With the panoramic story of one "colored elite" family who rises from the ashes of the Civil War to create an American cultural dynasty Edward Ball offers the historical and; literary successor to his highly acclaimed Slaves in the Family; a New York Times bestseller and winner of the 1998 National Book Award.The Sweet Hell Inside recounts the lives of the Harleston family of South Carolina; the progeny of a Southern gentleman and his slave who cast off their blemished roots and achieved affluence in part through a surprisingly successful funeral parlor business. Their wealth afforded the Harlestons the comfort of chauffeurs; tailored clothes; and servants whose skin was darker than theirs. It also launched the family into a generation of glory as painters; performers; and photographers in the "high yellow" society of America's colored upper class. The Harlestons' remarkable one-hundred-year journey spans the waning days of Reconstruction; the precious art world of the early 1900s; the back alleys of the Jazz Age; and the dawn of the civil rights movement.Enhanced by the recollections of the family's archivist; eighty-four-year-old Edwina Harleston Whitlock -- whose bloodline the author sharesThe Sweet Hell Inside features a portrait artist whose subjects included industrialist Pierre Du Pont; a black classical composer in the Lost Generation of 1920s Paris; an orphanage founder who created a famous brass band from the ranks of his abandoned waifs; a number of whom went on to burgeoning careers in jazz; and a Harleston mistress who doubled as an abortionist.With evocative and engrossing storytelling; Edward Ball introduces a cast of historical characters rarely seen before: cultured; vain; imperfect; rich; and black; a family made up of eccentrics who defied social convention yet whose advantages could not protect them from segregation's locked doors; a plague of early death; and the stigma of children born outside marriage.The Sweet Hell Inside raises the curtain on a unique family drama in the pageant of American life and uncovers a fascinating lost world.
#64494 in Books Stephen E Ambrose 1995-06-01 1995-06-01Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.50 x 6.12l; 1.69 #File Name: 068480137X656 pagesStephen E. Ambrose's D-Day is the definitive history of World War II's most pivotal battle; a day that changed the course of history.
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. An Intense and Compelling readBy BillA great blow by blow account including the huge amount of planning and preparation involved. A compilation of historical recount and direct observation from many interviews. Those direct observations made it very personal and all the more compelling. Ambrose doesn't pull any punches on the mistakes in planning and execution by all those involved. A great read and I wish I had the luxury of being able to read it in one sitting.4 stars just because it can be a slog at times with all the acronyms and military terms. Needs maps in every chapter to refer to. Some great pictures though.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. please readBy jerknowsallI read this book on a Kindle and the only criticism is that the maps are hard to refer to. That is more of a problem with the technology than that of the book itself which is very enlightening on large and small scales.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Awesome HistoryBy Michael GrattanThis is a well written and detailed account of the events of June 6; 1944. Between the personal anecdotes from the soldiers and the overall picture presented; I felt that I really got a good picture of the magnitude and history of that day.
