|
Customers who bought this item also bought
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Now a professor of ethnic studies in California, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz turns her eye back to her own roots as a "Dust Bowl Baby" in rural Oklahoma. In telling the story of her family and their hardships in the Depression, Dunbar-Ortiz introduces the reader to some fascinating characters who are certainly not the "white trash" caricatures of popular belief. Interspersed well with her own story are historical facts that give depth to the narrative and correct popular misconceptions about "Okies" (some of which were popularized by John Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath).
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Los Angeles Times
Dunbar-Ortiz's most important achievement is to put class back on the rural map where it belongs.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
See all Editorial Reviews
Search Products Tagged with
|
Are you the publisher or author? Learn how Amazon can help you make this book an eBook.
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can
make it available as an eBook on Amazon.com. Learn more.
Rate this item to improve your recommendations
Spotlight Reviews
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
The shaping of an activist., February 11, 2005
This book was my introduction to Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz. I read it before I learned more about her and her career as an activist for the past 40 years. She reflects on her life from birth until her move to California. She grew up in rural Oklahoma during some of the worst years ever. These were the years that shaped her, the launching pad of her feminist, anti-family, pro-socialist, anti-war, ... efforts.
The reader can learn a good bit about the Socialist movement in Oklahoma in the early 1900's, the Green Corn Rebellion and the patriotic surge that accompanied World War I.
Roxanne's grandfather, one of the less 'disfunctional' family members was a Socialist and strongly pro-labor and imparted his views to her. She remembers him fondly. It appears that her abusive alcoholic mother influenced her ideas about the family and church. She had very little to say about her mother or father that is not negative. Considering these influences, the dire poverty of her early childhood, and her marriage 'up' the social ladder her views on things are not too surprising. Simple - yes, but undeniably true, at least in part. And that does not take away from her drive, talent and desire to make a positive change in the world.
You can learn more about Roxanne at her website, reddirt.com.
I think I will read Outlaw Woman, the next volume of her story.
|
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
|
|
|
a great ride, May 31, 2006
I could not put this book down. It is an engaging book. I read it for some background research on John Steinbeck and the Grapes of Wraths. If you have read Steinbeck's masterpiece you have to read Red Dirt. I think Roxanne's memoir completes the story of the Joads. The psyche of the "Okie" comes alive and the drive of Roxanne to break away and then come to terms with it is fascinating. I loved this book so much that I use it for the Ethnic studies classes that I teach. I believe that to understand different ethnic groups we all have to understand what makes White America tick. This book delivers a much-needed look at the class divide among white America and no matter how much the poor whites have been abused by their richer cousins they still stand by their side. Why? Because they are white. This was a great ride
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
history and struggles of the frontier settler class, August 13, 2002
Reviewer: A reader
... The best of autobiographical works are those that convey, in the telling of one life story, larger truths than those we experience as individuals. To accomplish this feat with seeming effortlessness, as Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz has done with Red Dirt, is to create not only a valuable historical record, but a literary work that is a pleasure to read. Employing the finest storytelling skills, Dunbar-Ortiz lovingly recollects her youth in Oklahoma and the family dynamics she experienced "growing up Okie" during the mid-20th-century. In the process, she touches upon a host of social issues--among them racism, sexism, and economic disparity--that have plagued the U.S. since its earliest days. Perhaps most importantly, she offers one resounding voice from among a vast population--namely, the white underclass--that consistently has been underrepresented in historical texts, and misrepresented in popular culture. Exploding the notion of 'poor white trash,' Dunbar-Ortiz offers three-dimensional alternative as she reconstructs through her personal memoir the history and struggles of the frontier settler class and its descendants. As we move into the next century, Red Dirt is a text of vital significance to our collective humanity
|
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
could not put down, July 25, 2002
Reviewer: A reader
if you like books about the old way of living,you will love this book. it brings back memories of my childhood...
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
A New Fan, August 24, 2000
Reviewer: A reader
I grew up in central Oklahoma and can identify with many of the themes Ms. Dunbar-Ortiz writes about in Red Dirt. I think anyone who is on a journey of self-discovery or is attempting to reconcile his or her past will enjoy this book as much as I did. I rarely read literature about Oklahoma that makes me proud to be an "Okie" - this book does just that.
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
A Must Read, June 26, 2000
I love this book. A book written about my home state with honesty and clarity of what it means to be Okie. Class struggles, hard working people, historic pain and abuse and the eventual dementia of a woman struggling with her suppressed indianess. Keep the spirit of the Wobblies alive!
|
See all 9 customer reviews...
Customer Discussions
Beta (What's this?)
New! Receive e-mail when new posts are made.
Click the "Track it!" button on any discussion page.
This product's forum (0 discussions)
Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
|
|
|
Product Information from the Amapedia Community
Beta
(What's this?)
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
|