Saturday, November 8, 2014

Breaking In, the Author of a New Era / Wayne D. Casey


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Memoir

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

The first African American student to attend his local all white high school, Wayne Casey later broke the color barrier as the first black in the managers training program at Traveler’s Insurance. He currently lives near Atlanta.

For more, visit Casey’s website.

Description:

The story of the first student to “cross the color line” in his town by attending a previously all white high school in rural West Virginia.

Appraisal:

I think this book and others like it are important for many reasons.

To start, as a firsthand account of events of historical significance. Many people (I’d like to think most) are aware of the big names in the struggle for equality that took place in the 50s and 60s. Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and Medgar Evers come to mind. But how many have heard of Wayne Casey? It’s important to realize that there were numerous people who took a stand that weren’t as prominent as King or didn’t get the same attention from the press as Parks, but still did their part in ways large and small.

Then there’s that whole understanding history lest it repeat itself thing. Younger generations were born into a different world than Casey. Understanding his experience not only illustrates what progress has been made, but might also illuminate where more change is needed, not just for those of minority races, but for any group that is discriminated against for being different.

Last, it’s a good story for anyone interested in understanding what it was like to grow up in a different time or place.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and other copy editing/proofreading issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

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