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The Best of Enemies

Race and Redemption in the New South

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The Best of Enemies

By: Osha Gray Davidson
Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
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About this listen

C. P. Ellis grew up in the poor white section of Durham, North Carolina, and as a young man joined the Ku Klux Klan. Ann Atwater, a single mother from the poor black part of town, quit her job as a household domestic to join the civil rights fight.

During the 1960s, as the country struggled with the explosive issue of race, Atwater and Ellis met on opposite sides of the public school integration issue. Their encounters were charged with hatred and suspicion. In an amazing set of transformations, however, each of them came to see how the other had been exploited by the South's rigid power structure, and they forged a friendship that flourished against a backdrop of unrelenting bigotry.

Rich with details about the rhythms of daily life in the mid-20th-century South, The Best of Enemies offers a vivid portrait of a relationship that defied all odds. By placing this very personal story into broader context, Osha Gray Davidson demonstrates that race is intimately tied to issues of class and that cooperation is possible - even in the most divisive situations - when people begin to listen to one another.

©2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2017 Osha Gray Davidson Americas Black & African American Political Science Politics & Government Racism & Discrimination Social Sciences State & Local United States Discrimination Civil rights Equality Social justice Socialism Africa Human Rights
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I was interested to read this book because the film of the same name is one of my favourite films. Also, because the story of Ann Atwater and CP Ellis is such an inspiring one. You certainly don't need any prior knowledge of the story or film to enjoy the book, though.

The book provides all the historical background to the part of America where the story takes place, and about the Civil Rights movement in the USA. It really helped me understand what a struggle that was, that isn't over of course, and how many people fought for equality, on buses, at restaurants, shops, housing meetings, factories, courts, etc. With quite a lot of detail.

It goes into the background and early lives of Ann and of CP. It also introduces Bill Ruddock, the remarkable personality who made the charrette happen and how he came to be there, as well as US civil rights leaders and local figures.

Such an inspiring story deserves to be as widely known and understood as possible.

It's the story of many people, especially the two main characters, and especially CP's personal journey, life learning, and his redemption. A strength of the book is how it draws you in to empathise with him as a human being as well as the predicament he's in.

Suitable for all, and highly recommended.

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