Have put this book on our must buy list , but wanted to share part of the conversation my husband and I had after reading this thread the other night. He grew up on the other side of the story . Spent the first twelve years of his life ( 1954-1966) being raised by Grandma Emma in rural South Carolina. After being together 20 odd years I new there were experiences that didn't fit expectations. (He was the third generation of his family to go to college... ) So I asked about stepping off side walks and being looked down on....
What he remembers about meeting white folks in town was that they were grown ups and you had better treat all grown ups with deferance and respect. Never felt asked to treat the white grown ups any better. To the under 12 crowd the balcony was preferred seating anyway.

Now Newberry had one of the brand new Separate is Equal Elementary Schools from his very first day at school. In fact the white school was older. He was offered, at 10, the option of integrating, but chose not to. At ten the new library at his school was too hard to give up and Emma left the decision to him.
But his memory of white children??? Cousin Barbara Jean used to work at the Boys Farm ( for delinquent & orphaned boys) and sometimes Emma would send him off to bring a lunch or visit. His strongest memory is feeling sorry for how hard life was for all the white boys.

He left the south as he hit adolesence and I'm sure the memories would have changed if he had stayed. But his first and strongest experience was after moving up north when he was told he would have to be moved back a year at school, because southern blacks were always behind. (He actually talked his way to a three week trial and ended up at the top of his class)

There was alot of strength and community in the black towns of the south, as well as the more publicized problems.