Thomas Norman DeWolf

This book was a GoodReads Giveaway book, and it was a remarkable read.

Winner of the 2013 Phillis Wheatley Book Award.

First off, it held an absolutely riveting concept: that of a black woman and a white man who take a journey together of tracing their roots, working together to try and reconcile their perspectives of the effect of slavery in America, and the racism that still exists so strongly though more hidden. They both point out how in so many ways, the trauma of slavery still strongly impacts how we live and think today, as the harm has been passed down through generations.

"We embarked on this journey because we believe American must overcome the racial barriers that divide us, the barriers that drives us to strike out at one another out of ignorance and fear. To do nothing is unacceptable to us. The legacy of slavery remains a horrendous and unhealed wound, a disease that must be diagnosed, treated and cured."

This is an incredibly easy book to read and understand points of view. Tom and Sharon take turns writing sections of the journey, agreeing to not gloss over any instances of discord they encounter or create. It's an incredibly personal journey for each of them, and their ability to share their knowledge and ignorance of each other's culture, makes the read incredibly personal for me.
Not only should this type of learning and conversation be widely spread among the populace, but it should also be a standard conversation in all types of education.… (más)

This is a very important book concerning racial understanding. Thomas DeWolf, a descendant of slave traders, and Sharon Morgan, a descendant of slaves, spent over three years (June 2008 to October 2011) traveling more than 100,000 miles together in an effort to better understand the legacy of slavery and racism and to enable each other to heal. They traveled to each others’ homes and met each others’ families, and then to various places primarily in the United States which played vital roles in slavery and the slave trade. They visited museums, graveyards, monuments and other historical sites and did genealogical research in courthouses.

In this book about their journey, Tom and Sharon share background experiences and tell their reactions to different experiences as alternating stories, labeled Tom’s story and Sharon’s story. They are honest in their discussions. I had heard Tom and Sharon dynamically discussing their journey and book at a session at the 2013 Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville. When reading the book, I could hear Sharon talking.

The stories told by Tom and Sharon are very effective. Their discussion of specific programs to achieve peacebuilding and human understanding such as STAR (Strategies for Trauma Awareness & Resilience) and Coming to the Table (CTTT) I did not find very helpful.… (más)

When I first heard about the idea for this book, confronting a family legacy of descending from a powerful family of slave traders, I was impressed by the honesty and the good intentions of such a quest. So many times, we like to tell the stories about the great things our ancestors did and cover up all the dirty little secrets. But our ancestors were human beings, and sometimes, they did things we find hard to explain or defend. Some of my own ancestors were slave owners, who farmed in the American South, and that's a troubling legacy for me and even more for my children. So I applaud the idea behind this book and the TV show involved.

But unfortunately, that doesn't mean it's a great book to read.

For me, the book was best when it focused on the actual things that the cousins were learning about their ancestors and about slavery. I found their trip to Ghana and the slave forts to be very powerful stuff. Same with the trip to Cuba, which was also interesting for its view of modern life under Castro. But when he got into the sections of the "big discussions" between community members and the cousins themselves and everyone started talking - and talking - about their own feelings, and experiences, and 'what it all means' - wow, talk about boring. I know that's just me, but it's like reading someone else's therapy session. I just don't want to know that stuff. What I would like to know is now that you've had this amazing experience and you have learned all this stuff about yourself, what are you going to do differently? Because to me, how you feel is not as important as what you do.

Still, I think this is an important book. Racism is still a secret thing in our society. No one wants to admit that it's there. But race has a profound influence on how we experience the world. We all have racial stereotypes we have to deal with, but so few people are willing to admit that. And until we admit it, we can't really change it. So I really admire the idea behind the book. I just found it rather tedious to listen to.… (más)