A Grandfather's Gift, May 2, 2009 09/01/2011
In this lovely book, James Edward Alexander commemorates the many kindnesses shown to an energetic, precocious child growing up in the rural south during the 1930s and 1940s. The author depicts the sense of community and mutual cooperation that were so prevalent and so vital in those days. But the author does not lull the reader into thinking those were necessarily better times. Grueling hard work was the norm, for both blacks and whites. Racial segregation defined situations that in retrospect were sometimes downright ridiculous, as in the case of white German POWs being allowed to use a swimming pool denied to local blacks during Word War II. The pragmatic approach to life exhibited by Mr. Alexander's characters provides lessons for us, in this more affluent era. Halfway Home from Kinderlou also reminds us of the profound effect we can have on children and the responsibility we have to children. CommentsLeave a Reply | AuthorJames Edward Alexander  Click Picture for James Bio |