Here is where you will find my current reads and reviews, recommendations and thoughts on books that I have read , loved and learned from. It is my hope that you see something on my virtual shelves that piques your interests and makes you want to know more about the people, places and events that we call All-inclusive US History.
HISTORICAL NONFICTION
They Stole A City: Wilmington’s White Supremacist Coup and the Families Who Live with Its Legacy by Lauren Collins (2026) 528 pgs.
1898, Wilmington, North Carolina-Reconstruction was in full effect. A multi-racial Fusionist government is in place, and the Black community was flourishing. But simmering underneath it all was white supremacy, which was ready to boil over.
This book was not what I expected, it was so much more. From the title, we know that this book is going to be a deep dive into the Wilmington race massacre and coup that took place in November of 1898. But what you don’t know is how deep of a dive that Collins has taken. The book is broken up into four parts, each part focusing on a different time period (both before and after 1898). What I got was a history lesson on a city that is less than 100 miles from where I live. I had heard of the Wilmington massacre before the book, which is what had me interested in reading it. I had also been taken on a historic tour of Wilmington by my friend, Professor Lettie Gore (who is actually mentioned in the book), so many of the names and places talked about were very familiar to me.
As Collins moves through time, we meet a few grand families of Old Wilmington, most prominently the Bellamys and the Moores. Both of these families will play a part in the massacre and the demand of “white is right” and that Wilmington must be returned to the hands of rich, qualified, WHITE men and snatched from the multiracial Fusionist government that had been legally voted in. I think what was the most shocking for me was the level of the coup, the lengths that they went to. These men were filled with hate and took calculated measures to destroy and remove Black people from New Hanover County, North Carolina. They even created a “White Declaration of Independence” and had chosen as one of their heroes, “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman, an outspoken and diabolical white supremacist from South Carolina (my home state). They had no problem with “choking the river with carcasses.”
We also meet prominent Black families, the Howes and the Manlys. We also meet the Halseys. Alfred “Fred” Howe was well-known by all of Wilmington and loved by the community. Alexander Manly, editor and owner, published The Daily Record, North Carolina’s only Black owned daily newspaper. Possibly the only Black daily paper in the United States. Joshua Halsey, the head of a growing family in Wilmington navigating the white supremacist rule. I love that Collins gave us an in-depth view of the men and their families instead of making them side characters to support theme of the book. Sadly, each of these men met tragedy due to the white supremacist climate of Wilmington. Joshua Halsey was killed, shot in the back during the massacre, while his family hid and shivered in the nearby cemetery. Fred Howe, a Black man of means and influence, was struck in the head by a motorcar driver and succumbs to his wounds. The murder goes unpunished. Alexander Manly is run out of town after his newspaper is bombed. I was devastated when I read these parts. I knew that Alexander Manly had been run out of town. I have stood on the spot where The Daily Record once stood and it gave me chills. I was not prepared however for what happened to Fred Howe or how the tragedy of Joshua Halsey’s death would affect his wife and children eventually causing them to leave Wilmington for good.
The terror of the Wilmington White Supremacist Coup was felt well beyond 1898. After the all-white government positioned itself in power, it kept its grip on Wilmington well into the 20th century. In some instances, even now in the 21st. I was also shocked at how Wilmington was able to keep their schools segregated even after Brown, and when they were forced to integrate, they still found a way around it. The “Old Boy” or rather “Old Supremacist” network kept their fingers on “white power” for decades.
The community had been fed many lies in regards to what happened in 1898, the most prevalent was that the Black people initiated the terror and “good, white” people were only defending themselves. They were taught that the Fusionist government was immoral and illegal and that it wasn’t as big or intense as some people were making it out to be. Sadly, these lies had been passed down for generations to become truths to younger people. So much so, that there has been incredible pushback by some people to even believe the truth.
Collins has done her research when it comes to this book. She not only unearths the history of the city of Wilmington itself, but of the people who lived there during the turmoil of 1898 and the future generations of their families. I love that she has included portions of interviews and that there have been members of the original families who acknowledge the terror inflicted by their family members and want to find some reconciliation with the families they had wronged.
