Coming Of Age In Mississippi (2004) - Plot & Excerpts
Coming of Age in Mississippi was first published in 1968. The author, born in 1940, is six years older than I am so her life is relatively contemporaneous with mine, a factor that intrigues me although our lives are not at all the same other than that calendar years overlap. In 1968: the war in Vietnam is fully underway and politically divisive in the U.S.; Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis; Robert Kennedy is assassinated in San Francisco; Black power salute of raised fist at Olympics medal ceremony; Richard Nixon wins the presidential election, George Wallace gets 13.5%; Apollo 8 circles the moon.The book covers two decades of the life of Anne Moody from the time she was four years old until she graduated from Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi. She was the oldest of nine children and was working by the time she was nine to earn money to help support her family. At first she mostly worked as a mother’s helper with household chores and children. They called them maids back then and it was almost always black women/girls working for white women. The minimum wage was $1.25/hour in 1965. But they mostly didn’t get minimum wage. Lucky to get a dollar a day.The first part of the book is titled Childhood and is about 30% of the book. It is about Anne until she finished eighth grade. This section is really about living a life of poverty more than about being a Negro, as they called themselves then. Plenty of meals were beans and bread, clothing for school was often used, Essie often could bring home leftover food from the homes she worked in. And she had to work to help the family. There was a new baby just about every year. In spite of a life with material need the family was strong and Essie was a good student. Some of the women who employed her helped expand her universe and helped her with her school work. Her parents had very limited education and were not much help for Essie with school. She was the 8th grade homecoming queen foreshadowing that she would achieve great things in her life! Now she was ready for high school.The second section is about 25% of the book and is titled High School. Emmett Till, a fourteen year old black boy, was murdered in Mississippi for whistling at a white woman about the time school started. Annie was fourteen. She heard about this from another student while walking home from school. Because Annie had been working as well as being a fulltime student, she had not kept up with current events. Discussion of racial issues in school was nonexistent. There was no newspaper at home. But this killing emphasized to her that she could be in danger simply for being a Negro.Working in a white home, she heard a group of women talking about the NAACP. Although she made an effort to find out what the letters meant and what the organization stood for, her mother was hesitant to give her much information since she was used to keeping in her “place” as a Negro. Annie was able to find a woman teacher who spent time with her outside of school telling her about Negro issues. Teachers could not talk about this in school; they would be fired if they did. The teacher who helped her was fired at the end of the year although Annie never knew why and never saw her again.The third section is titled College and is about 10% of the book. She attended Natchez Junior College for two years on a basketball scholarship. She then transferred to and graduated from Tougaloo College. During college she joined the NAACP. I thought of Reverend Dupree and his family who had been run out of Woodville when I was a senior in high school, and all he had done was to get up and mention NAACP in a sermon. The more I remembered the killings, beatings, and intimidations, the more I worried about what might happen to me or my family if I joined the NAACP. But I knew I was going to join, anyway. I had wanted to for a long time. As a result of her activities in NAACP, Anne cut off most contact with her mother and family in Centreville so there would be no retaliation against them. She also was involved with SNCC (Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee) while she was in school. The final third of the book is titled The Movement and is about Anne’s work in the civil rights movement. After college Anne began working for CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) full time in Canton, Mississippi, mostly on black voter registration. The monthly pay was $25, when she was paid which was not all the time. During this period black activist Medgar Evers was shot and killed in front of his home, four young black girls at church were killed by a bomb and President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Anne also went to the March on Washington for Peace and Freedom, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave the I Have a Dream speech. Her dedication to be out front in the movement was costly to her health due to lack of resources for nutritious food and incredible stress. The book concludes with Anne boarding a Greyhound bus for Washington to tell about the conditions in Mississippi. She sits on the bus: I sat there listening to “We Shall Overcome,” looking out the window at the passing Mississippi landscape. Images of all that had happened kept crossing my mind: the Taplin burning, the Birmingham church bombing, Medgar Evers’ murder, the blood gushing out of McKinley’s head, and all the other murders. I saw the face of Mrs. Chinn as she said, “We ain’t big enough to do it by ourselves,” C.O.’s face when he gave me that pitiful wave from the chain gang. