book was great . It was educational
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Belinda Hurmence is a excilent editor. It was a great idea to have this book published. It describes a lot of interesting situations. If you like books on slavery buy this one You will learn alot on the subject.
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