There are people who say Wilmington White Supremacist Coup, others say Wilmington Massacre. To me, it’s both equally. It’s white supremacist terrorism, both physically and politically, to maintain white power. Collins ends her book with this sentence, “Truth heals, but it can also fight.” I truly believe that. We must use the truth to do both.
Black Soldiers, White Laws: The Tragedy of the 24th Infantry in 1917 Houston by John A. Haymond (2026) 400 pages.
On August 23, 1917, around 200 soldiers from the Black 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment stationed in Houston, Texas, to guard Fort Logan, after weeks of racial harassment and brutalization by the local police and the threat that a white mob was attacking their camp took up arms to protect themselves and entered the San Felipe district. The riot with armed white citizens and local police left 19 people dead. As a response, the US Army charged 118 Black soldiers with mutiny, murder and assault. John Haymond, attorney and US Veteran brings this story the public and uncovers one of the most malicious cases of racial injustice to date.
I was so angry while reading this book. Angry because of the unending brutalization of these Black men. Black men in the US Army who were treated worse than nothing. These men were not given a 100th of the respect that was given to their white counterparts. Even in the face of blatant brutalization, nothing was done to help them or to stop it. The US Army DID NOTHING!
One of the catalysts for this riot was the confrontation with Corporal Charles Baltimore and Officer Lee Sparks. Corporal Baltimore confronted Officer Sparks about the brutal assault and arrest of a Black woman. Officer Sparks then brutally beat and shot Corporal Baltimore. Word spread that he had been killed by Officer Sparks, sparking the soldiers. led by Sergeant Vida Henry, to take up arms, though unauthorized.
When it came to the court-martial process, 118 men were found guilty. 118 Black men whose military careers, freedom, and for some their very lives were lost. I feel that there was really no real hope for them. The majority of the men were defended by Major Harry S. Greer, Judge Advocate and Defense Counsel–with NO LEGAL TRAINING! He also served on the tribunal that would decide the fate of the soldiers. This was one of the greatest legal travesty that I have ever heard of. This made absolutely NO SENSE to me as a person and as a paralegal of almost 20 years.
One hundred ten of the men were convicted by an all white military tribunal who relied on racial bias, perjured testimonies and witnesses who could not identify any soldier or whether he had fired a weapon or not. Most of the men were sentenced to life imprisonment, a few were sentenced to shorter terms or acquittals, and 19, including Corporal Charles Baltimore, were executed by hanging. And even with the executions, 13 were hung in the early morning darkness in December 1917 violating the Army’s own rules as there was no review by the neither the War Department nor the President. Six more men were hung in early 1918. This is the largest execution of American soldiers in US Army history.
The most uplifting part of this book for me is that the author, John A. Haywood, used his voice to get clemency, closure, and dignity for all of the men involved. He worked close to 8 years between researching classified and archived military trial transcripts while serving as the historian for Fort Sam Houston, and co-authoring formal clemency petitions for the soldiers with Dru Brenner-Beck and civil rights activists. On November 13, 2023, the US Army set aside all 110 convictions and granted posthumous honorable discharges. This was INCREDIBLE! But this was also, 106 years after a tragedy rooted in white supremacy, racial injustice, and military incompetence unnecessarily occurred.
In my own research after reading this book, I was happy to find that the men who had been sentenced to life imprisonment didn’t die in prison. Due to heavy lobbying by the NAACP, led by James Weldon Johnson, Presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge commuted their sentences in the early 1930s.. Most men were paroled or had their sentences reduced to time served within ten years. By 1938, the final incarcerated soldier was released from federal custody. This didn’t undo the egregious acts of the US military, but they were given their lives back. Publicly and militarily disgraced, but alive thanks to the American monster known as Jim Crow and its associates.