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Anne Moody is not a polished professional writer. This book helped me once again to remember and honor the sacrifice that so many have made to bring what we have of freedom and justice to this country, and particularly to the South.From the back cover of the market paperback: Written without a trace of sentimentality or apology, this is an unforgettable personal story – the truth as a remarkable young woman named Anne Moody lived it. To read her book is to know what it is to have grown up black in Mississippi in the forties and fifties – to have survived with pride and courage intact. In the now classic autobiography, she details the sights, smells, and suffering of growing up in a racist society and candidly reveals the soul of the black girl who had the courage to challenge it. The result is a touchstone work: an accurate, authoritative portrait of black family life in the rural South and a moving account of a woman’s indomitable heart. Somehow I learned and internalized that SparkNotes and similar books are not OK to refer to and use. I guess that was because I was taught and experienced that people used them to cheat in school or to avoid doing the actual reading of a book. They were the same as the interlinear Latin/English textbook that was passed around by the kids in the back row of my high school Latin class. More recently as I have dealt with some reading and memory disabilities I have found that SparkNotes and audio books and movies based on books can all help me to have a better experience with books. I no longer have any formal academic need to read so all of my reading these days is done for pleasure or personal betterment. Even though SparkNotes and the like still have a negative emotional connotation or gut feeling for me, I am trying to get by those feelings to approach them as an occasional resource when they are available. I have found some of these resources are available online for free. I am trying to feel comfortable using various tactics to remove or lower barriers to reading comprehension. SparkNotes for this book are available online at http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/comingo...Another common helping resource for me is to read GR reviews for a book as I read the book. As I have drifted into reading more mysteries, I try to avoid spoilers. However, I have found that knowing an outcome simply changes the reading experience for me rather than ruining it. I lived through the national events of this book so there were no spoilers!I had Coming of Age in Mississippi on my bookshelf and was encouraged to read it at this time by reading the very popular book The Help. A GR review put that idea in my mind: I recently read Kathryn Stockett’s The Help and while I enjoyed this story tremendously, I wanted to read something that was less uplifting, more realistic, and told from the perspective of an African-American. Anne Moody’s powerful memoir was the perfect choice. This is a well-told and fascinating story about the author's life growing up in rural Mississippi, and her fight against racism. Her story is chronologically told, from the author's youth in rural Mississippi, her education, family relationships, poverty, racism, violence and finally, her involvement with the Civil Rights Movement.Source: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... This book gets an extra star from me because it covers a time and events that were important to my growing up. I admired and was amazed by the willingness of people in the civil rights movement as well as regular black people to risk their lives and livelihoods in the struggle for justice. As a high school junior, I watched the 200,000 person March on Washington on TV and was moved to make my own contributions to social change in the 1960s and 1970s.Four stars to experience the life of one young black girl becoming a woman in a tumultuous time and place.
Coming of Age in Mississippi, the autobiography of Anne Moody is a long journey full of coincidental brushes with many moments that have shaped American history during the Civil Rights Movement. As such, Anne Moody’s story symbolically stands as evidence that there would have been no “movement” without the millions of people who marched, protested, and fought for their rights. Later in the book, Anne remarks about a march in Washington that drew millions of people; she was surprised to find she had “dreamers” instead of “leaders” in the movement. This was an obvious reference to Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream,” which forces the reader to individually consider the various viewpoints of each person we have seen featured staring at MLK from the crowd the day he gave the speech. Maybe, you can try and dismiss Anne’s sentiment as unique, but her involvement in SNCC and college places her squarely among the people you would expect to follow MLK’s every word. Moody, starts her story as a young child growing up. As she grows older, more mature and more knowledgeable her diction changes as well. It was a pleasant detail to examine once she was an adult. She tells her story in a very “matter the fact” manner devoid of most figurative language accept when used in dialogue. It is also very interesting to note how afraid she was at speaking up as a child. Considering her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement later in life, I assumed she would have always been outspoken. As Moody grows older she makes many hard decisions despite the danger, alienation, and disapproval she would meet with. I must admit, that the book offers an abundance of mundane details about her life which can only be appreciated by considering the path from cowardice to bravery. In considering this question, the comments about indoor plumbing, moving from home to home, job to job, new clothes to old clothes, and organizations to organization becomes the unexpected proving grounds for a courageous critical woman.
