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[(Once upon a Time, When We Were Colored )] [Author: Clifton L. Taulbert] [Apr-2004]
A son connects to his father’s history by the author of Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored. A journey home to the Mississippi Delta community of his own humble childhood became Clifton Taulbert’s Christmas gift to his son — a trip to meet the people who had mentored and inspired Clifton as a boy, to see first-hand the value of family, community and love.
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First published January 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
September 28, 2012
This is the first book I have ever started and finished in the same day. The writing style is so conversational, it just flows so well. Taulbert is a great story teller!
From his introduction, I thought it was interesting how he wanted to write down his childhood stories to show his children that pre-integration, there were good times and good memories to be had. I thought it was interesting how he said that there were lessons and values that he thinks the African American community is starting to forget, particularly because these good memories aren't typically what historians and people in general focus on when discussing the segregated South.
Anyway, the book is a series of stories from his childhood from about age 4-5 to his graduation from high school. He concentrates on discussing his relationships with his multi-generational family, the hard work ethic that was instilled in him by them, and the fun the family and community would have when they could get together for leisure time.
I thought it was a good book plain and simple, primarily because it was a refreshing read. One knows that the segregated South wasn't a happy time or place, but to see that there was still some joy to be had through the young eyes of Taulbert, it really was refreshing.
From his introduction, I thought it was interesting how he wanted to write down his childhood stories to show his children that pre-integration, there were good times and good memories to be had. I thought it was interesting how he said that there were lessons and values that he thinks the African American community is starting to forget, particularly because these good memories aren't typically what historians and people in general focus on when discussing the segregated South.
Anyway, the book is a series of stories from his childhood from about age 4-5 to his graduation from high school. He concentrates on discussing his relationships with his multi-generational family, the hard work ethic that was instilled in him by them, and the fun the family and community would have when they could get together for leisure time.
I thought it was a good book plain and simple, primarily because it was a refreshing read. One knows that the segregated South wasn't a happy time or place, but to see that there was still some joy to be had through the young eyes of Taulbert, it really was refreshing.
sony-or-android
February 18, 2020I'm bothered by the teacher who rated this two stars and won't use this in their classroom because it's not about segregation and injustice per se. They complain it's more personal. Well, isn't that the best way to reach students? Make them feel a sympathy, and then an empathy, with real ppl, rather than just shove abstract history at them? I know that I learned a heck of a lot from reading Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years when I was young.
And so far as complaining about different characters named Ma Pearl, Ma Ponk,and Mama. Really, you can't tell who is who? I'm glad this is on openlibrary.org and I hope to read it soon. It is short.
And so far as complaining about different characters named Ma Pearl, Ma Ponk,and Mama. Really, you can't tell who is who? I'm glad this is on openlibrary.org and I hope to read it soon. It is short.
January 30, 2012
Here is a soulful history of men and women who tried to make sense of a world that was frustrating in its change and stillness. Taulbert pays homage to his African American roots that run deep, and reminds the reader that although evil and unnecessary, segregation did create a unique African American culture that was lost after integration. This is a celebration of Americans who worked in the fields and raised children on dreams. With jocular honesty, deserved pride, and subtle brilliance, Taulbert shares a beautiful history.
May 16, 2017
Personal Response: I really liked this short story. I really liked this short story because, the author kind of explains that African American people matter too. I liked that because it shows that everyone should be treated the same no matter the skin color. I personally like African Americans so I really enjoyed this short story.
Summary: This short story was about and African American. This book was about how Uncle Cleve had grown up, how he got through life, and about what he did growing up as a child. I read that Cleve and his grandson had went on a trip to Hollandale together. When they were on their trip together, they both have a very good time. There were some bad things about the trip though. They didn't like how they had seen a bunch of white people there because, the white people would talk about them in front of them, and they didn't like that. On the trip, Cleve's grandson was explaining how he was helping his uncle with his business. He was explaining how he would go to the ice shop with his uncle, and how hard it was to carry a lot of ice at once. There was a party that they wanted to go to. When they arrived at the party, white people were everywhere saying how they aren't allowed to be there, because they don't fit in. That really crushed them because they really wanted to have another good time before they had to leave, but they couldn't.