I would recommend this book to everyone who is interested in unknown Black History, US Military History, Texas History and Legal History. Though it infuriated me, it was a great read and I am very thankful for John A. Haywood for doing the work to tell this story.
Decoding the Devil: Black Women Codebreakers and the Secret War Against Stalin’s Bomb by Sarah Valentine, Ph.D (2026) 368 pages.
The book brings us the stories of four Black women cryptologists working at “The Plantation”, Virginia’s Arlington Hall Station’s civilian segregated unit. The women were:
Naomi McElwaine: A Purdue University graduate who entered codebreaking via wartime quotas.
Ethel Just: A German-language expert who helped break Japanese codes and trace Axis trade networks.
Iris Carr: A Texas schoolteacher who joined the top-secret Russian Plaintext Unit in 1951 to analyze Soviet nuclear threats.
Minnie Kenny: An early cryptologist who specialized in Chinese intelligence and became a pioneer in cybersecurity
These women were BRILLIANT scholars and linguists who intercepted and decoded foreign communications from the beginning of World War II to the Cold War. Yet, we had never heard of them….until now!
Dr. Valentine brings their stories to life through research, little to unknown historical facts, and a humanity that allows you to really get to know the women, their triumphs and their struggles during a time when being a Black woman was to be mostly invisible. I found myself being able to relate to each woman found in the record.
This book gave me much joy because it introduced me to Black women I knew absolutely nothing about in a time period that I mostly avoid. It has made me want to read and learn more about this era, which is always a WIN for me!
I highly recommend this book if you are interested in unknown Black History, Women’s History, WWII History, or American Intelligence History. It is also great if you love stories of extraordinary people whose efforts have been forgotten or erased.
You can learn more about Sarah Valentine, Ph.D and her work here: www.sarahvalentinewriter.com
HISTORICAL FICTION
James: A Novel by Percival Everett (2024) 320 pages
It has been a long time since I have read a great historical fiction novel, and an even longer time since I was totally and happily surprised by one. James is exceptional. Now for anyone who isn’t familiar with this book, James is not so much a retelling of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain as it is a companion piece. Or at least that’s how I see it.
James is the story of the man known as “N****r Jim” in Twain’s original tale. Seeing everything through James’s eyes gives the original story a whole new meaning. I promise you, I had to refer to Huckleberry Finn a few times because I had not read it in so long and there were things I had to refresh myself on.
James decides to run away after hearing that he is going to be sold away from his family. At the same time, Huck decides to fake his death to escape the brutality of his father. Here is where their journey begins down the Mississippi River to freedom for them both. But sadly, because these events coincide, James goes from just being a runaway to a murderer of a young white boy making himself a truly wanted man. As their journey on the river continues, they meet a cast of characters that change their lives and help their bond to grow stronger than ever.
One of the most interesting things in this story is the code switching between James and the other enslaved people. The idea that this “slave dialect” that is placed on every enslaved person, fictional or true, is a ruse made me so happy. The way that he moved in and out of spaces by changing up his dialect was amazing to me, but it also showed me more about how enslaved people were perceived. The white people he encountered in this book thought all of the enslaved people to be simpletons made just for their enjoyment. There is a specific scene in the book where James and a friend are talking and they begin to laugh, but they have to stop laughing because the white person thinks they are laughing about him. They also say that white people feel if they are laughing than they have time to do more work. It’s sad that they are not even allowed a moments joy.
James meets people along the way that challenge him, inspire him, and intend to do him irrevocable harm. There are moments of brightness, but there are also unforgettable moments of terror and sadness. There is a specific part that I will never forget-a murder due to literacy. I was so hurt by this part of the story. Everett touched my soul with this.
James and Huck’s relationship grew in the turmoil and without really understanding, Huck becomes a young man who knows the value of people and not just the value of their skin color. There is also a great reveal in their story that had me flipping back into the original work quickly.
The ending of this book was super satisfying to me because what was done was something that was deserved. This book is an unforgettable mix of both historical and literary fiction. It is the gateway for me to read more Percival Everett books. I have recommended it to so many.