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Blood Done Sign My Name (Abridged): A True Story Audiobook
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(4.01) - 1,241 listener ratings
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The “riveting”* true story of the fiery summer of 1970, which would forever transform the town of Oxford, North Carolina—a classic portrait of the fight for civil rights in the tradition of To Kill a Mockingbird *Chicago Tribune On May 11, 1970, Henry Marrow, a twenty-three-year-old black veteran, walked into a crossroads store owned by Robert Teel and came out running. Teel and two of his sons chased and beat Marrow, then killed him in public as he pleaded for his life. Like many small Southern towns, Oxford had barely been touched by the civil rights movement. But in the wake of the killing, young African Americans took to the streets. While lawyers battled in the courthouse, the Klan raged in the shadows and black Vietnam veterans torched the town’s tobacco warehouses. Tyson’s father, the pastor of Oxford’s all-white Methodist church, urged the town to come to terms with its bloody racial history. In the end, however, the Tyson family was forced to move away. Tim Tyson’s gripping narrative brings gritty blues truth and soaring gospel vision to a shocking episode of our history. FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD “If you want to read only one book to understand the uniquely American struggle for racial equality and the swirls of emotion around it, this is it.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Blood Done Sign My Name is a most important book and one of the most powerful meditations on race in America that I have ever read.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer “Pulses with vital paradox . . . It’s a detached dissertation, a damning dark-night-of-the-white-soul, and a ripping yarn, all united by Tyson’s powerful voice, a brainy, booming Bubba profundo.”—Entertainment Weekly “Engaging and frequently stunning.”—San Diego Union-Tribune
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"If there were ten stars, I'd give them...one of the best books I have read about anything, pretty much. Beautifully written and will rewire your understanding of race in the American South and adds needed perspective (especially for white people) about the modern Civil Rights movement. You won't want to put it down."
— Bmeyer (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Tyson has written an honest book, far more so than most explorations of race in America. He understands that the true past—to the extent we can ever know the ‘truth’ about the past—was vastly more complicated and bloody than the gussied-up past in which we so desperately want to believe, and that until we understand this, we will be incapable of redeeming ourselves and our country.”
— Washington Post -
“Pulses with vital paradox…It’s a detached dissertation, a damning dark-night-of-the-white-soul, and a ripping yarn, all united by Tyson’s powerful voice, a brainy, booming Bubba profundo.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“Admirable and unexpected…A riveting story that will have his readers weeping with both laughter and sorrow.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Blood Done Sign My Name is a most important book and one of the most powerful meditations on race in America that I have ever read.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer -
“If you want to read only one book to understand the uniquely American struggle for racial equality and the swirls of emotion around it, this is it.”
— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Awards
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A 2004 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
Blood Done Sign My Name Listener Reviews
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Maria Martinez, 3/12/2022
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" Omg I found this book so hard to read and eventually gave up. It had fab reviews and I was really looking forward to it, but it wasn't written in a way I found easy to read; there appeared to be no sense of order to it and despite giving it a few months it got the better of me. "
— Denise, 2/17/2014 -
" Very personal, and universal, insights into race relations in America. I have understood much of what the author says, but he has helped crystalize my thoughts. If everyone read this, it would be a much better nation. "
— Bill, 2/13/2014 -
" One of the best and most personally reflective books on the Civil Rights Movement you'll read. Centering on a little-known 1970 North Carolina murder, it really traces centuries of racial unrest and is that rare type of historical narrative that leaves you questioning your social decisions and thoughts. Great book! "
— Craig, 2/6/2014 -
" A powerful, disturbing, sobering read. Recommended. "
— Martin, 1/21/2014 -
" Social Action - A true story of growing up in the Deep South during the 60s and 70s and the civil rights movement. "
