Lemon Swamp and Other Places: A Carolina Memoir

by Mamie Garvin Fields

Mamie Garvin Fields was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1888. Though black, her family was gifted and she grew up not among house servants or sharecroppers but among artisans and professionals.
In LEMON SWAMP, she looks back on this all-but-forgotten community of friends and family, and on the wider social landscape of the segregationist South of her youth.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, African American Literature, Southern, Grad School, African American, Family

250 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1983

About the author

Mamie Garvin Fields is an African American woman who was born in Charleston, South Carolina in the year 1888. Mamie was a teacher, civil activist, and a religious leader, simultaneously. Mamie was a very ambitious teacher, considering that she would teach in very poor rural places that were infested with rats. Despite the rats, ideas and thoughts were still shared between Mamie and her students. Mamie is substantial because of her prominent book, Lemon Swamp and Other Places. This book focuses on the aspects of her life, and the techniques Mamie Garvin Fields and her community worked as a team to mitigate poverty and segregation. She wanted integration. The title of the book correlates to Mamie’s life because it was a Lemon Swamp grandfather (a slave) witnessed his wife being abducted by a slave owner. A Lemon Swamp was also were Mamie’s grandfather’s farm was located. Mamie faced many challenges in her Jim Crow environment, especially when she worked in a Boston sweatshop beside Italian and Polish immigrants, of which she explicates in her book, Lemon Swamp and Other Places. Although African Americans were separate but equal, Mamie still faced many economic and educational disadvantages, of which she elaborates on in her book, Lemon Swamp and Other Places.

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ben...)

Reviews

[Qiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the memoirs that one might pick up about the South, this one may initially appear a little too "folksy" and "quaint" for some. Mamie Fields is not a victim of the South Carolina's racial politics, but a survivor whose shrewd observations are fascinating. Sometimes the lists of names and family connections can be overwhelming, but what saves this memoir is Fields' voice - thoughtful, candid, and at times, really hilarious. Through her perspective, this country becomes a labyrinth of socio-economic access and limitation: Fields belongs to the class of upwardly-mobile Charlestonians and she has access to education, strong family ties, but she also hits road blocks because of Jim Crow and among her own people because of her darker skin. I learned quite a bit from seeing the everyday struggles of black southerners in this autobiography.

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a first rate look at the life of black South Carolinians from the imposition of Jim Crow law through the chipping away at it. It will give you a glimpse of life not old in our history books. It is a must read for anyone interested in the whole history of SC, the South and the United States. It is a treasure for generations to enjoy.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually interested in local history, but my coworker loaned me a copy and I thought I'd give it a try. Mamie's perspective of the way things used to be in Charleston is fascinating. And how quickly it all changed, and how slowly progress was made. (It's too bad she wasn't around to see the Calhoun memorial come down!) I especially liked the chapters on her time out in the county on John's Island & James Island and was inspired by her dedication to her teaching despite being given absolutely nothing to work with, not even books or desks. And the way she built community with her friends, neighbors, and family, the way they all supported each other, the "village" that is almost like a myth to me now. Glad I read this, and took my time with it.

[Christine Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book. It was very interesting to learn about her family's experience in Charleston.

[Toni's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the fact that it focused on the Jim Crow era without focusing just on Jim Crow. We got to understand that life was not just about being in a racist era but that there was regular life going on. There was education being completed, fun and games, travel with a few road block for her. I do understand that the type of racism experience by people depends on the state, town or city, and the white folks in the area but seems like Mamie lived in an pretty good area. I did however get a better understand of the racism within the race (ie. black, brown, mulatto). Till this day we still see this type of racisms within our own and it sucks. This was a very good book and I'm glad it was written.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read if you are from North or South Carolina. I lived in North Carolina last year and found this book in a book box. I did enjoy a lot of the stories but at times I had to force myself to continue reading as it did not always keep my attention. One interesting thing I read is the prejudice that existed among the blacks themselves towards people of their own race. If you had very black skin, you were considered somewhat less than those with lighter skin. I'm sure that also was due to the white man's influence but I found that type of prejudice surprising. There are some wonderful stories of the triumph of the black race amidst poverty and prejudice.

[Ai Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fun to read-- it's an oral history with very little analysis but so much you could mine if you were looking for it! The stories Mamie Garvin Fields tells are amazing, she's so rich in her recollections and they're so detailed in the work she and others have done. It's a really great book. I will say that if you're looking for more analysis, Karen Fields's introduction and epilogue are pretty undertheorized and there's little to no analysis, which I think is fine for the book but may not be what you're looking for.

[Susan Rothenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in preparation for teaching oral histories in South Carolina, this is an interesting memoir of an African American woman born in Charleston, SC in 1888. She vividly describes life both in Charleston, in the countryside where she taught. It wasn't well edited and I found it somewhat repetitious, but worth reading nonetheless.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used for my U.S. survey course -- HIST 1203

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great stories... hard to read.