Jimmie Barnes

by Barry C. Davis

Ancient ex-slave Jimmie Barnes has lived several lives, all in the pursuit of his 40 acres. He has approached the rich, famous and powerful throughout the decades in his quest for the promised 40 acres reparations. He has one last president to ask. Will President Reagan grant Jimmie Barnes his 40 acres?

Genres: Historical Fiction

Nook

First published October 9, 2010

Reviews

[Judy King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unforgettable, incredible -- What a wonderful book. The story seems simple at it's base form. In 1988, when the story takes place, Jimmie Barnes is an old black man living in an assisted living home and befriended and cared for by the owner, Lee Ann. Jimmie isn't just old, he is very old -- 132 years old, he was born a slave, but at 132 he is proud to announce that he has all of his marbles and all of his teeth. He is driven by an old goal which keeps him going and fighting -- he is still, and again petitioning the US government for reparation -- the return of the 40 acres and the mule that the government promised former slaves freed during the Civil war who then fought in the Northern army. His father received his land and mule, but just a couple of months later, the night riders forced the family out of the area.

As the story unfolds, you see many figures you know from history books and the news reflected in the light of Jimmie Barnes as he corresponds and meets a world of personalities -- and this author makes it all believable and so skillfully intertwines the various story lines that they make perfect sense.

What a fun read and what a great way of reviewing an enormous chunch of US history. I received this book free from Kindle, now it is $4.99 from Amazon and very well worth it.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes us through many years of black history. Jimmie Barnes is supposed to be 132 years old, and a former slave. His poppa fought in the Civil War, and General Sherman announced that every black man, who fought for the North, would get 40 acres, and a mule. The father was given the land, but white men came along, and burned the family out, killing his mother and father. Jimmie and his sister escaped, and Jimmie sold his five year old sister, knowing that the two of them together, wouldn't be able to get away. There are a lot of horrible things that were done to blacks, and by Jimmie. Jimmie seeks help from many U. S. Presidents, and is connected to the killing of President McKinley. Politicians tried using Jimmie to help their aspirations to become president. I didn't care for the way the book portray Bess Truman, or Lillian Carter. There were some sexual situations, that were thrown in there. Jimmie wasn't a very nice person. There was a part where Jimmie went to take a literacy test, in order to register to vote. He was very intelligent, and with the help of the tester, was able to get the right to vote. I had to take a literacy test in Alabama, and I was given a verbal test, that was very easy. A black woman in the same room, was given a very difficult test. The book certainly tells a lot of the things that blacks had to face in the South, and from that point of view it worth telling. It was told in an unusual way, and put words into the mouths of well known political figures.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I really did. The premise was quite interesting. The overt and covert racism throughout our country's history is certainly worth exploring both in fiction and non-fiction. The execution of the story was sadly lacking, however. There was certainly enough drama, pathos and bravery in the black experience during the post-civil war period to construct a powerful and believable novel from the perspective of an elderly black man who had experienced it all. There was no need that I could see to make us strain to suspend disbelief by having Jimmy interact with most of the movers and shakers of the 20th century. What was worse was that those scenes were almost amateurish in their construction. The twists and turns in the plot,particularly toward the end of the book, seemed to be written just for the sake of having them in the story. Like most free kindle offerings, the book also had its share of distracting spelling and grammatical issues. Again, I loved the premise. If the author had only dialed back on the stereotypical characters and his need to have Mr. Barnes personally unbelievably make contact with and interact with almost every major player in the civil rights movement, it would have potentially been a blockbuster. The underlying story is so compelling and promising that it would be well worth a re-write, this time with careful editing.

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about an old black slave; he claims he was 132 year old. He father was promised 40 acres of land and a mule if he would fight in the civil war. His father died and Jimmie Barnes spent the rest of his life trying to get his 40 acres that he would have inherited. He approached several US Presidents and other powerful people which no-one would help him. He tells his life story and his last person to help him was President Ronald Reagan. This is a very good historical fiction story. The story line was good, the characters were well defined, and the book was well written. I enjoyed reading it.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give it 2 stars for effort. The author aimed for an epic tale of this African American male through 100 years of history, but I don't think he succeeds. The writing was boring and uninteresting. It was amateurish. My Kindle edition had many typos and errors. The ending was full of twists and turns for the sake twists and turns. The N-word was thrown around with abandon. There was a story going on in 1988 which was broken up with flashbacks. It bothered me that the flashbacks were not in chronological order. The flashback involving Jimmy Carter's brother was just stupid and did nothing for the story. I had to really push myself to finish this book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story! Fantasy premise of people who live well over 100 years allows the author to present a first person report on the impact of racism in this country and abroad since the time of the Civil War. We see the best and worst of humanity.

[Leigh Grady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written -loved the very original story and the twists

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

a little slow but awesome story...dynamic ending

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down! I really enjoyed reading the book and putting it all together at the end.

[Ashton Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read, well developed characters and plenty of back and forth across history to keep you reading.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Remember this is FICTION. Some interesting twists, especially at the end.

[Joni Rupnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit absurd thinking about the long lengths of time but otherwise I really enjoyed it. I liked how the character went after everyone with their different types or racism.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story! Wonderfully written and excellent reading.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. Not bad.