Southern Winds by W. Everett Beal
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: July 2000
- Publisher: iUniverse, Incorporated
- Format: Paperback, 160pp
- ISBN-13: 9780595100811
- ISBN: 0595100813
- Edition Number: 1
Synopsis
This book reflects on the life of a southern gentleman, his growing up years in Valdosta, Georgia through the days of owning a pharmacy in Griffin, Georgia. He recalls good times and bad, stories depicting honest struggles with the tenets of his heritage during the early days of integration. He knew that changes were being made and that all change must start from within. Anecdotes explain how this came about in his life. The racial issue continues to be one of immense importance.
Change was needed and granted, but the South had a hard time giving up their beliefs, traditions, customs and prejudices. Transformation occurred quickly as the government implemented the law, and blacks demanded immediate recognition.
The children of today aren't taught southern American history. They have no idea what really transpired during this era. The author invites change through the message in Southern Winds.
The book encourages all races to ignore color and strive for unity, love and compassion between each other. The moral message is to judge people by their character and personality, not by the color of their skin.
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Southern Windsby Anonymous
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April 04, 2003: The winds of social change blew through the American South at a time that to my generation seems like yesterday - but to U.S. children growing up now, it must surely seem as distant as the Civil War does to me. When those winds reached the community where he owned and ran an independent pharmacy, W. Everett Beal found himself forced to nap behind his counter each night with a loaded weapon at his side. That was the only way he could hope to protect his painfully built business from being firebombed or otherwise destroyed. As a lifelong resident of 'the whitest state in the Union,' whose contacts with members of other races have never been like those of native-born Southerners, I found this memoir a fascinating read. Ever since I've known people of color (which didn't happen until I was a young adult), I've interacted with them as equals. College classmates, colleagues at professional conventions, next door neighbors, fellow parishioners at my church. One of my own books lists my very black former pastor in its acknowledgements, for his kindness and helpfulness during more than one life crisis. So, while Mr. Beal's book is by no means entirely about race relations (past or present), his comments on that theme - the experience of being a Southern man during a turbulent and dangerous era - truly intrigued and enlightened me. However, that's only part of why I can recommend 'Southern Winds' to my fellow readers who enjoy a well-written memoir. Mr. Beal's years as a columnist shine through his reminiscences of boyhood and young manhood. He knows how to tell a story, and he's included a very suitable mix of humorous, sad, and thought-provoking anecdotes in this, his first book. His stated goal is to share with his readers the culture that shaped him, and he has managed to do exactly that. This is a truly a book written from the heart, with touching honesty. Whether or not you agree with everything Mr. Beal has to say, you will be richer for reading his words and coming to know the characters who have peopled his life. I certainly am!
Southern Windsby Anonymous
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December 27, 2002: Reviewer: Janet Elaine Smith from North Dakota As a northerner, I found Everett Beal's account of life in the south in a time when it seemed that nothing would ever be the same again completely captivating. His up-close-and-personal account of such issues as black/white relations and possible uprisings, when he had to "hide out" at the pharmacy where he worked were open and honest. It was a real eye-opener to someone who never experienced these things except from afar. He also presents a fun look at family life from humorous point-of-view with his essays which comprise "Southern Winds." I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a real picture of this era. It was not only informative, but filled with Mr. Beal's wit and humor, as well as his sensitivity.
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