What do You think about Coming Of Age In Mississippi (2004)?
There are many levels and layers to this book. Firstly, it is a story of a young African American girl and her early childhood and the poverty and struggles of her family in Mississippi. It is also a story of a fiery intelligent young women dealing with the racism, poverty and hatred that she encountered growing up in such a G-d forsaken place, the author's own struggles with her family ,and her search for autonomy. Most importantly it covers a portion of the history of the civil rights movement , freedom summer, and the heroes who participated in it, sacrificing their lives and sense of security for justice. It is well written, and honest, the author is unabashed in her opinions . She does not mince words , sentiments or emotions. When I compare this story to The American Ghost, a recent novel, American Ghost pails in its insipid, view of the south and the consequences of it's terrible hate filled racist history and it's made up love story and fabrications. American Ghost never deals on a real level with the problems engendered by a a racist society.An incredible memoir, this book should be mandatory reading for all those interested in studying this sad, brutal period of American History.
—Lillian
A friend returned from a trip to Mississippi and bought me this book during her visit there. I looked forward to reading it because it promised an interesting first-hand perspective, that of Anne Moody, an insider in the civil rights movement or, as Sen. Edward Kennedy stated, "A history of our time, seen from the bottom up." I was greatly disappointed because it offered little insight.The autobiography often read like a catalogue of events: I did this and then I did this and then. . . From my studies and readings, I'm familiar with the facts of what happened; I expected to read about the impact of the events. It would have been interesting to read about how she felt, especially during events like the Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in. Only 3 1/2 pages are devoted to this protest, and the focus is on what everyone did, not on her feelings at the time. Being a participant, Moody could have added to the historical record by describing personal reactions, thereby increasing the reader's understanding and arousing his/her empathy. Her account is the equivalent of a newspaper story.When there is an attempt to describe her feelings, it is not very revealing. She does faint a lot: "Everything around me went black" (387) and "my head began to spin" (402). Other reactions to situations are to move slowly or not at all: "It took me about an hour to change my uniform" (388) and "I sat there for a while with my face buried in my hands" (414). There are many contradictions in the book. She makes statements like, "if [the white teachers] were at all like the whites I had previously known, I would leave the school immediately" (267). This statement totally ignores previous comments: "I thought of how nice these [white] people were to us . . . [They] treated me like I was their daughter. They were always giving me things and encouraging me . . . " (59). Summarizing her first experiences at working for whites, she says, "The five I had worked for so far had been good to me" (118). Her treatment of her family is likewise contradictory. With her sister she moves into an apartment and then leaves her to cover the costs: "We had just moved into that apartment, we owed at least one hundred dollars on the furniture, and she couldn't take care of those bills alone" (399). She admits to "hat[ing] to run out on Adline" (399), but she does it nonetheless. Then, when Adline does not attend Anne's graduation, Anne says, "She had lied and said that she would come to the graduation" (419), although Adline had made no such promise when she spoke about attending the ceremony (400). "Publisher's Weekly" praised Moody for telling her story "without a trace of see-what-a-martyr-am-I" but I found she could be full of self-pity. She talks about her exhaustion and having to wear the same clothes all day and losing "'about fifteen pounds in a week'" (324). She is upset that no family member attends her college graduation: "'Here I am,' I thought, 'alone, all alone as I have been for a long time'" (415 - 416). She repeatedly bemoans the fact that she can't go home, totally disregarding the fact that she was the one who chose to sever ties with her family: "'These people just ain't no damn good! Everybody in this fuckin' town ain't no good. I'm gonna leave this goddamn town right now'" (210). Incidentally, after this tirade, she complains that her stepfather is "'running around the house cursing all the time'" (214). Moody can be admired for some candor in