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Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South
The true story of two African-American brothers who were kidnapped and displayed as circus freaks, and whose mother endured a 28-year struggle to get them back.
The year was 1899 and the place a sweltering tobacco farm in the Jim Crow South town of Truevine, Virginia. George and Willie Muse were two little boys born to a sharecropper family. One day a white man offered them a piece of candy, setting off events that would take them around the world and change their lives forever.
Captured into the circus, the Muse brothers performed for royalty at Buckingham Palace and headlined over a dozen sold-out shows at New York's Madison Square Garden. They were global superstars in a pre-broadcast era. But the very root of their success was in the color of their skin and in the outrageous caricatures they were forced to assume: supposed cannibals, sheep-headed freaks, even "Ambassadors from Mars."
Back home, their mother never accepted that they were "gone" and spent 28 years trying to get them back. Through hundreds of interviews and decades of research, Beth Macy expertly explores a central and difficult question: Where were the brothers better off? On the world stage as stars or in poverty at home?
Truevine is a compelling narrative rich in historical detail and rife with implications to race relations today.
The year was 1899 and the place a sweltering tobacco farm in the Jim Crow South town of Truevine, Virginia. George and Willie Muse were two little boys born to a sharecropper family. One day a white man offered them a piece of candy, setting off events that would take them around the world and change their lives forever.
Captured into the circus, the Muse brothers performed for royalty at Buckingham Palace and headlined over a dozen sold-out shows at New York's Madison Square Garden. They were global superstars in a pre-broadcast era. But the very root of their success was in the color of their skin and in the outrageous caricatures they were forced to assume: supposed cannibals, sheep-headed freaks, even "Ambassadors from Mars."
Back home, their mother never accepted that they were "gone" and spent 28 years trying to get them back. Through hundreds of interviews and decades of research, Beth Macy expertly explores a central and difficult question: Where were the brothers better off? On the world stage as stars or in poverty at home?
Truevine is a compelling narrative rich in historical detail and rife with implications to race relations today.
398 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 671 reviews
November 8, 2016
This is a case of very deceptive advertising. Despite the subtitle, this book is not about the Muse brothers, "kidnapped" by a circus. That portion of the story makes up less than 20% of the book.
It seems as though Macy secured a book contract based on a prior article, and then did enough research to realize that what is in the article was all there was to find. And so she pads out the story with endless tangents about freak shows - in case you didn't know what one was - the segregated south, lynching and every other dark bit of Southern history. She only makes it worse by crow-barring in a reference to the brothers in each chapter, reminding the reader that the story we thought we were getting is no where to be found.
The book opens so strong, I thought I was in for a hell of a ride. I soon discovered that was all we were going to get about the Muse brothers. After that, it lapses into a "here's what I did" account, which has sadly become the go-to approach for journalism these days. I thought the point of journalism was to take yourself out of the story, not make yourself the focus.
The writing is strong and I would be interested in reading other books by Macy, hopefully about subjects that actually warrant a full book. This is, at best, a magazine piece inflated to book length with filler. So disappointing.
It seems as though Macy secured a book contract based on a prior article, and then did enough research to realize that what is in the article was all there was to find. And so she pads out the story with endless tangents about freak shows - in case you didn't know what one was - the segregated south, lynching and every other dark bit of Southern history. She only makes it worse by crow-barring in a reference to the brothers in each chapter, reminding the reader that the story we thought we were getting is no where to be found.
The book opens so strong, I thought I was in for a hell of a ride. I soon discovered that was all we were going to get about the Muse brothers. After that, it lapses into a "here's what I did" account, which has sadly become the go-to approach for journalism these days. I thought the point of journalism was to take yourself out of the story, not make yourself the focus.
The writing is strong and I would be interested in reading other books by Macy, hopefully about subjects that actually warrant a full book. This is, at best, a magazine piece inflated to book length with filler. So disappointing.
October 4, 2017
In the early 20th Century, circus popularity was in its heyday. Bounty hunters known as freak hunters scoured the country including the backwoods looking for "curiosities" to transform into side show attractions. In 1899, George and Willie Muse, 9 years and 6 years respectively were working from daylight to dusk removing bugs from tobacco leaves in Truevine,Virginia. The Muse family were sharecroppers on a tobacco farm in the Jim Crow South. Enter Candy Shelton, bounty hunter. George and Willie, black albino brothers living in poverty, were kidnapped and spent years as side show attractions.
Sharecroppers were seldom able to experience success, respect or dignity. After all, croppers only received a portion of the money they earned minus the cost of seed and family necessities. Taking out a loan from a store, a family would incur interest rates of 21% to 53% and thus sink deeper in debt.
Author Beth Macy spent two decades winning the trust of Muse descendants while trying to piece together the kidnapping of George and Willie Muse by Candy Shelton. But, was it actually a kidnapping or unclear communication? Irregardless, illiterate mother and black domestic worker Harriett Muse challenged the white-owned circus company for the return of her sons. Often the boys performed under different names for different circuses and travelling shows mostly without monetary compensation. They performed for food, circus housing and meager clothing. With the advent of radio and television the number of travelling shows was greatly diminished.
Ms. Macy discusses many issues in her well researched tome. She describes the Jim Crow South where whites felt threatened by blacks who were no longer beholden to them. She describes Truevine, Virginia as a place where being kidnapped could seem like an opportunity for the albino African Americans who did not match the physical norms of society. The realities of circus life including how side show performers with disabilities were displayed for profit is explored as well.
"Truevine" by Beth Macy takes us on a journey back in time. Entertainment has changed. Circuses no longer have the stature of old. Poverty,however, has not been eliminated. Societal inequality still prevails. Ms. Macy provides a timely reminder that all lives matter.
Thank you Little, Brown and Company and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Truevine".
Sharecroppers were seldom able to experience success, respect or dignity. After all, croppers only received a portion of the money they earned minus the cost of seed and family necessities. Taking out a loan from a store, a family would incur interest rates of 21% to 53% and thus sink deeper in debt.
Author Beth Macy spent two decades winning the trust of Muse descendants while trying to piece together the kidnapping of George and Willie Muse by Candy Shelton. But, was it actually a kidnapping or unclear communication? Irregardless, illiterate mother and black domestic worker Harriett Muse challenged the white-owned circus company for the return of her sons. Often the boys performed under different names for different circuses and travelling shows mostly without monetary compensation. They performed for food, circus housing and meager clothing. With the advent of radio and television the number of travelling shows was greatly diminished.
Ms. Macy discusses many issues in her well researched tome. She describes the Jim Crow South where whites felt threatened by blacks who were no longer beholden to them. She describes Truevine, Virginia as a place where being kidnapped could seem like an opportunity for the albino African Americans who did not match the physical norms of society. The realities of circus life including how side show performers with disabilities were displayed for profit is explored as well.
"Truevine" by Beth Macy takes us on a journey back in time. Entertainment has changed. Circuses no longer have the stature of old. Poverty,however, has not been eliminated. Societal inequality still prevails. Ms. Macy provides a timely reminder that all lives matter.
Thank you Little, Brown and Company and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Truevine".
May 3, 2017
3 stars
With the recent announcement of the end of the century-old traveling circus "The Greatest Show on Earth" (aka Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus) I was intrigued to read Beth Macy's Truevine, a book that promised to reveal a seedy underbelly to one of the most celebrated circuses in the world.
Ms. Macy, for the most part, does deliver on the promise, with an awful story that will certainly interest anyone who is either interested in the history of the circus, or egregious racial injustice, but the story is so scattershot and jam-packed with arcana that the thrust of the heartbreaking "Two Brothers, A Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest" narrative is somewhat waylaid in the exacting details.
There's no denying though the central story is book-worthy: Outside Roanoke, Virginia, in a town called Truevine in a sharecropper's tobacco field in 1899, a representative of the circus (so the local legend would bear out) discovered albino brothers George and Willie Muse and "kidnapped" them (though it's not exactly clear that kidnapping is the correct term) to perform in the sideshow along with a panoply of "freaks" (mostly people with physical abnormalities). The blond dreadlocked brothers were billed, variously, as Eko and Iko, the Ecudorian Cannibals or Martian Ambassadors, to perform alongside the likes Zip the Pinhead, the Bearded Lady, the 16 inch tall dwarf Living Doll, etc. They were a huge hit (mostly reassuring gawking circus-goers of their normalness) and became a recognizable sideshow fixture. As Ms. Macy conducts her research for the story (conducting hundreds of hours of interviews with the families of the Muse brothers), she finds that the mother of the brothers, Harriet Muse, probably contacted the circus to get income fron her bizarre-looking albino sons and lift their family out of abject poverty, not realizing the circus managers would withhold all their earnings and keep the brothers busy touring the country, away from the family's contact.
I, for the most part, was impressed by Ms. Macy's ardor for the subject matter; her enthusiasm is evidenced by the painstaking research she put into the project. I just wish she could've tempered that love with a little more cohesiveness, which might've made for a more enjoyable, less confusing reading experience. Still, I'm plenty glad I read it. It really does make me re-think my childhood-kindled love for (soon-to-be-defunct) "The Greatest Show on Earth", with roots as sordid as the ones Ms. Macy has reported on here.
