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Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South
Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South | Beth Macy
67 posts | 47 read | 233 to read
The true story of two African-American brothers who were kidnapped and displayed as circus freaks, and whose mother endured a 28-year struggle to get them back. The year was 1899 and the place a sweltering tobacco farm in the Jim Crow South town of Truevine, Virginia. George and Willie Muse were two little boys born to a sharecropper family. One day a white man offered them a piece of candy, setting off events that would take them around the world and change their lives forever. Captured into the circus, the Muse brothers performed for royalty at Buckingham Palace and headlined over a dozen sold-out shows at New York's Madison Square Garden. They were global superstars in a pre-broadcast era. But the very root of their success was in the color of their skin and in the outrageous caricatures they were forced to assume: supposed cannibals, sheep-headed freaks, even "Ambassadors from Mars." Back home, their mother never accepted that they were "gone" and spent 28 years trying to get them back. Through hundreds of interviews and decades of research, Beth Macy expertly explores a central and difficult question: Where were the brothers better off? On the world stage as stars or in poverty at home? TRUEVINE is a compelling narrative rich in historical detail and rife with implications to race relations today.
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jlhammar
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Pickpick

Extensively researched and incredibly sad. George and Willie Muse were only nine and six years old when they were stolen from their home to be exhibited as a circus sideshow and told their mother was dead. Written in a style somewhat similar to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

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UnabridgedPod
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Pickpick

I picked up Beth Macy's Truevine because it was by Beth Macy. And I have to admit that I was surprised by what it was REALLY about (I found the title to be misleading). Truevine tells the story of the Muse brothers of Truevine, Virginia (near Roanoke), who were taken from their mother and toured around the country as part of various circus freak shows.

UnabridgedPod As she does in Dopesick, Macy shares the results of her investigation in a way that elicits empathy and that raises awareness of the systemic structures that led to their treatment. Truevine is also the story OF the story, of the way that Macy investigates the Muse brothers' lives, coming to know their Roanoke relatives who cared for the brothers until their deaths. Really interesting read. 5y
9 likes1 comment
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ReviewsMayVary
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American history is just a nightmare. #Audiobooks #Circus

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SarahMillerBooks
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SleepyDragon
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Pickpick

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4)
An excellent but disturbing read, Truevine is my second book in @TheReadingMermaid 's #BookaWeekChallenge. Brings the segregated South, and the still racist U.S., out into the harsh light of day, while telling the story of two black albino brothers who were "stolen" and forced into a career as sideshow freaks.

My review on GR: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2393098998

#BookaWeek #readharder2018 #TrueCrime #MakeMeReadIt (4th)

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SleepyDragon
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Here's one for all you King lovers out there.

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Lauren_reading
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Pickpick

This book had some amazing information in it - I learned about circus sideshows, different performers and a little history of Roanoke VA. I felt that that the Muse brothers were more of an afterthought. There were so many other stories besides theirs in this book. I know the author didn‘t find much info about their circus life, but the last chapter with stories Willie told was my favorite. #audiobook #nonfiction

JamieArc I haven‘t seen this before and it sounds really interesting! 6y
68 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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Mdargusch
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Thank you @Alicia for these 4 books I‘ve been anxious to read! What a great surprise to come home to! The bookmarks, tea, and journal are icing on the cake! I love everything!💙💙💙

Thanks @JenlovesJT47 for organizing such a fun swap!

Reviewsbylola I‘ll have to borrow the bottom two. Bridget Cleary is already on my TBR. The top books are both great. 6y
JenlovesJT47 Awesome!!💚💚💚 6y
LeahBergen I have Bridget Cleary, too. 👏🏻 6y
ephemeralwaltz How awesome!! 6y
Alicia Yayyy I am so glad you like all the books!!! ☺️☺️ 6y
84 likes5 comments
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mrsmarch
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SO MANY BOOKSTORE RECS

@trueisa4letterword Many of these were snapped with the intent of sharing them with you.

Ddzmini Isn‘t it Sam crow 😳? 6y
SilversReviews Love the collage. 6y
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hayinas7
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Pickpick

Macy did an amazing job of researching, synthesizing, and presenting the information, not only about George and Willie Muse, but also about life in the circus during this time and the Jim Crow south. The content of the book was very interesting and gave me a new perspective on circus life.

