‘A Century+ of Living: The Autobiography of Cora Jones “Boot” McLeod’ by Dr. Beverly “Eagel” Rogers

Synopsis:  Personal 103+ years of living testimonies.

Writing Style: Basic. Tame. Consistent.

Pacing: Moderately Fast.

Personal Highlights: I really liked this book. Reading it was like being inside a museum, especially the first half. The writing was a little different, but the stories, told in a level-headed spiritual fashion, goodness covers more than triumphs and victories/ trials and tribulations. 

Favorites encapsulated in Mrs. Cora’s lived experiences was the telling of how families operated; marriages… like “Mama Olivia never working outside the home while papa was alive”…and “the talk” her brother (I believe) gave her during trouble in her marriage. There were her memories of child birth…midwives…schooling…. and why her family left farm life (touching), and subsequently lost the farm (even more touching… and historically relevant to boot). She goes into, again her memories recalling presidents like Hoover… “widely viewed as callous and insensitive toward the suffering of millions of desperate Americans” and FDR, who one of her brothers worked for, introducing the family to ‘other culture’ like ice-cream boxes to make ice-cream. She describes relics such wrapping tobacco string around cotton to make baseballs, along with the innards of tobacco growing and the merging of tobacco companies, along with urban renewal, “tearing down Hayti” and the need for more public housing, slum clearance, “88% of black-owned land lost through partition sales,” judiciously concluded in the phrase, “that’s all I have to say about that.”

 

Trust me, if this sounds like a lot, I wasn't even a quarter into the book at this point. There truly is so much packed into the first half that I must continue. I mean, I was particularly inspired by the business she built and the way she and her business partners handled conflicts. So civilized. There, too, was the telling of the urban renewal phase, which with the help of her husband she didn’t give up, but moved her business by adding it onto her house. Imagine that. McLeod’s Beauty Nook. Loved the name...and her 'can do' spirit! She went on to operate the Nook for decades. Remarkable! 

I, as well, was hooked on her memories of the home-buying process, not only the cost, but down payments, monthly mortgages and such. The North Carolina Mutual Insurance Co. owned & operated by African Americans was a tip of historical references expounded on. And her overall admiration of Durham (North Carolina), heard in the way she shares her experiences, were not missed. Just rich memories. Redemptive stories, which brings me to latter half of the book, steeped in tender recollections of family and friends who got their wings ahead of her. You know, Mrs. Cora described how seeing monuments and museums in D.C. made her think how far ‘blacks’ have come as a race… well, reading her stories made me think how much she has seen over a century and the treasure she has left, not only her loved ones, but readers who cherish history like me! A must! Highly recommended! Read soft copy 2022 copyright edition.