Characterization: Uncle Cleve and his grandson were really good in the beginning and through the book they had a very good personality. Through the story they worked hard together and they had a very good time together. When they went on a trip they had a wonderful time. Although when they wanted to go to a party the white people kicked them out because they apparently did not fit in because of their skin color, that really affect their lives towards the end of the story.
Recommendation: I recommend you to read this book. I say this because if you're against racism I think that this would be a good short story for you.
Summary: This short story was about and African American. This book was about how Uncle Cleve had grown up, how he got through life, and about what he did growing up as a child. I read that Cleve and his grandson had went on a trip to Hollandale together. When they were on their trip together, they both have a very good time. There were some bad things about the trip though. They didn't like how they had seen a bunch of white people there because, the white people would talk about them in front of them, and they didn't like that. On the trip, Cleve's grandson was explaining how he was helping his uncle with his business. He was explaining how he would go to the ice shop with his uncle, and how hard it was to carry a lot of ice at once. There was a party that they wanted to go to. When they arrived at the party, white people were everywhere saying how they aren't allowed to be there, because they don't fit in. That really crushed them because they really wanted to have another good time before they had to leave, but they couldn't.
Characterization: Uncle Cleve and his grandson were really good in the beginning and through the book they had a very good personality. Through the story they worked hard together and they had a very good time together. When they went on a trip they had a wonderful time. Although when they wanted to go to a party the white people kicked them out because they apparently did not fit in because of their skin color, that really affect their lives towards the end of the story.
Recommendation: I recommend you to read this book. I say this because if you're against racism I think that this would be a good short story for you.
August 1, 2012
I had higher hopes for this book. I picked it up, thinking that I might be able to use pieces of it when I teach The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 in my Children's Lit classes. Unfortunately, I don't think many of my students would stay interested as they read.
The bulk of the book is made up of snippets of Taulbert's memories of growing up in Glen Allen, MS. The book deals more with community, family, and education than it does with segregation in the south. I was expecting stories that explicitly dealt with the injustices of segregation. Instead, the stories were more about community, family, and education, and from time to time the shadow of segregation affected how/why the family did something. I guess I was expecting more of the frustration of segregation in all of the stories; instead, the author showed how the rules of segregation were an annoying part of life.
I did like reading about the relationship between Ma Ponk and the author. However, I kept getting confused because there was Ma Pearl, Ma Ponk,and Mama. If I figured it out correctly, Taulbert lived with Ma Pearl (his great grandmother) for a while, then lived with/was raised by Ma Ponk (his grandmother) for most of his adolescent life, and at times hung out with Mama (Mary, his mother). Anyway, I won't be using this in class, but maybe I'll use snippets of it as an example of narrative writing.
The bulk of the book is made up of snippets of Taulbert's memories of growing up in Glen Allen, MS. The book deals more with community, family, and education than it does with segregation in the south. I was expecting stories that explicitly dealt with the injustices of segregation. Instead, the stories were more about community, family, and education, and from time to time the shadow of segregation affected how/why the family did something. I guess I was expecting more of the frustration of segregation in all of the stories; instead, the author showed how the rules of segregation were an annoying part of life.
I did like reading about the relationship between Ma Ponk and the author. However, I kept getting confused because there was Ma Pearl, Ma Ponk,and Mama. If I figured it out correctly, Taulbert lived with Ma Pearl (his great grandmother) for a while, then lived with/was raised by Ma Ponk (his grandmother) for most of his adolescent life, and at times hung out with Mama (Mary, his mother). Anyway, I won't be using this in class, but maybe I'll use snippets of it as an example of narrative writing.
August 28, 2012
I read this for school. Since I like almost nothing that I read for school (including book reports which I get to pick out for myself), I didn't expect much. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised. This is a really interesting look at how life was from the 1950's from someone who actually lived it, instead of a history book only showing the important events. But that's all it was. I feel like the author expected us to find this entertaining as well, and at that, it utterly failed. The events he chose simply aren't emotional or important enough. Other than that, though, it is fairly interesting. It was written pretty well. The southern dialect got on my nerves sometimes, but there was really no way around that. For anyone who's interested in the time period or likes memoirs, this is your book. But other than that, it's not too great.
