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)

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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.