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alreadyemily's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Recommended for U.S. citizens, highly recommended for Georgians, and required reading for past and present residents of Forsyth County.
Big time CWs: violence, slurs, etc.
Big time CWs: violence, slurs, etc.
collinaj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.5
This book was really heavy, really depressing, but impressively researched and thorough. Important to read. Disturbing. But I'm glad I know more about the history and impact of an area very close to where I grew up and where I work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Murder
spacebee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
all_things_olivia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
anovelobsession's review against another edition
5.0
I had heard about Forsyth County and it’s racial segregation from the famous Oprah episode in the 1980s. This book explains how that county got to the point where there were no African Americans living in the entire county. The author grew up in Forsyth County and has done extensive research about the history of the county. When I read books like this I am always shocked by how horrible some people are. Nothing excuses the hate and ignorance that was pervasive in the county. Equally unforgivable were the residents that just looked the other way. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” - Edmund Burke.
I highly recommend this book for ALL readers.
I highly recommend this book for ALL readers.
elizasut's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, horrifying story of the racial cleansing of Forsyth County, GA. Patrick's parents are friends, and in fact his father was recently recognized by our local NAACP as Man of the Year because of his contributions to the black community.
amystran's review against another edition
5.0
What an important recounting of Forsyth Georgia’s racist history. We need to read these stories and be aware of the atrocities black people have faced in this country if we have any hope of growing.
caleb_tankersley's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a disturbing portrait of one town and county's deep history of hatred and violence. It's difficult to put this into words. More than anything else, the book makes me conscious of the history--or lack thereof--in my own small town. While filled with darkness, the book does show the power of bringing truth into the light. And it's one of the best, most compelling arguments for reparations. This is the kind of book that lingers in your brain and seeps into your life, changes the way you think and behave.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
This book took me weeks to read. It's not an overly long book, the author writes well, and the story is a fascinating one, but Forsyth county is just a hundred miles from my home and a quick two hour drive away. It could just as easily have happened here.
Forsyth county lies just outside of Atlanta, Georgia and Patrick Phillips moved there with his family in the 1980s, when the county still didn't allow non-white people to live, or even pass through there. In 1987, his family went to march with Civil Rights campaigners seeking to integrate the county, but when the busloads of peaceful marchers were turned back by crowds of Forsyth county residents, Phillips and his family had to have the police escort them home. Then Phillips left for university and his hometown became just a colorful topic of conversation.
Years later, he has written a book about how in 1912, after one woman is discovered in bed with a black man and another is discovered murdered in the woods, angry mobs drove all African Americans from the county. And they and their descendants kept Forsyth county free of anyone not seen as white until the 1990s. Phillips is rigorous in his research and the story he tells is shocking and difficult to read about, but is tremendously important -- it's essential reading given how recently the county was integrated and how the attitudes still exist today.
Forsyth county lies just outside of Atlanta, Georgia and Patrick Phillips moved there with his family in the 1980s, when the county still didn't allow non-white people to live, or even pass through there. In 1987, his family went to march with Civil Rights campaigners seeking to integrate the county, but when the busloads of peaceful marchers were turned back by crowds of Forsyth county residents, Phillips and his family had to have the police escort them home. Then Phillips left for university and his hometown became just a colorful topic of conversation.
Years later, he has written a book about how in 1912, after one woman is discovered in bed with a black man and another is discovered murdered in the woods, angry mobs drove all African Americans from the county. And they and their descendants kept Forsyth county free of anyone not seen as white until the 1990s. Phillips is rigorous in his research and the story he tells is shocking and difficult to read about, but is tremendously important -- it's essential reading given how recently the county was integrated and how the attitudes still exist today.