— Kristin, 1/17/2014 -
" It's excellent, alarming and moving. It's a good reminder that the problems around race in the US do not go away. I recommend this one highly. "
— Sarah, 1/11/2014 -
" Written by a family friend's son, they are making a movie out of this true story which occurred in North Carolina. "
— Ellen, 1/9/2014 -
" see my comments on Debby's books "
— Lizzie, 1/4/2014 -
" I thought the book would cover more about Henry Marrow but instead covered more of the author's family history. Overall, an excellent read on the state of race relations today. "
— Jenene, 1/1/2014 -
" Not an easy book to read. A very difficult subject makes for slow and difficult reading. I think it is worth the effort. "
— Susannah, 12/6/2013 -
" Blood... written by a historian with a memoirist's style. A story straight from the heart of Carolina and includes chapters on Wilmington. At times, Tyson hops on the soapbox, but it's easy to forgive him by the end. Fascinating and eye-opening text. "
— Visha, 11/11/2013 -
" Profound insight into the cruelty of racism and its effects in past and present day. "
— Angie, 9/24/2013 -
" This book is heart-breaking, particularly to those of us who grew up in the small-town south with all the ghosts people are afraid to speak of. It's beautifully written and honest. "
— Margaret, 8/9/2013 -
" This is a great book. "
— Genya, 2/3/2013 -
" Interesting account of how Civil Rights Legislation was received in the South, but the author never decides if this is truly a personal narrative / memoir or an objective historical account, which makes it frustrating for the reader. "
— Matthew, 1/16/2013 -
" Very good mix of personal memoir and history of southern civil-rights era race relations. "
— Rishara, 11/28/2012 -
" It's important to be reminded of the incredibly flawed history we all come from. "
— Bliss, 12/6/2011 -
" Great non-fiction about how Durham, NC "race relations" were in their own time of civil rights movement. Gut wrenching. "
— Sarita, 12/3/2011 -
" I read this when it first came out. We were living in Henderson, NC, at the time (about 9 miles from the story) and I finally began to recognize the cultural differences of the area. "
— Will, 11/19/2011 -
" Extremely well-written memoir/nonfiction book about a horrible racially motivated killing in N. Carolina, the history of the Black Freedom movement, and the way it has affected the author. "
— Marie, 6/13/2011 -
" Important to understand our own history! Tyson has a nice personal voice. "
— Sorien, 4/21/2011 -
" An amazing story of a post civil rights movement racial tension, injustice and the author's view of it all. I couldn't put it down. "
— Mike, 4/13/2011 -
" Interesting history of race struggles in North Carolina. "
— Barbara, 4/5/2011 -
" Great story! I can't imagine what it must have been like to be lying under a car and witness what the main character did! I remember those times, thankfully we have made progress...Still have a way to go! "
— Susan, 3/14/2011 -
" Really well written and good insights into the Civil Rights movement in NC. It makes the book more interesting that it was written by a white man as he struggled to understand the events happening in the late 1960's/early 1970's. "
— Brooke, 1/17/2011 -
" Would actually give this a 3.5 -- it was well researched, and I learned a lot about race relations in eastern NC in the 1960s and 70s, but I found the author to be just a tad self-indulgent at times -- he also could have benefited from a more ruthless editor. "
— Emily, 12/28/2010 -
" Amazing, heartbreaking, thought provoking, insightful. This is how history should be written. Felt like sitting in on his class. I recommend this to anyone. "
— Jasmine, 12/24/2010 -
" A must-read that will challenge everything you've thought about a terrible time in our history that is still pervasive today. Portions are very tough to read. "
— Amanda, 11/6/2010 -
" I thought the book would cover more about Henry Marrow but instead covered more of the author's family history. Overall, an excellent read on the state of race relations today. "
— Jenene, 10/25/2010
About Timothy B. Tyson
Timothy B. Tyson is senior research scholar at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, visiting professor of American Christianity and Southern Culture at Duke Divinity School, and adjunct professor of American Studies at the University of North Carolina. He is the author several books, including Blood Done Sign My Name, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and winner of the Southern Book Award for Nonfiction and the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, and Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power, winner of the James Rawley Prize for best book on race, and the Frederick Jackson Turner Prize for best first book in US History from the Organization of American Historians. He serves on the executive board of the North Carolina NAACP and the UNC Center for Civil Rights.