Publications

Books About Holmes County

Holmes County, Mississippi, continues to mark its place in books and other publications.  The following are among the numerous publications about life in the county. These books can be obtained via the associated links below: 

Coming in 2025, Preorder Now

Borrowed Land, Stolen Labor, and the Holy Spirit: The Struggle for Power and Equality in Holmes County, Mississippi by Diane T. Feldman, University of Mississippi Press

Capitalizing on her extensive research in Holmes County, Mississippi, Diane Feldman provides an in-depth microhistory highlighting how African American farmers and religious institutions played crucial roles in the struggle for land, voting rights, and school desegregation In the county and beyond.

The University of Mississippi Press is the publisher.  The book will be available in 2025 and can be pre-ordered at: https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Contributors/F/Feldman-Diane-T.

Published in 2023

Mis-educating Blacks in A Southern Rural Community:  The Case of Holmes County, Mississippi by Sylvia Reedy Gist, Accurate Publishing Company, South Holland, Illinois.

When does education become mis-education? This question is at the core of Sylvia Reedy Gist’s book.  To address the question, she weaves personal experiences, observations, recollections of community residents, and published and unpublished sources into a compelling portrayal of schooling in Holmes County, Mississippi. With photos, illustrations, and documented narratives, Dr. Gist explains how, why, and with what results local, state, and national influences facilitated climates for mis-educating Blacks. Available at:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/098378518X?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520.

Published in 2023

A Place Called Home:  As Told by the Lastborn by Andora Wade Cambell,  www.urbanwarecafe.com

In A Place Called Home, Andora Wade Campbell tells of the struggles of her father, a mulatto (interracial) child born in 1912 to a Black mother and a Jewish father near the small rural town of  Lexington, Mississippi. With historical and pictorial descriptors, Campbell recounts the hurdles the family faced as they overcame the many odds that characterized the maize of existence that defined life for the family.

Available at:  https://www.amazon.com/Place-Called-Home-Told-Lastborn/dp/B0C5P7Z6W4.

Published in 2019

Broken Rungs Yet I Climbed by Mary G. Patton, Ph.D. WestBow Press, Bloomington, IN

Mary G. Patton provides a riveting narrative of her struggle to make sense of, survive, and thrive in the harsh realities of a life that appeared doomed from inception. Spending her early years in a community near the small rural town of Tchula, Mississippi, Dr. Patton describes a life overshadowed by abuse, poverty, and grief experienced during her early years growing up near Tchula, Mississippi. She takes on her journey through emotionally traumatizing episodes in later years until she arrives at her divinely appointed destination. She reveals how a life of faith in God guided her to a place of peace, hope, and healing.

Available at:  https://www.westbowpress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/745500-broken-rungs-yet-i-climbed andhttps://www.amazon.com/Broken-Rungs-yet-I-Climbed/dp/197366.

Published in 2019

Integration Now, Alexander v. Holmes and the End of Jim Crow Education by William P. Hustwit, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill 

Before William Hustwit published his book, historians gave little recognition to the Alexander case and its significance in attaining civil rights through school integration. The decision this nation's Supreme Court issued in 1969 for the Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education ended more than 15 years of delay and resistance to school integration. The  High Court ruled to end school segregation in 1954 in the Brown v. Board of Education case. The 1969 case was named for the Holmes County (Mississippi) Public School District and Beatrice Alexander, a student enrolled at Tchula Attendance Center (high school).  Hustwit provides a documented and thoughtful, scholarly assessment of how those at the grassroots level contributed to the case’s larger legal battle.  Available at  https://www.amazon.com/Integration-Now-Alexander-Holmes.../dp/1469648555.. 

Published in 1992

Growing up Black in Rural Mississippi: Memories of a Family, Heritage of a Place, by Chalmers Archer. New York: Walker and Company

The following is an excerpt from a book review by Deundra Wilson, a recent Holmes County Consolidated High School graduate who is continuing her studies at Holmes Community College:

  In this compelling memoir of a black family living in the rural south near Tchula, Mississippi, Chalmers Archer conveys a heroic story of hardships and resilience. The book covers the 1930s Depression Era to the 1950s. Archer provides a glimpse into the area’s history and personal experiences, giving readers a genuine look at his heritage. For example, he shares that his first school was in a church basement and describes his passionate teachers and how they worked to empower young individuals.

 Available at:  https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/growing-up-black-in-rural-mississippi-memories-of-a-family-heritage-of-a-place_chalmers-archer/1313723/#edition=1828152&idiq=34544683.