With the recent announcement of the end of the century-old traveling circus "The Greatest Show on Earth" (aka Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus) I was intrigued to read Beth Macy's Truevine, a book that promised to reveal a seedy underbelly to one of the most celebrated circuses in the world.
Ms. Macy, for the most part, does deliver on the promise, with an awful story that will certainly interest anyone who is either interested in the history of the circus, or egregious racial injustice, but the story is so scattershot and jam-packed with arcana that the thrust of the heartbreaking "Two Brothers, A Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest" narrative is somewhat waylaid in the exacting details.
There's no denying though the central story is book-worthy: Outside Roanoke, Virginia, in a town called Truevine in a sharecropper's tobacco field in 1899, a representative of the circus (so the local legend would bear out) discovered albino brothers George and Willie Muse and "kidnapped" them (though it's not exactly clear that kidnapping is the correct term) to perform in the sideshow along with a panoply of "freaks" (mostly people with physical abnormalities). The blond dreadlocked brothers were billed, variously, as Eko and Iko, the Ecudorian Cannibals or Martian Ambassadors, to perform alongside the likes Zip the Pinhead, the Bearded Lady, the 16 inch tall dwarf Living Doll, etc. They were a huge hit (mostly reassuring gawking circus-goers of their normalness) and became a recognizable sideshow fixture. As Ms. Macy conducts her research for the story (conducting hundreds of hours of interviews with the families of the Muse brothers), she finds that the mother of the brothers, Harriet Muse, probably contacted the circus to get income fron her bizarre-looking albino sons and lift their family out of abject poverty, not realizing the circus managers would withhold all their earnings and keep the brothers busy touring the country, away from the family's contact.
I, for the most part, was impressed by Ms. Macy's ardor for the subject matter; her enthusiasm is evidenced by the painstaking research she put into the project. I just wish she could've tempered that love with a little more cohesiveness, which might've made for a more enjoyable, less confusing reading experience. Still, I'm plenty glad I read it. It really does make me re-think my childhood-kindled love for (soon-to-be-defunct) "The Greatest Show on Earth", with roots as sordid as the ones Ms. Macy has reported on here.
August 16, 2016
Another writer would have written a teleplay about the Muse brothers' journey from (literally) dirt-poor beginnings, through involuntary, indentured servitude, and on to their interesting lives as freaks in a myriad of 20th century circuses. But Beth Macy is a journalist, and Truevine is a story that took decades to get to the bottom of. Further, she cares deeply about the people and places in this book. Who should read this book? Part One should be read by every Southerner, descendant of the South, descendants of carpetbaggers, and transplants to the South. The daily venom and institutionalized insults that African-Americans suffered -- and they did suffer -- cannot be guessed. It must be told, and it must be read. So much more insidious than separate water fountains, Macy conveys the scope of the pervasive, poisonous hate and innate/outright meanness that was the Jim Crow era. Anyone who is unable to utter the three words "black lives matter" without qualifying it in some way needs to read about how little they did matter to anyone. As interviewee A.J. Reeves asks Macy in this section, "Are you SURE you want the truth?" More than anything we all need this truth, and Macy delivers, unflinchingly.
Part Two brings circus and freak aficionados the world the Muse brothers were thrust into; a world of sideshows, fellow freaks, and people who could be "bought" by "talent scouts" and traded like Pokémon cards among "managers". Step right up, folks, and get your look at the machinations and subterfuge used in packaging oddities of our species. Partially chronicled through photographs, Macy's research magnifies the clothes, expressions, and body language to get a feel for the path the brothers weaved in and through the insulated circus community. As a former reporter, Macy is equally adept at poking family sore spots and dodging verbal slings and arrows as she learns more of the story, questions a tightly-knit family's lore, and presents evidence suggesting other probabilities.
A fiercely tenacious writer, Macy is an equally ferocious mother, and in Part 3 she paints the portrait of Harriet Muse, the mother who waited (and hustled while waiting) and through sheer force of will snatched her children back from the circus. The legal chess game that ensued was played across decades. Wherever Harriet Muse got those smarts from, the gift was not wasted. Those who enjoy legal yarns and unlikely heroes tilting poles at windmills will not be disappointed. In a book rich with injustices, a victorious underdog prevails.
Part four provides much food for thought as the circus and sideshows travel to entertain societies overseas. Especially interesting is the effect that the war wounded have on England, where seeing firsthand the ravages of war in deformed, injured soldiers makes looking at sideshow freaks for entertainment feel inappropriate. It's a sobering contrast to the antics Macy chronicles in the peculiarities of the performers themselves. The scope of Truevine, like the well worn circus travel routes, eventually ends at a resting place after its exploration of a century of change in these interesting and unusual chapters. That resting place is the loving, protective and attentive care of the family in Roanoke, Virginia. Macy's town. My town. A place where the darkest chapters of history were perpetrated by the real freaks -- the local Ku Klux Klan, and the institution of racism in a very shocking past. Several times, the brothers' caretaker relative reminds us that the brothers came out on top in the end. However this war ended for them, the casualties of that very uncivil war are still among us. This book will have your mind "Musing" on all these aspects and more as you continue to digest its story and scope long after the pleasure of the read is completed.
Part Two brings circus and freak aficionados the world the Muse brothers were thrust into; a world of sideshows, fellow freaks, and people who could be "bought" by "talent scouts" and traded like Pokémon cards among "managers". Step right up, folks, and get your look at the machinations and subterfuge used in packaging oddities of our species. Partially chronicled through photographs, Macy's research magnifies the clothes, expressions, and body language to get a feel for the path the brothers weaved in and through the insulated circus community. As a former reporter, Macy is equally adept at poking family sore spots and dodging verbal slings and arrows as she learns more of the story, questions a tightly-knit family's lore, and presents evidence suggesting other probabilities.
A fiercely tenacious writer, Macy is an equally ferocious mother, and in Part 3 she paints the portrait of Harriet Muse, the mother who waited (and hustled while waiting) and through sheer force of will snatched her children back from the circus. The legal chess game that ensued was played across decades. Wherever Harriet Muse got those smarts from, the gift was not wasted. Those who enjoy legal yarns and unlikely heroes tilting poles at windmills will not be disappointed. In a book rich with injustices, a victorious underdog prevails.
Part four provides much food for thought as the circus and sideshows travel to entertain societies overseas. Especially interesting is the effect that the war wounded have on England, where seeing firsthand the ravages of war in deformed, injured soldiers makes looking at sideshow freaks for entertainment feel inappropriate. It's a sobering contrast to the antics Macy chronicles in the peculiarities of the performers themselves. The scope of Truevine, like the well worn circus travel routes, eventually ends at a resting place after its exploration of a century of change in these interesting and unusual chapters. That resting place is the loving, protective and attentive care of the family in Roanoke, Virginia. Macy's town. My town. A place where the darkest chapters of history were perpetrated by the real freaks -- the local Ku Klux Klan, and the institution of racism in a very shocking past. Several times, the brothers' caretaker relative reminds us that the brothers came out on top in the end. However this war ended for them, the casualties of that very uncivil war are still among us. This book will have your mind "Musing" on all these aspects and more as you continue to digest its story and scope long after the pleasure of the read is completed.
April 2, 2017
This book has so many subtle layers that I'm not surprised at the annoyed 2-star reviews. I feel sorry for the people who only came away grumpy because they didn't get the adrenaline-fueled rush of a circus kidnapping story, because it means they didn't have the soul to feel for Harriet Muse and her stolen sons. Fiction exists to illuminate human struggle, but we need real life to build fiction from.
It would be accurate to say that this book is at least 30% about the process of writing this book, so if you don't have any interest in watching how the sausage of investigative reporting is made, don't even bother.
I read this over the course of nearly six months and at no point did I lose the thread or lose sight of Harriet and her pain and indomitable resolve. That's the strength of Macy's work. She took up a great obligation to the family in writing this and Nancy (Willie Muse's final caretaker) took up a great burden in sharing it, but the book's final notes are a powerful reminder that the story of a person's life told well can plant a seed of understanding in absolute strangers.
It would be accurate to say that this book is at least 30% about the process of writing this book, so if you don't have any interest in watching how the sausage of investigative reporting is made, don't even bother.
I read this over the course of nearly six months and at no point did I lose the thread or lose sight of Harriet and her pain and indomitable resolve. That's the strength of Macy's work. She took up a great obligation to the family in writing this and Nancy (Willie Muse's final caretaker) took up a great burden in sharing it, but the book's final notes are a powerful reminder that the story of a person's life told well can plant a seed of understanding in absolute strangers.
June 13, 2017
Summary
Beth Macy, master chronicler of life in the South, combines exhaustive research, exclusive interviews and sources, and attention to detail in this riveting American story about race, greed, and a mother's love. George and Willie Muse from Truevine, Virginia were two little boys born in a brutal time, sharecropping a field in the segregated South, stolen away by a white man offering candy, and set on a path of events that would forever change their lives--and their family's destiny. -- adapted from dust jacket.
I copied the above passage because it is succinct, precise, and I could not say it any better. What I can elaborate on is the writing and pictures in this novel. The pictures were from family albums - spanning back to when the Muse brothers were very young, right up to the remaining niece who cared for the longest living brother Willie. Nancy the niece is still alive today at the age of 67. It took the author 25 years of research and pleading with the Muse family to be allowed to write this book. This novel was written very much like a book of fiction. It recalls the lives of Georgie and Willie as they lived on the circus circuit. Their lives as slaves to the circus owners, their lives as paid employees and their lives spent with a small sum of money. How the family lost sight of them, found them and then agreed to the care of each man until his death. Along the way you meet a number of sideshow characters and learn about the tapestry of our nation, along with the inner workings of both legal and illegal circuses and acting managers. There was not a boring page within the covers of this book. From 1899 to 2001 you lived along side the Muse brothers, enduring their suffering and smiling at their good fortune.
** As a side note** The Muse family lived within about a half block of Loretta Pleasant - the subject of the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Beth Macy, master chronicler of life in the South, combines exhaustive research, exclusive interviews and sources, and attention to detail in this riveting American story about race, greed, and a mother's love. George and Willie Muse from Truevine, Virginia were two little boys born in a brutal time, sharecropping a field in the segregated South, stolen away by a white man offering candy, and set on a path of events that would forever change their lives--and their family's destiny. -- adapted from dust jacket.
I copied the above passage because it is succinct, precise, and I could not say it any better. What I can elaborate on is the writing and pictures in this novel. The pictures were from family albums - spanning back to when the Muse brothers were very young, right up to the remaining niece who cared for the longest living brother Willie. Nancy the niece is still alive today at the age of 67. It took the author 25 years of research and pleading with the Muse family to be allowed to write this book. This novel was written very much like a book of fiction. It recalls the lives of Georgie and Willie as they lived on the circus circuit. Their lives as slaves to the circus owners, their lives as paid employees and their lives spent with a small sum of money. How the family lost sight of them, found them and then agreed to the care of each man until his death. Along the way you meet a number of sideshow characters and learn about the tapestry of our nation, along with the inner workings of both legal and illegal circuses and acting managers. There was not a boring page within the covers of this book. From 1899 to 2001 you lived along side the Muse brothers, enduring their suffering and smiling at their good fortune.
** As a side note** The Muse family lived within about a half block of Loretta Pleasant - the subject of the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
October 18, 2024
Only in a place like Truevine, she thought, could the notion of being kidnapped seem almost like an opportunity. (PG 28)
And thank you Jesus I’m finally done with this one!!!
Is there clickbait clickbuy on a book? The title is sketchy and the story takes you all over… These are 3 books the author could have done:::
Book 1. The history of Jim Crow in the south.
Book 2. The Circus
Book 3. Two Brothers, Maybe a Kidnapping, and a Mother’s Quest
This was not a book about a kidnapping but she made sure to remind you she hasn’t forgotten that’s the title. Rambles and gets sidetracked.
And were the brothers taken or were they sold for food and money? Did they end up leading better lives having food and traveling the world rather than be in a shabby neighborhood? Was Roanoke the most racist place in America? There were only KKK operating here? Were the boys raped and assaulted.. she kind of skips over this major point.
So much double talk—I’m not white (I even felt a bit offended & embarrassed) but she sure made it a point to point out those damn white people and make you feel guilty about being born white- see quote below— ((Lebron James would be proud in his mansion and having white cops as his security detail))
The next day, I realized, I’d mistaken the narrow space between their socks and knickers for shackles, when in fact what I was seeing were stripes of bare, white skin. It was a powerful reminder to look beyond the story I expected to find as I set out to untangle a century of whispers from truth. (PG 136)
In my honest and humble opinion she is a shitty journalist. Don’t put your agenda or feelings on others especially if this a true story. Just tell the family’s story and let us decide how to feel. Does journalism even exist anymore? Maybe just the yellow stuff….
The only reason it gets 2 stars is that I really enjoyed the history. I do think she got many things wrong though, she always came off as unsure.
The important thing I got from the story is that after being enslaved and going through some hardship they became store owners, home owners, proud Americans. Your ancestors went through all this horribleness and paved the way for you: What a beautiful thought. But what are you doing with this; Blaming others for your lack of actions or striving to be better?
I didn’t like how the author tried to minimize these accomplishments. Does she think Black people are stupid and ignorant and always need to be cynical instead of proud? Make white people feel guilty in the 21st century and piss off Black people enough to say “But I have a complex and you aren’t giving me more!” She was really pissing me off especially when you realize most of these people weren’t even mad. They just saw it for what it was and proudly moved on to better their families and futures.
Has anything really changed or just modernized? Don’t we treat people the same ways but point out serial killers and slavery as “they had it worse?” Now it doesn’t even matter what we are whether White, Black, Mexicans, Asians. We’re all dispensable after all and constantly used by our governments in the same ways but some of us are deluded into thinking as long as I have this or that I’ll be okay or my government would never lie to me!
I don’t know what she was going for with this book but I wouldn’t recommend it. It was opinionated, some sort of talking too much, and never got a sense of a thorough book.
And thank you Jesus I’m finally done with this one!!!
Is there clickbait clickbuy on a book? The title is sketchy and the story takes you all over… These are 3 books the author could have done:::
Book 1. The history of Jim Crow in the south.
Book 2. The Circus
Book 3. Two Brothers, Maybe a Kidnapping, and a Mother’s Quest
This was not a book about a kidnapping but she made sure to remind you she hasn’t forgotten that’s the title. Rambles and gets sidetracked.
And were the brothers taken or were they sold for food and money? Did they end up leading better lives having food and traveling the world rather than be in a shabby neighborhood? Was Roanoke the most racist place in America? There were only KKK operating here? Were the boys raped and assaulted.. she kind of skips over this major point.
So much double talk—I’m not white (I even felt a bit offended & embarrassed) but she sure made it a point to point out those damn white people and make you feel guilty about being born white- see quote below— ((Lebron James would be proud in his mansion and having white cops as his security detail))
The next day, I realized, I’d mistaken the narrow space between their socks and knickers for shackles, when in fact what I was seeing were stripes of bare, white skin. It was a powerful reminder to look beyond the story I expected to find as I set out to untangle a century of whispers from truth. (PG 136)
In my honest and humble opinion she is a shitty journalist. Don’t put your agenda or feelings on others especially if this a true story. Just tell the family’s story and let us decide how to feel. Does journalism even exist anymore? Maybe just the yellow stuff….
The only reason it gets 2 stars is that I really enjoyed the history. I do think she got many things wrong though, she always came off as unsure.
The important thing I got from the story is that after being enslaved and going through some hardship they became store owners, home owners, proud Americans. Your ancestors went through all this horribleness and paved the way for you: What a beautiful thought. But what are you doing with this; Blaming others for your lack of actions or striving to be better?
I didn’t like how the author tried to minimize these accomplishments. Does she think Black people are stupid and ignorant and always need to be cynical instead of proud? Make white people feel guilty in the 21st century and piss off Black people enough to say “But I have a complex and you aren’t giving me more!” She was really pissing me off especially when you realize most of these people weren’t even mad. They just saw it for what it was and proudly moved on to better their families and futures.
Has anything really changed or just modernized? Don’t we treat people the same ways but point out serial killers and slavery as “they had it worse?” Now it doesn’t even matter what we are whether White, Black, Mexicans, Asians. We’re all dispensable after all and constantly used by our governments in the same ways but some of us are deluded into thinking as long as I have this or that I’ll be okay or my government would never lie to me!
I don’t know what she was going for with this book but I wouldn’t recommend it. It was opinionated, some sort of talking too much, and never got a sense of a thorough book.
April 14, 2017
A deeply researched telling of the lives of George and Willie Muse, African American albino brothers who spent decades as the stars of circus sideshows – and their mother's attempts to find them after they disappeared.
It's about much more than that, however, which is sometimes a strength and sometimes a weakness of this book. Beth Macy writes with clarity and authority, but sometimes tackles too many topics – as big as Jim Crow racism in Virginia, as small as the restaurant owned by their grandniece – making it hard for the reader to regain the thread when she returns to the brothers' story, even as the book's breadth provides a plethora of context for its focus.
My one major complaint is that Macy too often injects herself into the story. As a former journalist, I usually find first-person journalism unnecessary and self-aggrandizing, and this was no exception. The brothers' story is interesting enough; Macy's monthslong journey of getting their grandniece to finally talk to her is less so. I found her constant self-insertion distracting and off-putting, never more than when she concludes one chapter this way: "A branch in Truevine had sprouted a stray tendril in a surprising place, and it was up to me to follow its fickle, creeping path." My philosophy is: Get out of the way and let the story tell itself. I wish Macy had done more of that.
Especially since the story itself is so interesting. Overall, it's strong enough to overcome my various objections and allow me to recommend it as worth reading. Still, I can't help feeling that with all of the side trails and first-person narration that this is a really good long-form magazine article masquerading as a book.
It's about much more than that, however, which is sometimes a strength and sometimes a weakness of this book. Beth Macy writes with clarity and authority, but sometimes tackles too many topics – as big as Jim Crow racism in Virginia, as small as the restaurant owned by their grandniece – making it hard for the reader to regain the thread when she returns to the brothers' story, even as the book's breadth provides a plethora of context for its focus.
My one major complaint is that Macy too often injects herself into the story. As a former journalist, I usually find first-person journalism unnecessary and self-aggrandizing, and this was no exception. The brothers' story is interesting enough; Macy's monthslong journey of getting their grandniece to finally talk to her is less so. I found her constant self-insertion distracting and off-putting, never more than when she concludes one chapter this way: "A branch in Truevine had sprouted a stray tendril in a surprising place, and it was up to me to follow its fickle, creeping path." My philosophy is: Get out of the way and let the story tell itself. I wish Macy had done more of that.
Especially since the story itself is so interesting. Overall, it's strong enough to overcome my various objections and allow me to recommend it as worth reading. Still, I can't help feeling that with all of the side trails and first-person narration that this is a really good long-form magazine article masquerading as a book.
February 10, 2017
The old adage is true...you learn something new every day. I'd never heard of Willie and George (Eko and Iko) Muse prior to reading this book. This is the story of two young African Americans, the Muse Brothers, stolen by a carnival in the late 19th or early 20th century and exhibited in sideshows, because they were albinos. Located on tobacaao country, Truevine is a small town outside of Roanoke, one of the most segregated cities in the Jim Crow South. What I enjoyed most is how the Muse brothers mother stood up to Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey even though she was an oppressed citizen. What an intriguing story! I love history.
February 21, 2020
This story completely broke my heart in 2. It was about two brothers, a kidnapping and a mother's quest yet so much more! You got the history of circuses which has been an interest of mine. It shows the behind the scenes of how they got their "circus freaks" and how they tricked the public and created personas for these performers. It's how a brokenhearted mother could not get her own sons back due to the color of her skin in that period in time. It's so much history and deeply researched accurately. I still give this book a 5 but will advise it does drag a bit in stages but the story is so amazing it doesn't matter much.
October 23, 2016
My first introduction to Truevine came from several local folks who knew that I was a blogger. Each commented that they hadn’t read the new release but were curious as to what people in the area thought about the writing. Since the Muse descendants still live here in Franklin County - how accurate would the book actually be? Could someone pen a book about something as touchy as what happened to the Muse brothers and still stay ‘true’ to the area. So - at the urging of a local librarian who didn’t have the time to read the book….I set out to discover what secrets the author uncovered about the Muse brothers that was not known to people in our area of the county.
Truevine is a community - not a town as stated in the book - in Franklin County that lies between Glade Hill and Snow Creek. If you blink while driving through the area, you will miss it!! It’s that small of a community. Having lived in the Snow Creek area all of my life, I am familiar with Truevine. In fact - it’s a short drive from my house…..10 minutes actually. So - I decided to dig into this supposed sordid tale and see what mysteries the author uncovered.
The anticipation of the unknown secrets that the author hinted at were killing me. I couldn’t wait to discover what secrets were lying around the corner in regards to the Muse brothers kidnapping and life in the circus. However - I soon found myself disappointed. Why? Well - the longer I read the more I realized that this book was more about segregation and less about the secrets surrounding Willie and George Muse. It was a story filled with accounts from others that weren’t connected to the Muse family other than to live in Roanoke during the time they were ‘missing’ or came back home. There were less facts from family members or documents and more details about the life and times of those affected by segregation in Roanoke (and elsewhere).
Then there were several inconsistencies that nagged at me. The first and biggest would be the discussion that Truevine Elementary School closed at the end of segregation and a factory then took over the school. Well - this is about as far from the truth as I can imagine. You see - I was in 5th grade when the county decided to consolidate Truevine Elementary and close its doors. My recollection would be quite accurate considering Truevine Elementary students were moved to Snow Creek Elementary - where I was a student. It was as far away from the time of segregation as you could imagine. I am only 44 (gasp…I actually admitted it) and that was a LONG time after schools were integrated. Truevine Elementary was closed due to student enrollment between the two schools, and many other budgeting factors. Once it was closed - Doyle Enterprises began operating out of the facility. Due to NAFTA and many other factors - Doyle Enterprises is no longer in the facility and the building sits vacant.
I also found ‘pause’ when the author references Martinsville. The book states ‘One year, her biological grandparents in Henry County , near Martinsville….’. Well - I guess no one decided to look at a map. Martinsville is located WITHIN Henry County. Also the statement - ‘Truevine and neighboring Sontag, Penhook, and Snow Creek: these close-knit Franklin County enclaves are memories now more than working communities….’. So - when did these neighborhoods vanish? Snow Creek, Sontag and Penhook are all alive and well. Snow Creek and Sontag Elementary schools are thriving with increased enrollment. Penhook (also the mailing address for Snow Creek School) is always thriving due to Smith Mountain Lake. Farms still exist. My neighbors are dairy farmers, tobacco farmers, blue collar workers, white collar workers, educators, etc. all within the confines of these locals. So - those statements are inflated at the very least.
Then there are references to the fact the author believes Roanoke was such a dangerous place to be for an African American person ‘back in the day’. That was true anywhere that practiced slavery. Time and again I would reread passages to make certain what I was reading…..even reading aloud to my husband what the paragraphs were detailing. Slavery was a dark time in history. There is no doubt about that. However - the way this story reads, you would think Roanoke was the MOST dangerous place for African Americans in history. That isn’t quite how history was written. There are so many stories that weren’t written in this country, but one thing is certain. ANYWHERE there was slavery in the states…times were dangerous and difficult. Some states the further south you traveled were much more dangerous than Roanoke, VA. So - it puzzled me as to why Roanoke seemed to be portrayed as the worst place for ‘people of color’ to live.
As I pushed onward through the book I did find many interesting facts about the circus life for so many people. It was fascinating from that aspect. However - during the midst of reading - I found so many ‘I think’ or ‘maybes’ during the lingo. If you are talking about history….it needs to be purely facts that you write about. Not what one would think. Inserting what one ‘thinks’ can change how history was written. So in reality - there were very little FACTS about the Muse brothers, but a whole lot of ‘guesses’ about how they may have lived their lives within the circus during their time on the road. The relationship that Nancy had with her uncle was definitely a highlight of the book, but she did not give up as much information as you would have believed from the title and cover of the book!
If I am looking at the book without pertaining any thoughts related to my life in this area, I would say the book contains more ‘fluff’ than plot. The information contained within chapters jumps from person to thing even if none of the details had to do with one another. Also - there was a lot of ‘repeated’ statements or phrases peppered within TONS of run-on sentences. Something that drives me batty since I edit and beta for several authors.
Overall - there were so many details about segregation in the south. Which the author references constantly with the term ‘Jim Crow South’. Does this give us more insight into Truevine or a mothers deep dark secrets about her children that were ‘taken’ from the circus? No - not really. It is a great glimpse into the legal aspects that the Muse family went through during that era. However - I found the significance of the title as related to the material contained between the covers to be far from what one would expect when reading the title or synopsis.
Truevine is a community - not a town as stated in the book - in Franklin County that lies between Glade Hill and Snow Creek. If you blink while driving through the area, you will miss it!! It’s that small of a community. Having lived in the Snow Creek area all of my life, I am familiar with Truevine. In fact - it’s a short drive from my house…..10 minutes actually. So - I decided to dig into this supposed sordid tale and see what mysteries the author uncovered.
The anticipation of the unknown secrets that the author hinted at were killing me. I couldn’t wait to discover what secrets were lying around the corner in regards to the Muse brothers kidnapping and life in the circus. However - I soon found myself disappointed. Why? Well - the longer I read the more I realized that this book was more about segregation and less about the secrets surrounding Willie and George Muse. It was a story filled with accounts from others that weren’t connected to the Muse family other than to live in Roanoke during the time they were ‘missing’ or came back home. There were less facts from family members or documents and more details about the life and times of those affected by segregation in Roanoke (and elsewhere).
Then there were several inconsistencies that nagged at me. The first and biggest would be the discussion that Truevine Elementary School closed at the end of segregation and a factory then took over the school. Well - this is about as far from the truth as I can imagine. You see - I was in 5th grade when the county decided to consolidate Truevine Elementary and close its doors. My recollection would be quite accurate considering Truevine Elementary students were moved to Snow Creek Elementary - where I was a student. It was as far away from the time of segregation as you could imagine. I am only 44 (gasp…I actually admitted it) and that was a LONG time after schools were integrated. Truevine Elementary was closed due to student enrollment between the two schools, and many other budgeting factors. Once it was closed - Doyle Enterprises began operating out of the facility. Due to NAFTA and many other factors - Doyle Enterprises is no longer in the facility and the building sits vacant.
I also found ‘pause’ when the author references Martinsville. The book states ‘One year, her biological grandparents in Henry County , near Martinsville….’. Well - I guess no one decided to look at a map. Martinsville is located WITHIN Henry County. Also the statement - ‘Truevine and neighboring Sontag, Penhook, and Snow Creek: these close-knit Franklin County enclaves are memories now more than working communities….’. So - when did these neighborhoods vanish? Snow Creek, Sontag and Penhook are all alive and well. Snow Creek and Sontag Elementary schools are thriving with increased enrollment. Penhook (also the mailing address for Snow Creek School) is always thriving due to Smith Mountain Lake. Farms still exist. My neighbors are dairy farmers, tobacco farmers, blue collar workers, white collar workers, educators, etc. all within the confines of these locals. So - those statements are inflated at the very least.
Then there are references to the fact the author believes Roanoke was such a dangerous place to be for an African American person ‘back in the day’. That was true anywhere that practiced slavery. Time and again I would reread passages to make certain what I was reading…..even reading aloud to my husband what the paragraphs were detailing. Slavery was a dark time in history. There is no doubt about that. However - the way this story reads, you would think Roanoke was the MOST dangerous place for African Americans in history. That isn’t quite how history was written. There are so many stories that weren’t written in this country, but one thing is certain. ANYWHERE there was slavery in the states…times were dangerous and difficult. Some states the further south you traveled were much more dangerous than Roanoke, VA. So - it puzzled me as to why Roanoke seemed to be portrayed as the worst place for ‘people of color’ to live.
As I pushed onward through the book I did find many interesting facts about the circus life for so many people. It was fascinating from that aspect. However - during the midst of reading - I found so many ‘I think’ or ‘maybes’ during the lingo. If you are talking about history….it needs to be purely facts that you write about. Not what one would think. Inserting what one ‘thinks’ can change how history was written. So in reality - there were very little FACTS about the Muse brothers, but a whole lot of ‘guesses’ about how they may have lived their lives within the circus during their time on the road. The relationship that Nancy had with her uncle was definitely a highlight of the book, but she did not give up as much information as you would have believed from the title and cover of the book!
If I am looking at the book without pertaining any thoughts related to my life in this area, I would say the book contains more ‘fluff’ than plot. The information contained within chapters jumps from person to thing even if none of the details had to do with one another. Also - there was a lot of ‘repeated’ statements or phrases peppered within TONS of run-on sentences. Something that drives me batty since I edit and beta for several authors.
Overall - there were so many details about segregation in the south. Which the author references constantly with the term ‘Jim Crow South’. Does this give us more insight into Truevine or a mothers deep dark secrets about her children that were ‘taken’ from the circus? No - not really. It is a great glimpse into the legal aspects that the Muse family went through during that era. However - I found the significance of the title as related to the material contained between the covers to be far from what one would expect when reading the title or synopsis.
March 29, 2017
In her previous book, Factory Man, Beth Macy tells a distinctly American story by tracing the history of a small, family-owned furniture manufacturer in southwest Virginia and by documenting their fight to survive in the twenty-first century global marketplace. With Truevine, Macy has again unearthed a rich, complicated, and troubling history from southwest Virginia that reveals important truths about the American past and present at the complicated intersection of race, class, labor, and region. Macy's journalist roots shine as she weaves a gripping story that keeps you riveted through shock, sadness, amusement, and grim curiosity as you reckon with the implications of this American true story. Truevine weaves its way through the black and white, small town world of lower and working-class, twentieth-century America, who came together at the circus.
Ostensibly, Truevine is about two, young Albino African-American brothers plucked from the tobacco fields (in Truevine, Virginia) and who would become famous for their performances in the Freak Shows popular with circuses of the era. Simultaneously, Truevine is about their mother, who defeated all odds to bring them back home. The twists and turns of this story will keep you agape and constantly make you wonder, "how could this possibly have happened?" However, Macy's carefully and deeply researched work leaves you no doubt of its authenticity. Macy has expertly woven the threads of this tale from past to present with such detail that if you walk the streets of Roanoke, Virginia today, the physical vestiges of the not so distant past are evident everywhere. With this proof in hand, you will be left to wrestle what to do with Macy’s account of how the segregated and racialized U.S. past continues to haunt the American present. Those who have read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rececca Skoot, will recognize this feeling.
This story is many things. This is a story about the circus. This is a story about a mother's courage. This is a story about family. This is a story about betrayal. This is a story about race and gender in small, southern locales. This is a story about love. This story is about the complication of being a category that doesn't "fit," even when at home. This is a story about "then," but it is also a story about "now." This is a story originating in Truevine, Virginia, but it is also a story about Anywhere, America.
Truevine is time well spent. And, like all great stories, you will spend time with it even after you are finished reading.
Ostensibly, Truevine is about two, young Albino African-American brothers plucked from the tobacco fields (in Truevine, Virginia) and who would become famous for their performances in the Freak Shows popular with circuses of the era. Simultaneously, Truevine is about their mother, who defeated all odds to bring them back home. The twists and turns of this story will keep you agape and constantly make you wonder, "how could this possibly have happened?" However, Macy's carefully and deeply researched work leaves you no doubt of its authenticity. Macy has expertly woven the threads of this tale from past to present with such detail that if you walk the streets of Roanoke, Virginia today, the physical vestiges of the not so distant past are evident everywhere. With this proof in hand, you will be left to wrestle what to do with Macy’s account of how the segregated and racialized U.S. past continues to haunt the American present. Those who have read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rececca Skoot, will recognize this feeling.
This story is many things. This is a story about the circus. This is a story about a mother's courage. This is a story about family. This is a story about betrayal. This is a story about race and gender in small, southern locales. This is a story about love. This story is about the complication of being a category that doesn't "fit," even when at home. This is a story about "then," but it is also a story about "now." This is a story originating in Truevine, Virginia, but it is also a story about Anywhere, America.
Truevine is time well spent. And, like all great stories, you will spend time with it even after you are finished reading.
May 27, 2023
This deeply researched book is a Southern time-machine truth detector. For anyone who may have wished to go back in time to discover how things "really were," be careful what you wish for. I'm changed by "Truevine": I thought I had an honest sense of how grossly we romanticize notions of The South but this book opened my eyes even more.
Beth Macy's choice to write this book in the first person and include her own admissions and assumptions on race was a brave one, and is an example of the kind of honesty and humility we should all bring to these conversations. Her previous book, "Factory Man," gave readers a heroic narrative, a rallying cry that all Americans could unite behind. This book is painful and more ambiguous, and in its honesty, just as important to inform our national sense of ourselves.
Beth Macy's choice to write this book in the first person and include her own admissions and assumptions on race was a brave one, and is an example of the kind of honesty and humility we should all bring to these conversations. Her previous book, "Factory Man," gave readers a heroic narrative, a rallying cry that all Americans could unite behind. This book is painful and more ambiguous, and in its honesty, just as important to inform our national sense of ourselves.
July 11, 2016
In Truevine, Virginia in 1899, two albino African American boys from a sharecropper family were stolen from the tobacco fields where they were working and put to work as circus freaks. It took their mother 28 years to finally get them back. Intrigued by this almost mythological tale, journalist Beth Macy spent years researching, conducting interviews and trying to piece together the whole story. Her research places the Muse brothers' story into context as she weaves historical details about turn-of-the-century circuses and race relations in the Jim Crow South into the narrative. A fascinating story that will resonate with readers today.
January 23, 2017
Given the outstanding reviews from reputable critics and the number of awards and "Best of" lists it made, I had high hopes for this book. I became somewhat concerned just from looking at the photo inserts, as they suggested a lack of focus and a tendency to include irrelevant information (photos include people who provide a quote, extremely minor characters, people who helped the author, and one that "spotlights the scenic, quiet setting that must have attracted Harriet Muse to buy property in the rural, predominantly black community"). The book itself confirmed my fears, as there's a lack of focus and tendency to include irrelevant information that makes it a very frustrating read.
The story of the Muse brothers is an interesting one: albinos who were either kidnapped or bought from their mother (this is never sufficiently answered, which is odd given that it's the central question) spend their lives as a circus sideshow act. Reading about life in a sideshow in the early and middle 20th century is definitely intriguing, and there's certainly power in reading how African-Americans were treated in the South during this time period (though the subject is covered far more effectively in countless other books). Macy's attempt to address both issues leaves her scattered, and there's no chronological through-line or consistent viewpoint to tie these stories together.
Macy's largest problem, though, is her decision to publish every piece of information her exploration uncovered regardless of whether it advanced the story or shed insight into events. She includes several-page asides about minor characters who are included because they heard a story about the Muses, data about information that's barely relevant to the story, and character studies of individuals who played a very minor role in the lives of her subjects. Reading this, I was reminded of my students who submit papers with irrelevant information: I instruct them to only use the information that advances their thesis and edit out the rest. Macy did not do that.
When Macy admits in the acknowledgements that the idea for this book came to her while perusing Facebook over a shared bottle of wine, and states that she decided to resurrect a 2001 newspaper article she had written and "if enough new material could be gathered, turn it into a book," the nature of this book became clear. It's a good newspaper article about the Muse brothers that has been tortured into a book-length piece through the inclusion of irrelevant material.
I don't know how this book ended up on so many best-of lists, because it is truly one of the worst-written and worst-organized books I've ever read. It is not worth the cost or the time.
The story of the Muse brothers is an interesting one: albinos who were either kidnapped or bought from their mother (this is never sufficiently answered, which is odd given that it's the central question) spend their lives as a circus sideshow act. Reading about life in a sideshow in the early and middle 20th century is definitely intriguing, and there's certainly power in reading how African-Americans were treated in the South during this time period (though the subject is covered far more effectively in countless other books). Macy's attempt to address both issues leaves her scattered, and there's no chronological through-line or consistent viewpoint to tie these stories together.
Macy's largest problem, though, is her decision to publish every piece of information her exploration uncovered regardless of whether it advanced the story or shed insight into events. She includes several-page asides about minor characters who are included because they heard a story about the Muses, data about information that's barely relevant to the story, and character studies of individuals who played a very minor role in the lives of her subjects. Reading this, I was reminded of my students who submit papers with irrelevant information: I instruct them to only use the information that advances their thesis and edit out the rest. Macy did not do that.
When Macy admits in the acknowledgements that the idea for this book came to her while perusing Facebook over a shared bottle of wine, and states that she decided to resurrect a 2001 newspaper article she had written and "if enough new material could be gathered, turn it into a book," the nature of this book became clear. It's a good newspaper article about the Muse brothers that has been tortured into a book-length piece through the inclusion of irrelevant material.
I don't know how this book ended up on so many best-of lists, because it is truly one of the worst-written and worst-organized books I've ever read. It is not worth the cost or the time.
October 21, 2017
An interesting true story about two brothers;George and Willie Muse, who were stolen from their town in rural Virginia, and sold to the circus. Why, you may ask? Because they were albino African Americans. They were stolen when they were around the age of ten. Their mother, Harriet, despite being destitute and illiterate, finally found them when the circus came back to Virginia more than eight years later.
The brothers were part of the sideshow in some of the biggest circuses in the early 1900's. The sideshow exhibited many different kinds of people, who might have been considered freaks back then. The boys were unpaid, and at first, told their mother was dead. Harriet put both of those things to rest. She took her sons back, and refused to let them go back to the circus unless they were paid, and she got monthly letters about their welfare.
The story itself is very interesting, but at times it jumped around a lot, and I couldn't catch my bearings. All I could do was keep reading. The treatment of people in the circus was deplorable, and so sad. The story of George and Willie Muse is just the tip of the iceberg. A good read.
The brothers were part of the sideshow in some of the biggest circuses in the early 1900's. The sideshow exhibited many different kinds of people, who might have been considered freaks back then. The boys were unpaid, and at first, told their mother was dead. Harriet put both of those things to rest. She took her sons back, and refused to let them go back to the circus unless they were paid, and she got monthly letters about their welfare.
The story itself is very interesting, but at times it jumped around a lot, and I couldn't catch my bearings. All I could do was keep reading. The treatment of people in the circus was deplorable, and so sad. The story of George and Willie Muse is just the tip of the iceberg. A good read.
September 14, 2016
Beth Macy combines thorough reporting with empathy and insight better than any other writer I've ever read. She is able to teach us about the history of the Muse family, the tiny Virginia village of Truevine, the city of Roanoke, the circus, and the African American experience from the late 1890s through the twentieth century, all the while recreating characters whose lives matter to us. She finds the truth if it can be found and tells us when it can't or when the people who tell the stories remember different versions of the truth.
The notes at the end of the book show the thoroughness of Beth Macy's research, especially primary research--combing through archives and interviewing as many people as she could find who had known Willie and George Muse. The text and the photographs bring the people to life.
In the end, I love this book for almost the opposite reason that I love Factory Man: because my mother worked for Bassett Furniture and I also worked there one summer, I could relate to much of Factory Man. But I can relate to almost nothing in Truevine, except for location (I live in Franklin County about 45 minutes from the Truevine community), and the novelty was enthralling.
People interested in history, psychology, racial justice, and even the law should read this book. Readers who admire great reporting and great people, like the Muse brothers' mother and her attorney, should find this book inspiring.
The notes at the end of the book show the thoroughness of Beth Macy's research, especially primary research--combing through archives and interviewing as many people as she could find who had known Willie and George Muse. The text and the photographs bring the people to life.
In the end, I love this book for almost the opposite reason that I love Factory Man: because my mother worked for Bassett Furniture and I also worked there one summer, I could relate to much of Factory Man. But I can relate to almost nothing in Truevine, except for location (I live in Franklin County about 45 minutes from the Truevine community), and the novelty was enthralling.
People interested in history, psychology, racial justice, and even the law should read this book. Readers who admire great reporting and great people, like the Muse brothers' mother and her attorney, should find this book inspiring.
June 6, 2018
When I first read the title “Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South”, I assumed I would be reading story of two brothers who were kidnapped and subjected to some sort of racism. I was wrong! I received much more!
In 1899 in the Jim Crow South town of Truevine, Virginia. George and Willie Muse, two albino brothers who were kidnapped (“Stolen”) by a circus manager and forced to work in the circus for many years without pay. The Muse brothers were global superstars because the color of their skin and in the outrageous caricatures they were forced to assume. While these boys/men were being exploited for their disabilities and deformities their mother spent 28 years trying to track them down and bring them home.
Macy did an amazing job of researching, synthesizing, and presenting the information, not only about George and Willie Muse, but also about life in the circus during this time and the Jim Crow south. The content of the book was very interesting and gave me a new perspective on circus life. I admired Harriet Muse for being strong in the face of incredible challenges, especially in that time frame. My only wish would be that Macy would have written more about the two boys. If you are into historical facts, then I highly recommend this book.
In 1899 in the Jim Crow South town of Truevine, Virginia. George and Willie Muse, two albino brothers who were kidnapped (“Stolen”) by a circus manager and forced to work in the circus for many years without pay. The Muse brothers were global superstars because the color of their skin and in the outrageous caricatures they were forced to assume. While these boys/men were being exploited for their disabilities and deformities their mother spent 28 years trying to track them down and bring them home.
Macy did an amazing job of researching, synthesizing, and presenting the information, not only about George and Willie Muse, but also about life in the circus during this time and the Jim Crow south. The content of the book was very interesting and gave me a new perspective on circus life. I admired Harriet Muse for being strong in the face of incredible challenges, especially in that time frame. My only wish would be that Macy would have written more about the two boys. If you are into historical facts, then I highly recommend this book.
October 29, 2016
Parts of this book would rate 2 stars, and parts 4-5 stars, so I am settling at 3 overall. The author is an investigative journalist who obviously did extensive research, but she seemed to feel the need to put everything she discovered in the book. The sub-title of the book is misleading, which always annoys me. Several parts of the book ramble and go off on long-winded tangents- so long sometimes that when she finally came back to the main thread, I was surprised when I was reminded that that was what she had been talking about before she began the ramblings. In some places, this is an interesting and depressing story about the realities of being a poor black in the Jim Crow South, the lives of circus performers, the legal system, and many other topics. Some of the tangents are quite interesting- such as how the British lost interest in sideshows long before Americans did, as they had so many soldiers return from war with disfiguring wounds.
September 13, 2021
LOVED this story, kudos to Beth Macy for the love and commitment to this book. Intriguing, circus and carnival life and all the injustices to the people that worked and lived this life, and those in that area. Thank you, Ms. Macy.
October 28, 2016
Truevine is the remarkable story of George and Willie Muse, born to a sharecropper in a part of the country that had hardly changed since slave days. And they were born albino African Americans, with white skin, pale hair in dreadlocks, and blue eyes unable to focus or stand light. The boys faced a brutal life in the tobacco fields of Virginia.
The brothers were six and nine when they were stolen from their home in Truvine to be exhibited in circuses, told their mother was dead. Called Eko and Iko, Ambassadors from Mars, or the Sheep-headed freaks, or touted as cannibals, they performed across America and in Europe. Uneducated, told to talk in mumbo jumbo and to act wild, they also learned any instrument by ear and loved to sing It's a Long Way to Tipperary.
Their heartbroken mother spent twenty-eight years trying to reunite with her sons.
When the circus arrived in the brother's home town their mother was in the audience and was recognized by her sons She went to court to seek justice for her sons: remuneration, better living conditions, correspondence with their family, a retirement savings account. Her sons, after all, were one of the biggest draws in the sideshow.
In Roanoke, VA, African Americans lynch mobs dealt out 'justice' and the descendants of slaves were considered genetically inferior. The Muse brother's mother took on one of the biggest entertainment businesses in a courageous act that could have brought fatal repercussions.
Not that the battle was fought once and for all. The boys contracted to return to the circus, this time with a salary. But they were handed off to a new manager who took off for another venue and kept all the proceeds for himself. The brothers spent 28 years exploited, in virtual slavery.
I was reluctant to read a book about 'freaks' until I saw the reviews. Macy considers the Muse brothers' story in context of African American history from slavery through Jim Crow laws, the eugenics movement the early 20th c., and cultural and political changes including urban renewal.
The author spent 25 years building a relationship with the woman who cared for the last Muse brother in old age. Truevine is impressive in it's scope, exploring human trafficking, the heyday of the circus, the racial history of Roanoke, VA, and offers sympathetic, human portraits of the Muse family.
There is question about how the brothers came to be discovered by the circus and if the circus life was better than the lives they would have had, especially as they developed blindness. What is not under question is the love and respect given the aging Willie who lived to be 108; his tombstone reads, "God is good to me."
As I read this book I remembered the elementary school boy with a hook for a hand. And I realized the white haired, white skinned boy with dark glasses in my high school had albinism. Differences were something I took in stride growing up, for as my mother used to say, in another day and economic status, she would have been a circus freak.
Mom suffered from psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. At times 90% of her body was covered by psoriasis. Her nails were thick, yellow, and bumpy. She took long soaking baths and applied creams to loosen the dead skin, leaving her with red patches of new skin. Arthritis too mobility in her neck, hands, and major joints. Her treatments included mercury salves, cortisone that caused weight gain and thin skin that easy tore open, application of smelly tar ointments followed by body wrapping in saran wrap, applications of olive oil on her scalp (which I helped apply with cotton balls), Ultra Violet light treatment that caused pre-cancerous growths, and finally Methotrexate which allowed her a quality of life she had not experienced in decades.
Mom figured she would have been touted as a scaly Fish Lady.
To me, Mom was pretty, smart, and generous, a loyal friend, an incessant reader. Yes, she needed help with her personal care, and had trouble opening jars or lifting heavy things. But I was not ashamed of her, as she feared, nor did I feel the need to explain or hide Mom's autoimmune disease.
The Muse brothers didn't have what Mom enjoyed: a loving mother and father who provided for their children, a loving husband, a community that supported her, affordable medical care. The Muse brothers did have a mother who never gave up wanting the best for her sons.
"One of my advisers, a sociology professor, says that black people really want people to know that they have survived something – emotionally, physically, spiritually – that would have killed most people," Macy says. "That's the heart of this book." http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapte...
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
The brothers were six and nine when they were stolen from their home in Truvine to be exhibited in circuses, told their mother was dead. Called Eko and Iko, Ambassadors from Mars, or the Sheep-headed freaks, or touted as cannibals, they performed across America and in Europe. Uneducated, told to talk in mumbo jumbo and to act wild, they also learned any instrument by ear and loved to sing It's a Long Way to Tipperary.
Their heartbroken mother spent twenty-eight years trying to reunite with her sons.
When the circus arrived in the brother's home town their mother was in the audience and was recognized by her sons She went to court to seek justice for her sons: remuneration, better living conditions, correspondence with their family, a retirement savings account. Her sons, after all, were one of the biggest draws in the sideshow.
In Roanoke, VA, African Americans lynch mobs dealt out 'justice' and the descendants of slaves were considered genetically inferior. The Muse brother's mother took on one of the biggest entertainment businesses in a courageous act that could have brought fatal repercussions.
Not that the battle was fought once and for all. The boys contracted to return to the circus, this time with a salary. But they were handed off to a new manager who took off for another venue and kept all the proceeds for himself. The brothers spent 28 years exploited, in virtual slavery.
I was reluctant to read a book about 'freaks' until I saw the reviews. Macy considers the Muse brothers' story in context of African American history from slavery through Jim Crow laws, the eugenics movement the early 20th c., and cultural and political changes including urban renewal.
The author spent 25 years building a relationship with the woman who cared for the last Muse brother in old age. Truevine is impressive in it's scope, exploring human trafficking, the heyday of the circus, the racial history of Roanoke, VA, and offers sympathetic, human portraits of the Muse family.
There is question about how the brothers came to be discovered by the circus and if the circus life was better than the lives they would have had, especially as they developed blindness. What is not under question is the love and respect given the aging Willie who lived to be 108; his tombstone reads, "God is good to me."
As I read this book I remembered the elementary school boy with a hook for a hand. And I realized the white haired, white skinned boy with dark glasses in my high school had albinism. Differences were something I took in stride growing up, for as my mother used to say, in another day and economic status, she would have been a circus freak.
Mom suffered from psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. At times 90% of her body was covered by psoriasis. Her nails were thick, yellow, and bumpy. She took long soaking baths and applied creams to loosen the dead skin, leaving her with red patches of new skin. Arthritis too mobility in her neck, hands, and major joints. Her treatments included mercury salves, cortisone that caused weight gain and thin skin that easy tore open, application of smelly tar ointments followed by body wrapping in saran wrap, applications of olive oil on her scalp (which I helped apply with cotton balls), Ultra Violet light treatment that caused pre-cancerous growths, and finally Methotrexate which allowed her a quality of life she had not experienced in decades.
Mom figured she would have been touted as a scaly Fish Lady.
To me, Mom was pretty, smart, and generous, a loyal friend, an incessant reader. Yes, she needed help with her personal care, and had trouble opening jars or lifting heavy things. But I was not ashamed of her, as she feared, nor did I feel the need to explain or hide Mom's autoimmune disease.
The Muse brothers didn't have what Mom enjoyed: a loving mother and father who provided for their children, a loving husband, a community that supported her, affordable medical care. The Muse brothers did have a mother who never gave up wanting the best for her sons.
"One of my advisers, a sociology professor, says that black people really want people to know that they have survived something – emotionally, physically, spiritually – that would have killed most people," Macy says. "That's the heart of this book." http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapte...
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
June 27, 2017
Read Harder 2017: Read a book that is set within 100 miles of your location.
Oy vey. This book was all over the place.
There was a lot of history here that was very interesting that I didn't know about a city right up the road from me, but the narrative splintered in so many directions, over such a broad range of topics, that it gave me whiplash. Was this a book about two brothers who were kidnapped? Or was it about the history of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus? Or was it about racism's ugly history in Roanoke, Va.? Or was it about the lawyer who finally made sure the brothers were getting paid for their work? Or was it about the urban renewal housing crisis in Roanoke? Or was it about the woman who clearly didn't trust the author to write this book about her uncles — so much so that it took her 25 years to give the author permission to write it?
The central theme about the two young, albino, black boys from Virginia who became circus phenomena could have been a tight, interesting narrative on its own. So I'm torn, because partway through, I wished that this had been a series of interconnecting short-stories instead of one long narrative, since there wasn't enough source material to make it a compelling 10+ hour book on its own (I listened to the audio). But then, an hour or two later, I couldn't figure out how it would have worked as a short story collection either, so I'm stuck. I can't provide any useful feedback about how to make this book better! Rawr!
The tagline of this book was also somewhat misleading, because the author admits there is controversy about whether the boys' mother agreed to let them join the circus temporarily, or whether they were kidnapped by the circus. And then they willingly went back to their life in the freak show after she had spent a whole bunch of years looking for them! And finally, my biggest disappointment: It wasn't until the last hour of listening that one of the brothers came to life as a character. Once I knew the author — a trained journalist! — was capable of making a character seem real enough to touch, I was so bummed that so much of the book was her telling, and not showing, the two brothers' fascinating story.
Ultimately a weak 2.5 stars, because I did enjoy parts, but it could have been about half the length.
Oy vey. This book was all over the place.
There was a lot of history here that was very interesting that I didn't know about a city right up the road from me, but the narrative splintered in so many directions, over such a broad range of topics, that it gave me whiplash. Was this a book about two brothers who were kidnapped? Or was it about the history of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus? Or was it about racism's ugly history in Roanoke, Va.? Or was it about the lawyer who finally made sure the brothers were getting paid for their work? Or was it about the urban renewal housing crisis in Roanoke? Or was it about the woman who clearly didn't trust the author to write this book about her uncles — so much so that it took her 25 years to give the author permission to write it?
The central theme about the two young, albino, black boys from Virginia who became circus phenomena could have been a tight, interesting narrative on its own. So I'm torn, because partway through, I wished that this had been a series of interconnecting short-stories instead of one long narrative, since there wasn't enough source material to make it a compelling 10+ hour book on its own (I listened to the audio). But then, an hour or two later, I couldn't figure out how it would have worked as a short story collection either, so I'm stuck. I can't provide any useful feedback about how to make this book better! Rawr!
The tagline of this book was also somewhat misleading, because the author admits there is controversy about whether the boys' mother agreed to let them join the circus temporarily, or whether they were kidnapped by the circus. And then they willingly went back to their life in the freak show after she had spent a whole bunch of years looking for them! And finally, my biggest disappointment: It wasn't until the last hour of listening that one of the brothers came to life as a character. Once I knew the author — a trained journalist! — was capable of making a character seem real enough to touch, I was so bummed that so much of the book was her telling, and not showing, the two brothers' fascinating story.
Ultimately a weak 2.5 stars, because I did enjoy parts, but it could have been about half the length.
January 1, 2018
There are stories within this story of two African American brothers "stolen" when they were adolescents to work in circus and carnival sideshows. The brothers who both had albinism were promoted as being "savages" from many different places such as Ecuador.
The book provides the history of Black life in southern Virginia, the rural areas around Roanoke and Roanoke itself. There are a lot of historical details as well about circuses of the 20th century which was not as interesting to me. I found the historical context of the Jim Crow state of Virginia into the second half of the 20th century an important reminder of how and why events such as we saw in Charlottesville can happen.
The hero(ine) of the story is Harriet Muse, the mother of George and Willie. She never gave up searching for her lost sons. She found them, and then would lose them again. Dishonest and exploitative men moved them from circus to circus and often they were not paid. But Harriet Muse got lawyers to pursue payment and the right to be kept informed of their location.
At the end of their lives they went home to live with relatives - their mother was no longer alive - and were cared for in more comfort than they'd know for many years. This is an important story because the author, Macy, did meticulous research. The details of live under Jim Crow, the wretched housing conditions and exploitation by greedy landlords (who were White) who went on to profit from the demolishing of these properties under urban renewal (or as the Black Community called it "Negro removal") were most interesting to me.
Because I found it harder to get through the details of circus life, it took me a while to finish this. This led me to rate it 4 stars. However, this would be of interest to readers who are interested in a number of topics including 20th century peonage, the Jim Crow South, circuses, the lives of side show performers, etc. etc.
The book provides the history of Black life in southern Virginia, the rural areas around Roanoke and Roanoke itself. There are a lot of historical details as well about circuses of the 20th century which was not as interesting to me. I found the historical context of the Jim Crow state of Virginia into the second half of the 20th century an important reminder of how and why events such as we saw in Charlottesville can happen.
The hero(ine) of the story is Harriet Muse, the mother of George and Willie. She never gave up searching for her lost sons. She found them, and then would lose them again. Dishonest and exploitative men moved them from circus to circus and often they were not paid. But Harriet Muse got lawyers to pursue payment and the right to be kept informed of their location.
At the end of their lives they went home to live with relatives - their mother was no longer alive - and were cared for in more comfort than they'd know for many years. This is an important story because the author, Macy, did meticulous research. The details of live under Jim Crow, the wretched housing conditions and exploitation by greedy landlords (who were White) who went on to profit from the demolishing of these properties under urban renewal (or as the Black Community called it "Negro removal") were most interesting to me.
Because I found it harder to get through the details of circus life, it took me a while to finish this. This led me to rate it 4 stars. However, this would be of interest to readers who are interested in a number of topics including 20th century peonage, the Jim Crow South, circuses, the lives of side show performers, etc. etc.
February 16, 2019
"After drilling down more rabbit holes than I can count, I've had to settle for an imperfect and incomplete storyline, uncertain but for its ripple- free reflections on memory, power, and race." (Beth Macy)
What the story is about:
Two young African American boys kidnapped from their mother in Roanoke, VA to become child side show exhibits.
What the story is not about:
Two young African American boys kidnapped from their mother in Roanoke, VA to become child side show exhibits.
Now, if you have already perused the comments and reviews on this book, you are well aware, this story is probably worth only 3-4 pages of information about George and Willie Muse. Somehow, Beth Macy is able to write a book almost 400 pages long and fill it with other subjects.
So how do you decide whether to read the book or not? Well, let me start with the positive:
If you are into history, you will like the book. Though portions of the history grieved me, I learned quite a bit from her research. Some of the topics she covered lead me to research them further for clarification.
The negative:
I would have preferred to get the information I came to the book for: George and Willie Muse. It was very apparent from the beginning that Macy lacked enough information to truly carry this as a book. Instead, she attempted to make up for the lack of information with other topics such as the history of the circus, and the people of Roanoke, Virginia at the time of the kidnapping. Also, at times, Macy appeared to be jumping around different time frames. On one page, we could be in the present and then instantaneously, we would go back in history and then without warning, return to the present.
In a nutshell, this is what the book is about. I don't discourage people from reading this book. I just want people to know what they are getting into prior to reading it.
What the story is about:
Two young African American boys kidnapped from their mother in Roanoke, VA to become child side show exhibits.
What the story is not about:
Two young African American boys kidnapped from their mother in Roanoke, VA to become child side show exhibits.
Now, if you have already perused the comments and reviews on this book, you are well aware, this story is probably worth only 3-4 pages of information about George and Willie Muse. Somehow, Beth Macy is able to write a book almost 400 pages long and fill it with other subjects.
So how do you decide whether to read the book or not? Well, let me start with the positive:
If you are into history, you will like the book. Though portions of the history grieved me, I learned quite a bit from her research. Some of the topics she covered lead me to research them further for clarification.
The negative:
I would have preferred to get the information I came to the book for: George and Willie Muse. It was very apparent from the beginning that Macy lacked enough information to truly carry this as a book. Instead, she attempted to make up for the lack of information with other topics such as the history of the circus, and the people of Roanoke, Virginia at the time of the kidnapping. Also, at times, Macy appeared to be jumping around different time frames. On one page, we could be in the present and then instantaneously, we would go back in history and then without warning, return to the present.
In a nutshell, this is what the book is about. I don't discourage people from reading this book. I just want people to know what they are getting into prior to reading it.
August 15, 2016
A rating of five stars seems insufficient for this outstanding book. I was mesmerized from the first paragraph, and often moved to tears as I learned the details of this heartbreaking true story of race, prejudice, and poverty in America. It was fascinating to read of the back-lot shenanigans of the American circus, and riveting as well as uncomfortable to face the truth of how easily and shamelessly some take advantage of those whose differences make them a marketable commodity. However, the best part of the story is the finale, proving that truth is indeed more incredible than fiction.
Second offerings are sometimes a disappointment, with authors who never quite match the level of excellence of their initial writings. I found TRUEVINE to be the exception, as it is even better than Macy's best seller FACTORY MAN. I read TRUEVINE four times, and found it as moving the last time as it was the first. I rank it on par with my favorite works of fiction, A TIME TO KILL and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. The fact that this is a true story makes it all the more remarkable. It will be my go-to gift for family and friends this holiday season.
Second offerings are sometimes a disappointment, with authors who never quite match the level of excellence of their initial writings. I found TRUEVINE to be the exception, as it is even better than Macy's best seller FACTORY MAN. I read TRUEVINE four times, and found it as moving the last time as it was the first. I rank it on par with my favorite works of fiction, A TIME TO KILL and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. The fact that this is a true story makes it all the more remarkable. It will be my go-to gift for family and friends this holiday season.
November 20, 2016
On a sweltering day, in a tobacco field, in Truevine, Virginia, a pair of albino brothers are kidnapped and taken away from home. It is 1899. They were told that their mother had died. It will take twenty-eight years before their mother finds them again. In this true story, we learn what happened to Willie and George Muse on that fateful day. How they were forced to perform as freaks, in a sideshow, in traveling circuses for nearly three decades and ended up being a major attraction in Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
The author dug deep into this story, with a journalistic furor, interviewing descendants from the Muse family, similar to the approach of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. She explores many issues and events from the early 20th century, touching on poverty and the rampant racism that flourished in the south. It also documents the bravery and tenacity of the boy's mother, as she never gives up hope, for her lost sons. Highly recommended.
The author dug deep into this story, with a journalistic furor, interviewing descendants from the Muse family, similar to the approach of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. She explores many issues and events from the early 20th century, touching on poverty and the rampant racism that flourished in the south. It also documents the bravery and tenacity of the boy's mother, as she never gives up hope, for her lost sons. Highly recommended.
February 21, 2017
2.6) I'll have to say that this one really disappointed me. I was so intrigued by the story of the Muse brothers, and I was so excited to dive into their story. This felt like a total bait and switch to me. Four and a half hours into the audiobook, and I kept thinking, "When are we going to get to their story?!" Don't get me wrong, little tidbits of the Muse brothers' tale were thrown into every chapter, but this book was largely a social commentary on Jim Crow-era South and the history and significance of freak shows, with some circus/carnival trivia and documentation of the author's journalistic process tossed in the mix as well. All of that was very interesting, and I Googled a ton of things to research further on my own, but it just wasn't what I signed on for when I picked up this book.
July 30, 2016
There are so many good things going on in this book. A century-old mystery. A mother's search for her sons. A big-top circus.
Two young African American boys disappear from their Virginian town to resurface as Ambassadors From Mars or Ecuadorian Cannibals in a twentieth-century circus sideshow. Fast forward to today when a reporter pieces together what happened, where they went, and a mother's tireless fight to bring her boys back home.
And in a strange coincidence, in a book perfect for fans of The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, the two boys come from the same small town as Henrietta!
Two young African American boys disappear from their Virginian town to resurface as Ambassadors From Mars or Ecuadorian Cannibals in a twentieth-century circus sideshow. Fast forward to today when a reporter pieces together what happened, where they went, and a mother's tireless fight to bring her boys back home.
And in a strange coincidence, in a book perfect for fans of The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, the two boys come from the same small town as Henrietta!
December 29, 2016
Beth Macy was born in the town where I live in Ohio, but I went to a book luncheon in NYC where I met her and first heard about this book. Macy is an investigative reporter who spent years researching and trying to get the story of the Muse brothers. They were albino negroes who were stolen from working in the tobacco field in 1899 and spent decades as sideshow curiosities with Barnum and Bailey and Ringling Brother's circuses.
Their mother and other relatives spent a lot of time trying to get them home and paid for their time with the circus.
Very well researched. The book is more about the family and author's journeys than the circus time of the boys.
Their mother and other relatives spent a lot of time trying to get them home and paid for their time with the circus.
Very well researched. The book is more about the family and author's journeys than the circus time of the boys.
June 22, 2017
The cover blurb promised an interesting story: "Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest." The elements were there, with potential, but not developed in a compelling way. I think the problem was that the author jumped around and included too many peripheral elements. I never could find the thread of "a Mother's Quest."
Also, the author seems to assume that readers know nothing about the history of racism. However, new information, for me at least, was the exploitation of "freaks" and how the media's racist bias influenced coverage of "entertainment."
I quit reading at about page 140.
Also, the author seems to assume that readers know nothing about the history of racism. However, new information, for me at least, was the exploitation of "freaks" and how the media's racist bias influenced coverage of "entertainment."
I quit reading at about page 140.
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