Book Signing

It's the first book signing of 2013!

TO THE WOMEN OF PAYNE CHAPEL:
Rev. Allen will be having a book signing at 11am on Tuesday, January 8. The book signing will be held at Applebee's on Galley. The address is:

APPLEBEE'S

3708 Galley Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Autographed books will sell for $15 each. It's a great price for a signed copy of such a wonderful true story. Your purchase comes with a From Whence They Came bookmark and a card with Rev. Allen's contact information. Come, eat and enjoy!

See you there.

Sunday Sermon

Good evening, all!

Reverend Allen will be preaching God's Word at Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church (Colorado Springs, CO) on 12/16/12 at the 10:45am service. Come prepared to hear a soul-stirring Word from The Most High!

~Aly, PA

Hi, everyone!

My name is Alyssa - (that's uh-LEASH-uh) - and Reverend Caron Allen has hired me to be her Personal Assistant. I'm currently a 22-year-old out-of-college student with way too much free time on her hands; my life literally revolves around attending church on Sundays and Bible Study on Wednesdays. The other five days of my week are spent eagerly awaiting these two. （‐＾▽＾‐） I am grateful and honored to have been chosen and entrusted by both Rev. Allen and God with such an intensely significant and vital part of another woman's personal and professional life. I've been given this chance to serve my King and a Child of the King. Lord, please prepare me for this.

~Aly, PA

RECENT REVIEW

The following is a professional review FWTC recently received from Jamie Polychrones:

From Whence They Came:

The Genealogical History of an African-American Family

by

 Caron Barton Allen

So few families have access to such rich family history that extends back to the pre-Civil War era. From Whence They Came: The Genealogical History of an African-American Family is a family story as told to Caron Barton Allen by her maternal great-grandfather. This fictional account of her family history is based on real events, following Eular, a slave who works a plantation in Virginia and then seeks to find her lost daughters after being set free. Readers will follow Eular’s ancestors into the present day where it has become necessary to share her legacy.

Caron portrays plantation life as told through the eyes of a woman who suffered at the hands of a master. Readers will understand more clearly the conditions in which they lived in the mid-1800s, a time of great prosperity for whites and submission for African-Americans. Readers will feel the pain from women who had to give up children, split up from their lovers, all the while philosophizing about the morality of slavery in general and contemplating why God would put them in such a place.

In Eular’s world, with the threat of the Civil War on the horizon, both the slave holders and the slaves themselves fear the change that will come as a result of the upheaval. Eular’s master comes to her in the night, stealing her body for his pleasures, siring a child that he never thought he could create. Out of that miracle comes a quiet love for her that neither understands.

Once liberation is imminent, the men and women have to choose whether to stay or go. Caron depicts the struggle her ancestors must have faced in deciding to leave the only thing they had ever known while also yearning for their freedom. After being granted her freedom, Eular begins a journey so many women made after the Civil War’s end that would determine the fate of her children.

Utilizing appropriate dialect and the language of the period, Caron presents history as seen from the points of view of the slave woman, the master, the mistress, and those around them who are directly affected by the suppression in the South during the time of slavery and thereafter. Readers will become invested in Caron’s ancestors and their ability to overcome such turmoil.

From Whence They Came: The Genealogical History of an African-American Family chronicles the journey of Eular’s family through the generations of Burdettes, following the grandchildren and their families while they faced similar setbacks such as segregation, racism, and the struggle to simply stay alive in a time when they were seen as inferior. Complete with photographs from her family, descendants of Eular, Caron Barton Allen presents a gripping novel and historical narrative that demands consumption, one that is impossible to put down.

You can find From Whence They Came: The Genealogical History of an African-American Family at http://www.publishamerica.net/product13537.html.

Review

This book following the life and genealogy of one African American family and their triumphs/struggles through history was so well written. It reached so many emotions on such varying levels that it truly was inspiring. I purchased the book on a Sunday afternoon and had completed it by Tuesday morning. The author draws you in to a point you desperately want to assist in finding the family members yourself. I was so compelled that I have since began searching the internet to try to find the plantation records myself. This is a beautiful tribute to a family legacy/history and an amazing read. Bless this family for years to come.

Catherine Walsh

Nov. 5, 2011

Review of FWTC

I thought you might want to read what some have said about the book:

Reviews for From Whence They Came

Mrs. Allen I read your book three times and I will read it again and again. Everytime I start to write and thank you for the book, I think of a passage and read it again. I enjoyed the story; I'm always interested in learning about our "ancestors." Eular's trip down south fascinated me; everyone traveling north and she was traveling south.