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MissyMelissy
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5 hour layover in Chicago... let‘s see how far I can get with this one. About 100 pages in and it‘s a pretty interesting read so far.

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ptkpepe98
Pickpick

Circuses, sideshows, Jim Crow, racism, the FBI, family, & America's evolution through the beginning of the 20th century. All are in Macy's book about albino African American brothers George and Willie Muse, who either joined the circus or were kidnapped_joined the circus. I got irritated at times with her repetition of information. What she wrote about the passing of Willie Muse was as gentle and beautiful as a passing can be; I was in tears. 5⭐

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Cinfhen
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Mini #LibraryHaul went to return Exit West (loved it) and couldn't resist these three #ZeroWillPower ~ I wasn't even #ShelfSurfing they were just on the return cart....felt like it was a sign from the Library Gods ⚡️✨⚡️✨⚡️
Happy Friday, friends!

Cinfhen @Booksandcooks what says you on the #BOTM book & the nonfiction reads??? 7y
WanderingBookaneer Chilling, heartbreaking read: 7y
WanderingBookaneer I have Truevine, but I haven't gotten to it yet. 7y
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Hooked_on_books Truevine is an interesting story, but I found the execution of it to be just ok. 7y
Cinfhen I have soooo many good books to read but I'll move Emmett to the top of the stack @WanderingBookaneer 7y
Cinfhen @Reviewsbylola had similar thoughts too @Hooked_on_books if I remember correctly 7y
Reviewsbylola Yes, my sentiments were similar to @Hooked_on_books 7y
Reviewsbylola Emmett Till . . . ugh that book was just heartbreaking. 7y
minkyb I really liked 7y
Megabooks I have not read the nonfiction believe it or not! Once I realized how AGU was short stories about a woman's life, I enjoyed it more. I've read it twice! 👍🏻👍🏻 The second person initial story put me off at first, but the rest of the book is good! 7y
emilyhaldi I really liked this one, hope you enjoy! 7y
Cinfhen I'm halfway done AGU ~ it's soooo good @emilyhaldi @Booksandcooks @minkyb 💖👍🏻 7y
minkyb So glad @Cinfhen ! @Booksandcooks it did not read as short stories to me. I can see it though, but what I really appreciated was the rawness. At times it was a lot but there was a ton of really good stuff to ponder and dissect. 7y
Cinfhen Finished AGU @minkyb I agree so raw and she felt so REAL! For such a slim book it packed a heavy blow 7y
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jlondon1963
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Pickpick

First, Thank you @LEGolasa for such a great read from #CupidGoesPostal Box. What a intriguing look at how the Circus started and mixed feelings using individuals with disabilities as a freak show but they even comment on what other job in that time period and perceptions could they have done. Fascinating and sometimes heartbreaking.

Tanzy13 🐶 7y
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jlondon1963
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Today's reading is from @LEGolasa from #Cupidgoespostal lol still working my way through my #FebTBR pile. Thought I would enjoy the birds and fountain before it gets to steamy!

Tanzy13 🐶 7y
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grandma_loves_books
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grandma_loves_books Compelling story but I'm just not getting into it. 7y
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Hbanas
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Mehso-so

This book felt like it should have been two or three shorter books. It was just so unfocused and rambly. The last chapter is the best chapter in the book, I wish the rest of the book was like it.

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Hbanas
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So hard to do.

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Hbanas
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Life lesson on anger. "She took that anger, and she took her time, and then she took them to task."

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susanw
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Pickpick

This book covers a wide range of seemingly non related information. Two black albino brothers are 'kidnapped' and work for most of their lives in circus sideshows. So tons of circus history. Cool and interesting! They are from Roanoke. So a lot of Roanoke/Virginia history and how African Americans were treated from the early to mid 20th century. Spoiler, not well. And the story of how their illiterate mom tracks them down,ties it all together.

Leigh0906 She gave a talk at the South County library in Roanoke right after the book was released- I was so mad I couldn't make it! 7y
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runtothelibrary
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This book is fascinating. Only 100 pages in, but already so much information within. Continually, audibly, "hmmm"-ing and receiving odd looks from hubs and kids.

2 likes1 comment
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IReadThereforeIBlog
Pickpick

Although Beth Macy's book is a frustrating biography (mainly due to the lack of primary resources on the brothers or their plight) it's an excellent piece of social history setting out the experiences of African Americans in the Jim Crow South, the effects of which continue to be felt today.

