The Black Calhouns: From Civil War to Civil Rights with One African American Family

An Amazon Best Book of February 2016: That racism runs deep in American culture is not, perhaps, news--but while this compelling memoir/history of several generations of one African American family makes that clear, it also chronicles the way periods of possibility for black Americans have been interspersed with the ascendance of such organizations as the Ku Klux Klan and even, some of the attitudes that persist today. But while Buckley’s book is a fascinating history, it is no textbook; it’s also the very personal story of several generations of her own family. Among Buckley’s ancestors: Moses Calhoun, who became a well-to-do Atlanta businessman after emancipation--he’d been taught to read by his master who wanted a “sophisticated” butler. And, more famously, Buckley’s mother, the actress Lena Horne, who grew up to be a singer and movie star but began life at a Jewish lying-in hospital in Brooklyn because her mother was passing as white. Buckley’s tales are fascinating and her straightforward style winning. This is not just an important book. It’s also an enthralling one. --Sara Nelson