July 30, 2017
This rambling, evocative memoir covers the time when the author was growing up in a small Mississippi Delta town in the 1950s. Although he doesn't flinch from describing the difficulties and indignities of living under Jim Crow, Taulbert is also nostalgic about a time when his neighborhood seemed to be one great extended family, when everyone seemed to be looking out for each other and when economic opportunities were limited, but assured. It's essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the world that gave birth to the blues.
April 8, 2013
Clifton Taulbert aims to give a realistic picture of what life was like for rural Blacks during the late 1940s to mid1960s by telling the story of his childhood and adolescence. While I have no doubt that the book accurately reflects Mr. Taulbert's memories, his writing is so tedious that I was ultimately disappointed and disinterested. Whether describing the hard job of picking cotton or the excitement of a traveling minstrel show, the language has the same languid and moderate tone.
June 6, 2017
Not a bad little book. I enjoyed reading more about the community and sense of comradeship amongst the family of the author. I wasn't expecting such a warm book, which is a good thing as I'm sure the author experienced so many negative occurrences growing up black in the south during Jim Crow and segregation; so it was refreshing and comforting to read stories of a happy childhood despite the era it was set in.
June 30, 2009
Sweet telling of a "colored" boy's childhood growing up in a small Southern town surrounded by family, community & love. The reality of racial segregation is woven into warm tales of the simple pleasures & life lessons gleamed from his hard working, mostly unschooled neighbors in rural Glen Allen, Mississippi. A short, poignant read brimming with promise.
January 15, 2016
I picked up this book because of the title. On my birth certificate it states that I am colored. I was not however born in Mississippi, my husband was. He can relate to picking cotton and being in a small town.
September 27, 2019
I enjoyed reading Clifton Taulbert’s life story because I could identify with so many of his experiences. Although living in Indiana (up North) meant no written Jim Crowe signs we had Sunset Laws...don’t be in this town or neighborhood once the sun goes down.
January 29, 2011
A sweet little memoir of boyhood told in vignettes. Paints a vivid picture of a small-town agricultural community, focusing on interracial relations.
August 26, 2022
This was our book club selection -- it was an interesting memoir about growing up in the black community of a small Mississippi town in the 1950's.
July 26, 2018
I read this book in 2006, and it gave me nightmares. The descriptions are very good, and the pictures are haunting. This is a good book for anyone who wants to know more about 1950s Mississippi.
July 2, 2019
Decent sentimental read. No overarching story or anything, but a touching memoire by a friend's cousin.
September 22, 2020
Book 38: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored. By Clifton L. Taulbert.
This is a story about life in the segregated South through the eyes of a "colored" child. From picking cotton to minstrel shows at the fairground to applying for a white boy's job, Taulbert covers the 1950s through an innocent bird's-eye view.
Favorite passages:
I would watch in complete silence as the long blade of the razor, expertly handled, removed all signs of hair from his face and head. Afterwards, Poppa would rub alcohol all over his scalp with a hot towel, then he would rub oil over his face and head, creating the shiny image of Buddha that I had come to love.
The food was plain, but hot and tasty. It was free, and it was much better than the previous school lunch, which was none.
The work was backbreaking, exhausting and sometimes degrading. It often required a mother to leave home in the morning to go prepare breakfast for a white family before her own children were fed.
“Who is that picture?” I recall her abrupt response.
“Boy, don’t let no white folk hear you say nothing about that man. That’s white folks’ business. We ain’t got nothing to do with it.”
By the time we were passing the local juke joints, we had begun singing, “Lord, wash me whiter than snow.” While the Lord was washing us whiter than snow, we were preparing to walk through the residential part of town where Glen Allan’s whites lived. When we got close to their homes, the Reverend Thomas would say, “Look to God, pay no attention to the peckerwoods. They don’t respect nothin’.” He talked, we marched, we sang and we looked straight ahead and paid no attention to the teenage white boys who look on and laughed.
Books are like eggs. Somethings you have to crack them open to get anything out.