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DocBrown
Pickpick

Author takes a while to warm up to her subject. I feared another case of what plagues Spectacle and Patient H.M., books whose subjects are necessarily defined by the negative spaces around them. But there's more of a documentary record of the Muse brothers, and the author does a top notch job researching and engaging many local sources to get the full and true (to the extent knowable) fascinating, tragic but ultimately triumphant story.

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Hooked_on_books
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Mehso-so

This book was not what I expected. The subtitle is a bit misleading and the narrative meanders at times. It is particularly strong in depicting the Jim Crow south and I appreciated that. I enjoyed getting to know Willie and George Muse a bit, but I'm not sure there was enough of their story available to fill a book. If you are a circus history buff, you'll really like it.

#LitsyAtoZ (authors) M, 13/26

Magpiegem Cute doggy! What a good reading partner ❤️😊 7y
Reviewsbylola I definitely found this very interesting but I thought it could have been more organized and streamlined. 7y
Hooked_on_books @Magpiegem Thank you! She gets a bit heavy at times, but she's my heart. 7y
Magpiegem @Hooked__on__books I hear you! My massive American Staff thinks she's a lap dog! (She's currently curled up on my legs... That I can't feel anymore 😄 7y
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Hooked_on_books
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My #currentreads. I was really hoping to finish Truevine yesterday, then today, but have had a bit of a dumpster fire week with no end in site. I can still #MAKEROOMMAKEROOM!

Cinfhen Sorry your week isn't going well....hang on, it's almost Friday! 7y
RadicalReader @Hooked_on_books love these books so incredible absolutely hilarious novel 7y
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Alicia
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#riotgrams #blackhistory Some of my TBR I haven't shared yet for today's prompt.

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BillKathyWms
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Pickpick

Nonfiction story of 2 Albino brothers kidnapped, sold & exploited by various circus shows. Deals with Jim Crow South. Meticulously researched. However, I felt the author did not have enough of a story line and the book went in many directions some of which were a bit dry...

Reviewsbylola I agree with you. I enjoyed this one but it could have been a little more streamlined. 7y
Nute I want to read this but I don‘t know if I can handle the subject matter. 6y
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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post! Wow-wow-wow!!! The true story of 2 black brothers in 1899 in Truevine, Virginia, who were kidnapped and displayed at circus freaks, and their mother's 28-year struggle to get them back! The Muse brothers became superstars, performing at Buckingham Palace, MSG in NYC, etc. The question at this biography's core: were they better off on the world stage or in Virginia's poverty? #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😻

Hooked_on_books I just grabbed this from the library on Friday 7y
WanderingBookaneer If we made a Venn diagram with your TBRTemptations and our book hauls it would be close to a circle! 😜😂 what do you think, @BookishMarginalia ? 7y
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lauralovesbooks1 This one was fantastic! 7y
LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 7y
95 likes14 stack adds6 comments
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Hooked_on_books
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Accidental library haul! I promised I would try to stick with one library book per month, but then I returned one today and oopsie. In my defense, I've wanted to read Truevine since I first read about it, then I've heard good things about Letters. Plus, as soon as I opened the penguin covers book, I couldn't seriously put it back down! Oh well. I knew it wouldn't last. 😂

vivastory You'll want your own copy of the Penguin cover once you start looking at it 🐧 + 📚 =♥ 7y
Octoberwoman I would always leave the library with much more than I intended to. I haven't been to my library in ages now, I decided I need to work in my TBR pile instead. 7y
62 likes3 comments
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Reviewsbylola
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Pickpick

Not only was this a fascinating look at the allure of the circus and it's perfomers, but it also gave invaluable insight into the South during Jim Crow. Macy did a great job of making Willie, George, and their family seem very real and very human, not always possible when writing about people born over a hundred years ago. Great book.

