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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
A Century+ of Living: The Autobiography of Cora Jones “Boot” McLeod by Dr. Beverly “Eagle” Rogers presents a biographical narrative of McLeod's rural upbringing in Wake County, North Carolina, highlighting her strong family bonds, church, and agricultural life. Her idyllic childhood is shattered by the sudden death of her younger brother, Big Baby. After moving to Durham during the Great Depression, her family grapples with urban life's challenges, including poverty and Papa's death. Despite hardships, McLeod marries Buster, becomes a mother, and attends beauty school, finding joy and purpose in her new roles. The family purchases a house in North Durham and navigates the complexities of their African American identity and societal pressures, particularly during urban renewal projects. They also establish successful businesses such as McLeod's Beauty Nook. McLeod reflects on historical injustices, her family's fortitude, her love for baseball and fishing, her turbulent but resilient marriage to Buster, and a full lifetime of memories.
A Century+ of Living by Dr. Beverly “Eagle” Rogers is a compilation of both the small and large moments that together form both the good and more challenging pieces of centenarian Cora Jones “Boot” McLeod's life. I think that the hundred years that were given to McLeod were particularly special because of the landmarks she witnessed that altered the course of human history, especially with regard to technology. My wife's great-grandmother, who also surpassed the hundred-year milestone, once had her close her eyes and imagine being born when horses and buggies were still commonplace and living to see a man walk on the moon. For me, personally, as a person of color, it is the perseverance in the face of overt and extreme racism that felt most human, and the smaller moments that include happy slices of family life that were the standouts. Readers who do not know or know of McLeod, or her biographer Dr. Rogers, are definitely going to find interesting nuggets within this written time capsule. I am certain that the audience that will adore this legacy the most are the friends and family of McLeod who will treasure this comprehensive family history through the eyes of a matriarch for generations to come.
