| Speak Right On: Conjuring the Slave Narrative of Dred Scott Revised with a Edition Contributor(s): Neighbour, Mary E. (Author), Jackson, Lynne M. (Foreword by) |
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ISBN: 0996254102 ISBN-13: 9780996254106 Publisher: Upriver, Downriver Books OUR PRICE: $13.50 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: November 2015 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Sagas - Fiction | Historical - General - Fiction | Literary |
| Dewey: 813.6 |
| LCCN: 2015915207 |
| Physical Information: 0.76" H x 6" W x 9" (1.10 lbs) 340 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Though declared a piece of property by the US Supreme Court, Dred Scott insisted on telling his own story, on speaking freely. That was his freedom, and he didn't require a court to help him find it. Speak Right On explores the story of Dred Scott and the history of slavery that has changed our cultural landscape. From the eastern coast of Virginia to the farthest reaches of the US frontier, from house slave to the field hand to surgeon's assistant, from boy to man, from young love to family life, from enslavement to freedom, this is an epic story of dignity and determination. "He who does his best for his own time, lives for all times." (Igbo proverb) |
Contributor Bio(s): Neighbour, Mary E.: - I've always loved to read, and I studied literature and creative writing in college and psychoanalytic psychotherapy after that, doing a short stint as a therapist before returning to writing. I wrote in technical fields until 1994, when I began my own business: interviewing individuals and writing their memoirs, family histories, and organizational histories.Having authored two dozen such books, I developed an ear for first-person narrative and an abiding interest in depicting the fully-lived experiences of a past era that remain relevant today. Prior to Speak Right On, I wrote poems, short stories, and-always-a private journal.My short fiction has won awards and been recognized by the Sacramento Public Library, ByLine Magazine, the Mid-American Review, the Alligator Juniper magazine, as well as the Whidbey Island Writers' Association. My story "Gray" won the 2009 William Van Wert Short Fiction Award. Speak Right On is my first and only novel. The Pacific Northwest Writers' Association honored it in 2004 for being among the best unpublished first novels. In 2006 it found an enthusiastic publisher in Matthew Miller, of The Toby Press (now Koren Publishers, Jerusalem). The novel and my writing received a good deal of praise from major review publications as well as individual readers. In 2008, rights reverted back to me. In the nearly ten years since Speak Right On was published, I have watched silently as society challenges the civil rights gains of the mid-twentieth century. And I do believe the maxim, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. I need to take my own advice and speak out. There is much in Speak Right On that touches upon this country's racial strife, so I am re-releasing it, hoping to have many honest, respectful conversations about the divide between white and black. With a new foreword by Lynne Jackson, the great-great-granddaughter of Harriet and Dred Scott-who also has much to contribute to this national dialogue-I am emboldened to ask others what they are thinking, what they are feeling. A book doesn't usually do that; it's usually a one-sided affair, with only authors revealing their thoughts and feelings. The airing of readers' reactions typically is left to book groups. But not now-now I want to hear what you have to say. In my blog I will use Speak Right On as a springboard and reference point, but you don't need to read my book to join the conversation. Just speak right on, from the heart. I have been married since 1991. Andrew, my husband, is a scientist and now retired university administrator, currently working as a painter, photographer, and videographer.I have no children, though I am fortunate to include Andrew's daughter Hannah as one of my closest relationships.I work at home in Santa Fe, and I love words and books almost as much as I love our little family: cats Scout and Jem (named for the characters in my favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird) and dogs Max and Honey (who named themselves). |
