Back to Mississippi: A Personal Journey Through the Events That Changed America in 1964

by Mary Winstead

Mary Winstead grew up in Minneapolis, captivated by her fathers tales of his boyhood in rural Mississippi. As a child, she visited her relatives down South, and her nostalgia for that world and its... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786867965
• ISBN13: 9780786867967
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Theia
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Hard to put down

I found Back to Mississippi a book that was hard to put down, unexpectedly so. From the beginning of the book you know that the story to be told is of the murder of three civil rights' workers and a family's denial of those murders. At the same time this is a personal story of discovery and loss that really pulls the reader in. There are three themes in this memoir: the writer's Catholic upbringing in the north, the delightful discovery of a warm and loving family in the south, and the historical record of the bitter civil rights struggle in Mississippi. As the book progresses there there is an increasing feeling of foreboding of the connection between the family stories and the brutal murders of the civil rights' workers. This foreboding, good stories, and pertinent historical detail made this book more than worth the read. Also, it left me wanting to know more about this period and the concealment of the violence perpeptrated then.

More than I expected

I picked up this book to learn more about the 1960s civil rights movement and ended up with much more. Winstead's stories about her childhood and family experiences were delightful bringing to mind many long forgotten memories - her mother's housework, delicious food prepared by southern relatives, happy times with cousins, to name a few.Winstead's accountof her family's involvement in the deaths of civil rights workers is engaging and powerful. A wonderful first effort. Buy this book!

Terrific Read!

The sight of a large man sitting in a baby pool, a beer in one hand, a Pall Mall in the other, regaling his neighbors with "down home" stories had me laughing until tears. Mary Winstead's characterization of her father "Windy" was simply fabulous. This book is worth reading if only to take in characters such as the "Lind Girls", Uncle Aby, and Winstead's Matriarchal southern aunt. I was impressed by the contrasts that were drawn between such bright family pictures and one of the darkest events in the Civil Rights movement. My last thought was of that little girl praying for beauty in a darkened Church. Took longer than she would have liked, but to me looks like your prayers were answered.

Extremely fun and easy to read a hard lesson to learn

Mary Winstead does a brilliant job depicting the conflicts that grow within everyones soul concerning the lives of people raised in the rural south during the turbulent civil rights movement and the fears that bind real people from remembering and living the "Golden Rule." She cleverly and beautifully lures her readers into realizing that you can take a man out of the South but, you cannot always take the South out of the man. Back To Mississippi will make everyone ask themselves the vital questions of personal responsibilty in doing what is just and right by speaking out against injustice. Back To Mississippi will literally make you want to bake biscuits and sit on the porch to listen to hours of stories about the past and yet it will make you want to choke when you realize how important looking and dealing with ugly truths about ourselves and how we would conduct ourselves when we are threatened. People of all ages should ask themselves just as Mary does: Would I have broken my loyalties to my family and community for what I believe is right? She shows everyone the risks and the results of not telling embarrassing family secrets. The reader comes away with the feeling that we are all humans with faults (you will love Wilbur)but, if we refuse to speak out when we feel and hear hurtful words said about people who are different from us, the after effects cause the pit of your stomach to fester with conflict about what is right and what is wrong. How far will a person honestly go to preserve the dignity of another human being? This book gives insight into how low people will go to guard against changing prejudice. Mary Winstead reaches all people of all ages by her honest and open revelations into her life as a northerner raised by a southern man and a northern mother. Through her life, we are taught a huge lesson in how important it is to laugh at ourselves and to learn from historical scars that haven't yet healed. Back to Mississippi is a very brave book in that it dares to once again remind the reader that we should never forget how easy it is to close our eyes for what ever reason to social injustice in our world. Through telling very very personal and embarrassing memories of growing up, the reader can finally see how easy it is to bury our heads and allow prejudice to fester.

Kirkus got it right

If you want an accurate review of this book, ignore Publisher's Weekly and read Kirkus. The review reflects an understanding of the book's content, structure, voice and vision. The PW reviewer obviously didn't get it. This is a thought-provoking, colorful, well-researched memoir, full of stories told by a skillful storyteller. Great read.