Libby1 Wow. What a story. I hadn't heard about it. So sad. 7y
Texreader That is so sad. Can't even imagine. Don't think I could handle this book emotionally 7y
105 likes6 stack adds2 comments
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Reviewsbylola
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Who else is scrambling to finish their current read(s) in order to start fresh tomorrow? 🙋🏼 Only 40 pages to go. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

L_auren 🙋🏻 7y
Joybishoptx Me! Just finished. Whew! 7y
ultrabookgeek Meee too!!! 😜 7y
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Jenshootsweddings I tried but I still have half my current read left ... bah! At least it's really good but the bookish-OCD side of me is really annoyed 🙄 7y
BookHermit 😂Great readers think alike 7y
Bookzombie That was my plan, but I haven't got much reading in this week. Oh well, lots of time to read this weekend. 😀 7y
Reviewsbylola I know, I was really enjoying my book too but I am just very uptight about finishing on a certain timeline sometimes! @Jenshootsweddings 7y
Reviewsbylola That's a great outlook! Sometimes life gets in the way of reading unfortunately! 😂 @Bookzombie 7y
Bookzombie @Reviewsbylola Thanks! Adulting is such a pain. 😉 7y
101 likes11 comments
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Reviewsbylola
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I love reading little tidbits like this in nonfiction. I mean, who would have thought?! 📪 👧🏻

CocoReads Wow. Just wow. 7y
Leniverse I've seen an old photo of that, actually! A mailman delivering a grubby looking toddler somewhere in the USA. 7y
Reviewsbylola Hahaha, I need to google that! @Leniverse 7y
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Donna_sBookMinute Unbelievable! 7y
Cinfhen What??? No way! What year was that??? 7y
Reviewsbylola 1914. I believe the google info said the practice was outlawed in 1920! @Cinfhen 7y
111 likes6 comments
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Reviewsbylola
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I was really hoping that B&N would have an MLK/civil rights table. Alas, they didn't, but I did pick up this book today and plan to start it this afternoon to honor a great man. I have had my eye on it for awhile and I couldn't pass up 60% off. #inspiredbymlk #readjanuary

Cinfhen Oooo😊, it's on my list too! Nice pick 🙌🏻 7y
Donna_sBookMinute This sounds so utterly heartbreaking. I think I'll try it. 7y
Reviewsbylola So far it's very readable, but I'm only 60 pages in. @Cinfhen @Donna_sBookMinute 7y
Cinfhen Let me know how it progresses ❣️ 7y
117 likes5 stack adds4 comments
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Erin01
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celebrating my birthday in one of the best ways - picking up all my holds at the library & stockpiling my favorite winter teas when they go on sale, cake & everything is coming later but sometimes its just nice to savor the little things & curl up with some good books + lots of tea 📚😀📖🎂

LeahBergen Happy Birthday! (and which teas did you get? I can't read the titles 😬) 7y
James Happy Birthday 🎈🎁 7y
LazyOwl Happy Birthday 🕯🎂🎁 7y
See All 14 Comments
Erin01 @LeahBergen I got Coffee Cake, Chocolate Covered Almond, & Mocha Latte 7y
Erin01 @LazyOwl @James & thanks for the birthday wishes 🎉🎂 7y
Reviewsbylola Happy birthday!! 🎉🎉 7y
LeahBergen Ooo, good choices! 7y
Toria Happy Birthday! 🎉 7y
ScorpioBookDreams happy Birthday!! 🎉🎉 7y
DebinHawaii Sounds pretty perfect to me! Happy Birthday!! 🎉🎂🎈🎁🎉 7y
Sue Happy birthday!! 7y
ValerieAndBooks Enjoy your birthday 🎉🍰! 7y
JennyM Happy birthday 🎉 7y
Dragon Happy birthday 🎉😀 7y
53 likes14 comments
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spinesvines
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Pickpick

Rating: 🍷🍷🍷/5 Cheers!
The old adage is true,you learn something new every day. I'd never heard of Willie & George Muse prior to reading this book. This is the story of two young African Americans stolen by a carnival in the late 19th, early 20th century & exhibited in sideshows because they were albinos. Located in tobacco country, Truevine is a small town outside of Roanoke, one of the most segregated cities in the Jim Crow South #spinesvines

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WoodyWoodson
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When the pug steals your comfy reading spot... #puglife

Bambolina_81 @WoodyWoodson To be honest...this pug looks like a boss 😆 love it! 7y
WoodyWoodson @Bambolina_81 ha! He likes to think he's the boss, but Pibb (my other dog) is the real mastermind! 7y
28 likes2 comments
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tcheer4life
Pickpick

Well researched and written book about two albino negro brothers who are kidnapped and end up traveling as sideshow curiosities during a shameful period at the turn of the 20th century.