Our lives centered around the colored church. It provided the framework for civic involvement, the backdrop for leadership, a safe place for social gatherings, where our babies were blessed, our families married and our dead respected. Yes, the colored church became the sanctuary for our dreams and the closet for our secrets, and even the funerals were representative of all we were, and what we hoped to become.
Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored. By Clifton L. Taulbert.
This is a story about life in the segregated South through the eyes of a "colored" child. From picking cotton to minstrel shows at the fairground to applying for a white boy's job, Taulbert covers the 1950s through an innocent bird's-eye view.
Favorite passages:
I would watch in complete silence as the long blade of the razor, expertly handled, removed all signs of hair from his face and head. Afterwards, Poppa would rub alcohol all over his scalp with a hot towel, then he would rub oil over his face and head, creating the shiny image of Buddha that I had come to love.
The food was plain, but hot and tasty. It was free, and it was much better than the previous school lunch, which was none.
The work was backbreaking, exhausting and sometimes degrading. It often required a mother to leave home in the morning to go prepare breakfast for a white family before her own children were fed.
“Who is that picture?” I recall her abrupt response.
“Boy, don’t let no white folk hear you say nothing about that man. That’s white folks’ business. We ain’t got nothing to do with it.”
By the time we were passing the local juke joints, we had begun singing, “Lord, wash me whiter than snow.” While the Lord was washing us whiter than snow, we were preparing to walk through the residential part of town where Glen Allan’s whites lived. When we got close to their homes, the Reverend Thomas would say, “Look to God, pay no attention to the peckerwoods. They don’t respect nothin’.” He talked, we marched, we sang and we looked straight ahead and paid no attention to the teenage white boys who look on and laughed.
Books are like eggs. Somethings you have to crack them open to get anything out.
Our lives centered around the colored church. It provided the framework for civic involvement, the backdrop for leadership, a safe place for social gatherings, where our babies were blessed, our families married and our dead respected. Yes, the colored church became the sanctuary for our dreams and the closet for our secrets, and even the funerals were representative of all we were, and what we hoped to become.
February 24, 2025
I bought this book 30 years ago and only ready it again this past week. Taubert has an easy-going way of writing that I like and I could picture a lot of what he wrote pretty clearly in my mind. This is definitely a bittersweet memory of his childhood in a small town in Mississippi. I liked learning about a way of life that was very different from mine (although of course very disturbing at how whites treated the "coloreds"). If you are looking for a nostalgic slice of life book, this is a good one. I would be interested in reading the sequel to this which starts when he leaves Glen Allan for the north at 17 years old.
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March 25, 2021History that should not be forgotten. If you don't understand a black person being nonchalant about the U.S. Flag read this, there is a story that will help you understand. Understanding people of a different culture is inexcusable in today's world of accessibility. If you don't understand it is because you don't want to. Read this book! It won't even take up much of your time......
October 30, 2021
This is a quick book which describes the life of an amazingly successful African American gentleman who grew up in the South in the mid 20th century. He is humble, respectful and vulnerable in the sharing of his story. He is an inspiration for authenticity and a strong work ethic.
May 17, 2020
An amazing perspective and a precious insight into being black in southern USA not so long ago at all. An important and engaging read.
September 28, 2022
An intimate, and yet unvarnished, reminiscence of growing up in a small Mississippi town in the mid-1900's.
December 9, 2024
This was such a touching book written by a man raised in the segregated South thinking that everyone who ventured north would have a better life. He had great stories about his childhood and his extended family.
January 28, 2025
Third time I've read Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored.
July 22, 2013
I love this book. Having had the chance to meet Clifton Tolbert and have him discuss the book, his writing process, and the stories he included only made me love it more! Knowing that there are actual people associated with his writing gives it a personal element that I love!
January 22, 2008
This book is about Glen Allen, Mississippi...the town that my mom's father is from. One of my family even appears in there! :o)
August 7, 2008
A memoir which surprised me--extremely compelling
January 11, 2009
It is a quick read that many readers will enjoy. This is a nice story which shows the African American culture through the eyes of child.
September 29, 2021
Great book, I could really visualize each character in this book as someone in my family. It was real to me.
March 26, 2015
love it. the story telling was very descriptive. the ending was the best. when he was leaving Glen Allan :-(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews