Leon's Story

by Leon Walter Tillage, Susan L. Roth (Illustrator)

"Leon's Story is a powerful, wonderful thing!" -- Nikki Giovanni

I remember that as a young boy I used to look in the mirror and I would curse my color, my blackness. But in those days they didn't call you "black." They didnt say "minority." They called us "colored" or "nigger."

Leon Tillage grew up the son of a sharecropper in a small town in North Carolina. Told in vignettes, this is his story about walking four miles to the school for black children, and watching a school bus full of white children go past. It's about his being forced to sit in the balcony at the movie theater, hiding all night when the Klansmen came riding, and worse. Much worse.

But it is also the story of a strong family and the love that bound them together. And, finally, it's about working to change an oppressive existence by joining the civil rights movement. Edited from recorded interviews conducted by Susan L. Roth, Leon's story will stay with readers long after they have finished his powerful account.

Leon's Story is the winner of the 1998 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Nonfiction.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, History, Chapter Books, African American, Autobiography

107 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Julia971 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leon's story tells the early years of Leon, a young black boy from North Carolina navigating through life in the post slavery south.

Leon(s story is simple, very accessible, yet vivid in its sad accuracy.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Matt and I moved together from second grade to third, I decided that if I was going to ask my class to record their reading, I should do it too. And I should do it in a thorough enough way that I would feel comfortable sharing it as a model of reading records and what you can learn from them with my class.

I began recording my reading in earnest that year. I have ever since. It is fun to look back at the summary and consider a “reading year.” I sort by genre – adult and children’s. The first year I noticed I was I was missing poetry. I set a goal to fill that hole, but I didn’t. I don’t read books of poetry. Maybe I don’t know how – more likely I haven’t taken the time.

For four years I’ve been recording every book, choosing favorites for each year and considering how reading added and changed my life. I felt fairly balanced as a reader until last year. I read 78% fantasy combining both the children’s and adult books I’d read. Fantasy?!? I decided that I needed to focus on other genre, slow down and think.. My first move was to read Yes Chef a memoir by Marcus Samuelson. Next I read The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro. These books challenged me to think in new ways about my world – chasing flavors, creating rich exotic combination to satisfy every palate; building layer upon layer upon layer of paint until the light and luminosity of the color radiates from the canvass.

I read to know myself better, differently and to understand our world more fully. So my goal to be more aware of what I read and why…

I read Leon’s Story, a collection of memories from his life growing up as a sharecropper’s son in the 1940’s. Everyone should read this book. Can you imagine seeing your parents run down on the road? Can you imagine seeing them run over and the only thing that happens to the driver is that his daddy forces him apologize the next day. That’s it because the driver was white and Leon was black. “Boys will be boys.” Can you imagine walking to school always listening for the sound of the bus, always ready to run, always ready to shield the little kids because the bus driver of the white kids bus might drive by so the kids could throw stones at you or stop so the kids could get out to beat you. I knew things were not good, but Leon’s stories share depth to my understanding in a way that only someone’s life story can. Racism is a terrible thing. Leon’s Story reveals this with gentle grace that will fill you full of wonder and determined to make kindness and appreciation of all people a priority.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this at Goodwill for a dollar the other day. Loving non-fiction and personal stories and seeing this kid's cute, smiling face I had to get it. And I'm glad I did because I'm going to hang onto it for when Julia's older. I think all kids should read this, black, white, every race.
I do have to say that I think Roth did a disservice to this story. I'm not big into art but I can appreciate certain forms. But her collage art in this text makes the book seem tacky. And the story and author are anything but. If pictures were available they would have gone a long way with me and I'm sure many others. If they weren't then leave it up to the reader. Even one or two current pics of the author if that's all he could include would have been better than what Roth did. I'm not going to rate the book on that though. I'm rating it for what it is - a short story, for the younger crowd, meant to show them what it was like way back when.
Tillage wasn't a slave. Tillage's parents weren't slaves. Tillage's grandparents weren't slaves. But his great-grandparent's were. Walter was born in 1936 in North Carolina. And while he was a "free" man he may as well been a slave. Some of the things he tells of in this book alternately make my blood boil and run cold. The story of his Father's death makes me want to try to find if the people involved are still alive to find them and torture them. Then the one boys Father. The fact that there was ever a time in this country where what happened to Tillage's Father happened is out of this world. I literally cannot imagine.
What's interesting is that even in that time, there were normal people sprinkled in here and there. (And I stand by the use of the word 'normal' because IMO racists are not.) Tillage even mentions a few times when whites and blacks came together. I'll never understand it but I do know this - I would have never survived. Everyone being equal isn't something I learned, it's something ingrained in who I am and I honestly believe it would be that way whether I was born in 1920 or 2020. I don't often get to say this but it's a shame more people can't be like me. ;-)
Leon's Story is very fast. So fast I read it while eating breakfast yesterday and I finished the book before my breakfast. Apparently Tillage lives and works (lived and worked?) in Baltimore, MD. and speaks yearly at a local school(s). Tillage is the kind of person you wish you were able to shake hands with. He seems like a real upbeat and positive person even after all he's seen, all he's suffered. It's a shame more people can't be like him. :(

[Jean-Baptiste · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked this book because it very instructive, but it assume it is for teenagers and adults because the story is sad.

[Born Uhuru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchased this book at a used bookstore for my son but decided to read it myself. It’s sad to hear about what hundreds of thousands of African Diaporan’s had to go through in this country. Leon put it down on paper has good as my grandmother would have.

[Kirah Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

*This was a really sad, moving story. I really encourage others to read it!

1. This was the story of Leon Tillage's life. He lived through racial segregation and the Jim Crow laws. He speaks of the hard times he and his family went through and how terrible the white men and women treated the people of color. But the amazing thing about Leon was he never once lost his optimism for life. He even attended a Martin Luther King speech in Raleigh, NC, and marched in protests to end segregation. He also spoke of how things slowly got better for African Americans in areas such as schooling. At the end, he said he finally got a decent job at a school as a janitor. He worked there for 30 years. They created a scholarship in his honor. This book ends by the woman who helped Leon sharing his story saying her daughter had heard Leon's story at a school assembly, and the daughter was moved by it. The daughter's reaction moved the mother to seek out Leon, and she insisted that his story was one to be shared with more people.
2. I would suggest it for grades 3-6th. It's lexile level is 970. It was very interesting and sad.
3. This book would be great to incorporate into history lessons. It would be a great resource for a unit on the desegregation/ the Civil Rights.
4. Students who like history would like this book. Students who wanted to know more about the lives of African Americans during and after the Civil Rights movement would like this book as well.
5. I don't think this book would do well in a small group setting. It's a little too long. However, you could take sections from the book and have the students read it and discuss it.
6. I wouldn't suggest reading this book aloud. It has some graphic details that might make some kids uneasy.
7. Related books would be The Watson's go to Birmingham, Bud, not Buddy, Escape to Freedom, and Miracle Boys.
8. This book does not have any other media outlets, but I wish it did. It comes in an audiobook.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leon Tillage grew up in the 1940s and 1950s in rural North Carolina, outside Raleigh. At the time the book was written, he worked as a custodian for a school in Baltimore. Every year, he gave a presentation to the 7th graders on what life was life was like for him and his family living in the Jim Crow south. To write the book, Leon recorded his talks on to a tape recorder and the publisher transcribed them, resulting in a first-person narrative biography. I listened to the audio book, and while it is not read by Leon, I certainly felt as though it was. Wow. Nothing I hadn’t heard before, but knowing it was a true story, a real story, was amazing and maddening and heartbreaking. Leon could be a neighbor of the Logan family from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. This book should be a mandatory part of the history curriculum.

[Carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book should be read by a bigger audience. Not only does this book tells us about what African Americans had gone through, but it also show us about racism and prejudice. There are parts that show us the truth nature of human. Which is when we prejudice someone who is not like us just because of skin color, different nationality, you feel superior, etc. There are times when you are scare of that person and you subconsciously hide your fear by bullying or hitting. I agree with Leon when he said that blaming it on someone is no use, I think is very true. This book became one of my favorites and is sometimes sad that his father was killed like that. But, overall I am happy for Leon and his family to has gained freedom.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like How Leon’s Story is an autobiography about Leon Walter Tillage. I like how it shows all the nightmares of racism. It also tells you about his life, and how hard it was being an African-American. I liked his book mostly because it made me feel like there is no point of this. it made want to go back in time and try to change that. Because never judge someone just because of their skin color. This Book made me think of it like you never judge a book by its cover, so you should never judge anyone by their skin color.

[Daniel Liberty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the book. I think honestly the book can make racism abolished if enough people read it. One major conflict is that black people didn’t have equal rights and they were called the n word. The turning point is when the racism got to it’s worst point. Then it all got better at end. The only thing that I didn’t like is that the book has the n word in it, uncensored. Otherwise this is the best nonfiction book I read so far.

[Vaheana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une autobiographie sur le racisme subit par les Noirs Américains dans les années 30 au sein de leur propre pays. Un environnement malsain et d’une violence inouïe malheureusement encore trop présente dans certains états aujourd’hui.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkably powerful book for young readers. It is my 10 year old's favorite book currently, and he insisted I read it. He even got it out of the school library and put a bookmark in it for me! I was stunned to get to the end and find out that Mr. Tillage worked at Park School, not far from where I used to live. A phenomenal, first person narrative that should be part of every US school child's exposure to primary sources.

[Hannah]

Umm. Thoughts. I had to blog: https://mclicious.org/2016/09/17/leon...

[Aries Djangmah-Yeboah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely wonderful. Many life lessons and morals and just touching stories.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a mixture of heartbreak and hope is Leon's Story! The brief story is narrated in Leon's own words - the tale of growing up in the racist South in the 30s and 40s. Heartbreaking is the only way to describe the way of life he and his family endured as sharecroppers. Living in a shack, no electricity or running water or indoor bathroom, spending all their labor to enrich the owner, who had "made a deal" with the general store to let the the family charge all their needs for a year - and then take it out of their wages. Not only was there never anything left, but the family fell deeper in debt year after year. Then there were the Klansman from whom they had to constantly be hiding or they would be "taught a lesson." The hopelessness was almost as bad as the misery. Would nothing ever change?
The way out began with education. Learning to read and write meant the Negroes could tell when they were being cheated, even if they couldn't say anything about it. But it meant they could look for and get better jobs. And then they learned that they had certain rights guaranteed in the Constitution and they began to march for their rights. It was a battle - but they were already in a battle for their lives, so they were prepared. And eventually Leon was able to get a decent job as custodian in a school.
My students will read this book when we get to the Civil Rights movement in our American History class. They need to hear Leon's Story.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout this story Leon tillage tells the story of his life, and dealing with problems with society, and the color of his skin. From the time he was young he was stereotyped because of his race, he was not allowed to ride the bus full of white students to school, he was forced to walk 5 miles to school each day both ways. He was also faced with other racial and segregation problems. He was forced to sit on the balcony at the theater because he was not allowed to sit with the whites. Leon had difficulty dealing with society and segregation. He hated the color of his skin and he wishes he wasn't black. Leon tells the emotional story of his difficult childhood through this book. I strongly suggest that you read this book because it is a very emotional book and will make you look at society differently. Plus it is a short book if your looking for a quick read.

[Jaylen Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the book. I think it’s one of those where you don’t really come across. All of the things that happened in this amazing but sad book was sadly true, Mr. Leon Walter Tillage (who is no longer with us sadly) went through all of these events. For example in the chapter titled “Klansmen” he talked how Black Americans had no voice and what the klansmen did to blacks back then and how they were beaten, killed, chased and so forth. One major conflict was during the chapters “Fifteenth Birthday” and “Marching”. But the book becomes more happy towards the end as it reaches modern day. I would recommend this book to people who want to learn a little bit of what Black Americans went through before the civil rights movement, there are some mature parts in the book like the use of the “N” word and more so I would recommend that 8th graders and up should read this.

[Bradlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a black custodian named Leon who reminisces about his childhood and how difficult it was. He was a kid who grew up in a Jim Crow town, he also grew up getting mentally and physically abused by white teenagers. He also talks about how his dad was killed due to white teenagers seeking to have fun. He also explains the entirety of how sharecropping and segregation. I think that this story was good for any readers who are looking for a good quick read. I liked this book because it was a quick read and I enjoyed it also.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The true story, and soft introduction to the Civil Rights Movement, specifically the Jim Crow Era. Leon grows up as the son of a sharecropper, noticing the inequality that seems to surround his life in relationship to his and his family's skin color. The story then goes through a traumatic turn of events highlighting the evil of racism during this blemish on America's timeline. It then goes on to discuss Leon's hope now as an adult and how his story was recorded and why his story remains important to discuss.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important first person account of Jim Crow life and civil rights protester experiences. (Yes I know that's a terrible sentence).

This was chosen as a book for 4th and 5th graders for Reading Olympics, and I just don't think it's right for that. Reading level, yes, but because of the heavy race-based violence and tragic content, I think it's more appropriate for about 7th graders, maybe 6th. I just wouldn't want to turn my 4th grader loose on this without guidance.

I am glad I read it. Leon's story is worth reading and telling and talking about.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leon Tillage was born in 1936 in the South and as such had seen many injustices throughout his life. Leon's Story, told in his voice, recounts some of the inequality, hatred, and prejudice brought upon him and his family and friends.

Although this story tells a horrible story, there are some other books that will affect the reader more deeply. A quick, short read that will hopefully spur young readers to acquaint themselves with troubling times in our country.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to rate this book lower until I read the afterword that explained that it was written directly from Leon's transcripts. To explain, I was put off by the "stuff" and "things like that" until it was explained that this was a conversational piece. Although I question the validity of many of the anecdotes since they are so repetitive and shock-worthy, I appreciate the premise of the work and the fact that it is aimed toward a young audience who needs to read about such experiences.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great example of "voice" in writing. I used this book for many years in my middle school reading classes. Because of its short length, it is a great choice for readers of all ability.
Leon's telling of the stories of his life during Jim Crow and Civil Rights eras is a perfect and gentle introduction to a most difficult part of American history. It is a beautiful little book, and an important addition to my personal book collection.

[Eric Stutzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leon's Story is one of those rare children's books about history which is as relevant to read as an adult as it is for children. The way the book handles the subject of racism, a very important topic in today's America, is simple for children to grasp, and treats it with respect. This book should be read by children and adults alike, because it opens ones eyes to the sin of racism and the pain it brings.

[Lora Schreiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about Leon's life growing up in Jim Crow south. I used to read this book to my fourth grade students every year to give them an idea of what life was like during that era of U.S. history. If I had a questionable student in my classroom, I always let their parents read the book first to assure they were okay with me reading it. Every parent who read the book highly recommended it.

[Emily Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very straightforward, no frills, account of growing up amidst Jim Crow and taking part in the Civil Rights movement. The heinous parts of Leon's story sadly flow easily into and out of the less difficult parts. The inhumane treatment of fellow humans is appalling but something we need to be aware of, even as some today advocate for the problematic thinking that led to such malicious behavior in the first place.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was definitely Leon's story. This non-fiction book is told by Leon. Many chapters are sad but that is the truth and there is no denying the things that Leon went through. This will open some readers' eyes of what other children unexplainedly went through in the 1940s. Despite the things Leon fell victim to, he maintained hopeful and positive.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, straightforward memoir by a man who grew up the son of a sharecropper outside Raleigh NC, experiencing segregation and violent racism, and protesting for civil rights. The plain, simple language makes the stories of what he and his family and neighbors survived even more horrific. Really good book for older kids — my 8-year-old was shocked and moved.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!! An absolute eye-opener told from Leon himself. The horrors he endured growing up in the 30s,40s and 50s in America! It s heartwarming to read that he has no bitterness. When asked, “How come?”, Leon smile and says, “
What good would that do? I know there were bedtimes, but you know, there were rejoicing times, too. “

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very telling autobiography by the son of an African-American sharecropper - for example "The white people would tell their kids that black people had no feelings"(Tillage, p.39)- read as a read-aloud as historically highly important.