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AmbityScambity
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I received some BN gift cards for Christmas, so here's today's small #bookhaul and a puzzle (because I intend to glue it, frame it, and hang it, and who doesn't love puzzles?!). And now, instead of reading either of these or starting the puzzle, I'm planning how to spend the rest of my gift cards. 😁

Cinfhen ❤️ 7y
BrainyHeroine Can't wait to hear about True Vine, been on my TBR for a bit now. 7y
Reviewsbylola I wish I had bought Truevine when I saw it at Costco. 7y
See All 8 Comments
AmbityScambity @Reviewsbylola BN has it on sale for 50%, which I think brings it down to $14. 7y
AmbityScambity @BrainyHeroine I have so many other books waiting to be read right now, but that one went to the top of the pile. I'll try to remember to post some thoughts as I read it. 7y
bookaholic1 Where did you find the puzzle? 7y
AmbityScambity @bookaholic1 Barnes & Noble 👍🏼 7y
bookaholic1 Ok thanks 7y
20 likes1 stack add8 comments
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JSW
Pickpick

Fascinating. I appreciated the way the author blended social history with Circus history and with analysis of Jim Crow, and "freaks." A thorough and complex look at the lives of the Muse brothers as well as their era. Solid.

Jenshootsweddings Oooooooh! I've been eyeing this one. 7y
16 likes1 comment
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LittleBrownBooks
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TRUEVINE author Beth Macy recommends her favorite books for writers!

84 likes7 stack adds
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JSW
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"good things come to he who waiteth as long as he hustleth while he waiteth."

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lauralovesbooks1
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Pickpick

It was a little slow for me at the beginning, but once I got into it, I was in for good. The Muse brothers were taken by a circus and kept from their mother for years. Macy explores their individual story, some of the history of circuses and sideshows, and the Jim Crow south that made it difficult for her to find and protect her sons. Weaving through all of this was a wonderful story of intergenerational family love. #nonfictionnovember2016

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JSW
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Next up.

WanderingBookaneer This is in my TBR. 7y
LeahBergen I want to read this one, too. 👍🏼 7y
20 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Redwritinghood
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Pickpick

This well-researched account of how two albino, African-American brothers came to appear in circus sideshows in the early 1900s is an important cultural and historical snapshot. While not clear if they were actually kidnapped, the book explores how prejudices of the time would have allowed it to happen, as well as the naïveté of a public that believed the stories told by sideshows and felt it was OK to gawk at the performers. An interesting read.

36 likes4 stack adds
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Bookish.Heart
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Just received my signed art print won from Little, Brown & Co! Thank you! It's lovely!

I haven't had a chance to read the book yet but soon!

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LitHousewife
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I love creative inner covers (I don't know whether there is a special name for them). This one especially because I'm very familiar with the area. I drive on Orange Avenue every day on my commute. I've been to that library.

I wasn't born in Roanoke, VA, but I've lived here now for 20 years. I've always enjoyed Beth Macy's journalism. I'm so glad she's writing books now. Good, readable, & relevant non-fiction. It's perfect for where we are today.

kerry I struggled with this one. I loved parts of it, and it's packed with fascinating info, but I never really found a thread of the narrative or what she was going for. Looking forward to your thoughts! 7y
LitHousewife @kerry I will let you know. I've just gotten started. 7y
Gleefulreader Ooh! I like that cover! 7y
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Lindy They are called endpapers. Your example is beautiful. 😊 7y
Reviewsbylola I saw this one at Costco the other day and was intrigued. 7y
LitHousewife @Gleefulreader Isn't it nice??? 7y
LitHousewife @Lindy Thank you!!! I really appreciate nice endpapers. 😍 7y
LitHousewife @Reviewsbylola I really enjoyed Factory Man, her first book. I have no interest in reading about business or furniture, but I was engaged throughout. This topic in and of itself is interesting to me. 🤗 7y
thereadingwomen Gorgeous endpapers! They are Kendra's favorite design feature. 😻 7y
62 likes1 stack add9 comments
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LitHousewife
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Allison couldn't pick just one, so I had to pick a hand. I picked her right and and The winner is Truevine! I think I'll read her other selection next. Good job, Allison!!!

MrBook Lol, nice! 7y
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Sararl77
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Pickpick

Two brothers kidnapped in to a circus sideshow. Their mother fights to get them back. A crazy story that almost seems unbelievable. Definitely read it.

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