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Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: a True Story of the Jim Crow South
Dec 30, 2016sunnyfeline rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
It took me longer to finish it (sorry for the overdue notice!) but it was worth reading. This Non-Fiction book is about two Black brothers during the Jim Crow South era. They were born with a condition called Albinism, which was considered to be unusual during that time because there was very little knowledge on this subject. This genetic condition was difficult on the brothers because they came from a sharecropper family where they had to work out in the fields. The sun was harsh on their skin and eyes. The author explores the theory that they were not in fact kidnapped; there was an "agreement" between their mother Harriet Muse and a man from the circus. This job would somehow provide a better life for the boys instead of working out on the fields. However, this exploited them in many ways: as children (underage), black, and being displayed as "freaks" instead of simply having a rare condition. The circus man was supposedly to keep in touch with their mother, however, he took off and didn't keep in touch nor sent money that the boys earned during their "freak exhibitions" in the circus. The brothers didn't see their mother for about 15 years and thought she might be dead. But she never gave up hope and kept on looking for her sons. At the end, she found them and fought for their legal rights. This was very unusual for a black woman during that era because Black people didn't have equal rights and/or were even killed for challenging or questioning what the white man said. There were legal battles to fight for the rest of the brothers' lives because the circuses they worked with often failed to pay or took off with them instead of keeping in touch. The brothers didn't receive education so they were unable to read/write. But their mother prevailed and made sure her sons weren't taken advantage of with help of a smart white lawyer who was on her side. This is a hard subject to read in some ways because it was not that long ago when people who weren't born "normal" were considered to be freaks and put on display. They didn't have rights and were often abused or taken advantage of. There were many others displayed in those "freak exhibitions" such as giants, dwarves, missing limbs, thin/overweight, etc. They didn't have much rights during that era, however, the circus was a place where they could be "themselves" and earn money instead of struggling in the real world or being put in institutions. But life wasn't always easy in the circus too...