I will read the book again, I promise you. In the meantime, enjoy your family. God's blessings to you all. Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Thelma Mcneese (2-8-11)
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I am on page 58 and I have to agree with those who told you this had to be sent to a publisher.  This book is amazing!  I have found myself captivated by how you interwove stories and personalities into a set of lines and boxes with names that are found on a family tree. 

Joanne Pollock (7-26-10)

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This book is the first I have found of its kind. A unique look into the lives of several generations of an African-American family, from slavery to present-day. I have yet to find a book so comprehensive in nature. 

Thanks again for coming to speak to the girls at Sierra High School.

Best Regards,

Kamisha Johnson (7-29-10)

************************************************************************

Hello Lt,

I just wanted to say that I had gotten your book several weeks ago but that I did not get a chance to read it until today. (I am on vacation) I started reading your book and could not put it down until I finished it! I cried, laughed, was angry, nervous and completely in awe through out the whole thing. I am truly touched by your family's story and will never forget the Burdette family.
Thank you for sharing your family's story, Liz

(Received 7-14-10) 

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Caron,

I just finished reading your book (wonderful) excellent reading. It is the kind of book you don't want to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed the history. Thank God for Granddaddy John who entrusted you to tell the story. I pray you continue to write. Our history is so important, unfortunately many do not know their past at all.  Love you to Life,

Pastor Jacqueline Jones

Renewed Hope Family Worship Center

701 North Paca Street

Baltimore, Maryland 

2-2-10

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Caron, your book was wonderful........Your family heritage is truly one of a great American family. The strength of your family to endure some of the most inhumane treatment at the hands of fellow Americans is both amazing and sad. Even after withstanding the worst things a human can do to another human, your family saw the good in people.Your book takes your readers through the entire history of race relations in this nation. The story is positive, uplifting and true. I hope future generations of Americans can learn to see each others as equals.  

Sincerely, T. Fliney, 9-2-09 

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Minister Allen, thank you for sharing your family's history with me. It was gripping, awesome, over the top and edge, just plain -good! Our Father certainly gave you an outstanding gift for writing. All praise, glory and honor goes to him. May the Lord continue to bless you real good? 

Sister Harper (July 26, 2009)

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Taken from a review by Kathy Hare in the Falcon Herald, May 2009:

I have to admit that, like many other white Americans, I've wondered why after 146 years so many African-Americans still seem to be fixated on the slavery issue. Allen's frank discussion in both the prologue and introduction addresses why she believes slavery must never be forgotten. That allowed me to start viewing history through someone else's perspective. We don't ask Native Americans or any other nationality to forget their past. Yet, we expect a group of people whose ancestors were forced to live here to get over it and move on. Allen advises African-Americans: "Do not be angry or bitter, but do not forget: for those who forget their past are destined to relive it." But she also admonishes that slavery should never be used as an excuse to be "unproductive, unsuccessful human beings, living lives of mediocrity."
Allen's writing style is free-flowing and enjoyable to read. In the second half of "From Whence They Came," she gives examples of how "Jim Crow" laws affected family members, and she touches on the problem of teenage pregnancies while recounting the circumstances of her own birth and that of her children. I found the switch between Eular's story and Allen's more recent genealogy a little rough at first. But the family photographs in the middle of the book helped the transition by allowing readers to put names and faces together. By the end of the book, I wanted to know more about Caron Barton Allen herself, because she, too, has made an epic journey.

Hello!

Greetings all. This is my first post on my blog. It's official, I have entered the 21st century! I've created this blog to share news about my book; From Whence They Came; the Genealogical History of an African American Family, and to keep you posted of upcoming events and speaking engagements.

From Whence They Came documents the triumphs and struggles of eight generations of my family, beginning with my great-great-great grandmother, Eular, a slave on a plantation in Virginia. It begins with her leaving that plantation right after the Civil war, and travelling south to look for her two daughters that had been taken from her. I interweave historical events into the actual lives of the Burdette family, and I attempt to capture my family’s unwavering commitment to each new generation of Burdettes. 

When you read this factual account, it may seem somewhat familiar to you, especially if you are of African descent. It is an extraordinary story, and it could very well be your story, a story of survival, endurance and perpetual hope!

From Whence They Came can be obtained from PublishAmerica.com, BarnesandNoble.com, amazon.com, borders.com and booksamillion.com.

Miracles and Blessings

Caron Allen