The Outskirts of Hope
A Memoir of the 1960s Deep South

(4.5) Stars A heartbreaking memoir that is scarily close to today's reality in much of our country today. Thanks to Book Sparks for the review copy of this book. First of all, let me be clear that I read stories of racism written by whites VERY carefully to determine whether it is being written fr......more

"My parents were foot soldiers in President Johnson's War on Poverty." So begins The Outskirts of Hope: A Memoir of the Deep South by Jo Ivester. She continues: One of the president's first actions after announcing his new program in 1964 as to send his lieutenants in search of the poorest spot in th......more

This is a compelling, true story of an ordinary family who spends two years in extraordinary circumstances. It tells a captivating, honest tale of a white family in an all black town in the height of the civil rights movement. It is full of tenderness, love, drama and goosebumps. The family, often ig......more

Reading The Outskirts of Hope takes a child of the 60s back to that time where hope indeed lurked on the outskirts of political turmoil, economic prosperity (for many) and social revolution. With a narrative carried on in the mixed perspective of a no-nonsense practical mother and a ten year old chi......more

It was a good story. I couldn't help feeling frustrated that this just sounded like another "Great White Hope" story. Aura clearly did some good in the community and went on to have a major impact on her students - and her story was definitely worth telling.......more