Remembering Reet and Shine: Two Black Men, One Struggle

by Michael Schwalbe

Matthew Mason and Anthony Atwater, two working-class African Americans who lived and died in the American South, led double lives. To family and the black community, they were local men, fathers, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578066751
• ISBN13: 9781578066759
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read . . . .

This is a wonderful book. Schwalbe has a clear voice that exposes the full humanity of these men, Reet and Shine, without romanticizing them. It is a powerful look at the socio-historic context of race, class, and gender in the South as experienced by two individuals. This book is strongly recommended.

A double biography of two black men who coped with the societal racism of early twentieth-century Am

Sociology professor Michael Schwalbe presents Remembering Reet And Shine: Two Black Men, One Struggle, a double biography of two black men who coped with the societal racism of early twentieth-century America and the pressures of their own families in dramatically different ways, yet both of whom saw their defenses crumble as the became older. Matthew Mason adopted the persona of Dr. Reet, a witty entertainer; while Anthony Atwater became Shine, a street-smart stud and a capital player at both love and violence. Both men would turn to drink to ease their problems, and nearly destroy themselves before finding peace for themselves in old age. A straightforward account that does not herald either man as heroic, but simply offers their profile in an attempt to understand their need to reconcile the demands of being a man with the limitations imposed by social forces.

A gem

This is the most engrossing nonfiction I've read in years....Schwalbe writes elegantly, subtly, incisively and heartbreakingly. You won't forget his account of the final years of two old black men...The only thing this book lacks is somebody famous "discovering" it.....Whatever happened to Oprah?