the book. Blacks are not viewed as totally innocent; for example, she decries the treatment her mother receives from her second husband's family "for no reason at all than the fact that she was a couple of shades darker than the other members of their family. Yet they were Negroes and we were also Negroes. I just didn't see Negroes hating each other so much" (59). Several times she mentions her frustration with the apathy of the people she is trying to register for the vote. She is present for Martin Luther King's speech in Washington, but she dismisses it: "I sat on the grass and listened to the speakers, to discover we had 'dreamers' instead of leaders leading us. Just about every one of them stood up there dreaming. Martin Luther King went on and on talking about his dream. I sat there thinking that in Canton we never had time to sleep, much less to dream" (335). There is no doubt that Blacks suffered under the Jim Crow laws, but some of Moody's descriptions seem over-the-top. The arrest of protesters in Jackson and the presence of police dogs, though they "were not used" (298), prompt her to compare the situation to Nazi Germany. Policemen are compared to Nazi soldiers (305) and a fairgrounds detention centre is called a "concentration camp" (360).The writing style is tedious to say the least. The repeated use of short, simple sentences becomes very monotonous: "I was there from the very beginning. Jackie Robinson was asked to serve as moderator. This was the first time I had seen him in person. . . . Jackie was a good moderator, I thought. He kept smiling and joking. People felt relaxed and proud" (285). Where did Publisher's Weekly find "good writing"?!Moody has a story worthy of telling, but it could have been more effectively told. As is, it is a tedious read which details mundane events and omits the personal emotions that would have made the book a very compelling read.
—Doreen
Posted at Shelf InflictedI recently read Kathryn Stockett’s The Help and while I enjoyed this story tremendously, I wanted to read something that was less uplifting, more realistic, and told from the perspective of an African-American. Anne Moody’s powerful memoir was the perfect choice. This is a well-told and fascinating story about the author's life growing up in rural Mississippi, and her fight against racism. Her story is chronologically told, from the author's youth in rural Mississippi, her education, family relationships, poverty, racism, violence and finally, her involvement with the Civil Rights Movement. The last section of the book devoted to Moody’s activism was riveting and deeply disturbing. She participated in the heavily publicized Woolworth sit-in, which was known for its violence, and was deeply shaken by the deaths of four black girls in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. 1963 Woolworth Sit-in, Jackson, MississippiOnce a religious child, she questioned her faith in God. “Now talk to me, God. Come on down and talk to me. You know, I used to go to Sunday school, church, and B.T.U. every Sunday. We were taught how merciful and forgiving you are. Mama used to tell us that you would forgive us twenty-seven times a day and I believed in you. I bet you those girls in Sunday school were being taught the same as I was when I was their age. Is that teaching wrong? Are you going to forgive their killers? You not gonna answer me, God, hmm? Well if you don’t want to talk, then listen to me. As long as I live, I’ll never be beaten by a white man again. Not like in Woolworth’s. Not anymore. That’s out. You know something else, God? Nonviolence is out. I have a good idea Martin Luther King is talking to you too. If he is, tell him that nonviolence has served its purpose. Tell him that for me, God, and for a lot of other Negroes who must be thinking it today. If you don’t believe that, then I know you must be white, too. And if I ever find out you are white, then I’m through with you. And if I find out you are black, I’ll try my best to kill you when I get to heaven.” Moody provided details about intimidation, beatings, shootings, and other acts of violence enacted by the Ku Klux Klan against African Americans and their white supporters and about the institutionalized racism that kept many black families mired in poverty. I just wish that Moody had spent more time with the story of her activism and the efforts and sacrifices of Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers, and others, rather than mundane details about childhood. I am thankful to Anne Moody and all the other young people who sacrificed their jobs, safety, and lives to make a stand against injustice and change the course of our history and for their stories that keep them alive in our minds and hearts.
—Nancy
