Genealogy Books - WHERE PEACHTREE MEETS SWEET AUBURN:The Saga of two families and the making of Atlanta

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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:

Summary: Superb
Comment: An excellent, wonderfully written epic of The City Too Busy to Hate, rendered all the more poignant
by the nearly simultaneous deaths last summer of its two main characters, former mayors Ivan Allen
Jr. and Maynard Jackson Jr.

Customer Rating:

Summary: what a great way to present Atlanta history
Comment: Pomerantz had a great idea when he decided to present Atlanta history by relating the family
histories of two Atlanta majors, Ivan Allan, Jr. and Maynard Jackson (Dodds family). The Allans
are an old line Atlanta white family; The Dodds are an old line Atlanta black family. The
combination of their stories presents a more balanced view of this southern city and its race
relations. The reader should, however, remember that both mayors were economically upper class.
The lower class viewpoints, both black and white, receive little attention.

The
description of Ivan Allan's term as major is based heavily on, and differs little from, the
autobiography Mayor: Notes from the Sixties. Unfortunately this reviewer can not comment on
sources for Maynard Jackson.

Customer Rating:

Summary: A Very Compelling Read
Comment: I typically read fiction, but the review in the Sunday New York Times captured my attention. I am
so happy I gave this book a try. It sat on my shelf for awhile, too daunting to plunge into. Then,
I started it but got distracted and put it back on the shelf. Finally, many months later, I picked
it up again and started reading in earnest. It is incredibly well done and a compelling work of
non-fiction that sometimes reads like fiction. Don't be afraid to read this book because its an
historical piece. It is truly fascinating.

Customer Rating:

Summary: You don't need to be a history nut to love this book.
Comment: I have never been one to like historical non-fiction, but this book blew me away. The writing style
is very engrossing. The first 30 pages or so is on the dry side and filled with too many names and
dates to keep up with, but it's definitely worth it to work your way through it. After the Civil
War is over and Reconstruction begins, the book settles nicely on the lives of two key figures in
Atlanta's history (one white and one black) and follows both families for several generations. BOTH
stories are equally important and fascinating. The reader gets both a sense of what it was like to
be considered a second-class citizen and have to fight relentlessly for rights and respect, AND
what it was like to be a part of the white establishment and try to evoke change and maintain
respect. This book is not just a book for Atlantans, like myself. It's lessons of struggle,
determination and courage are timeless and without geographic limits.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Tapestry of Lives
Comment: I knew Atlanta in quite a different way. This book has opened my eyes to how the city became what
it is today and gave me a wonderful historically accurate picture of the people who build the city.
This should be a must-read for anybody connected with the city or anybody interested in how race
relations affect the building of any city. I was thrilled when I recently drove thru Atlanta and
saw an exit off of interstate 75 south for the "John Wesley Dobbs Ave." and felt like I was part of
history too after connecting some things in my family with events in this beautifully written
book. This book also gives me hope that all human beings can strive together to make the future of
Atlanta even greater than the past. This book was good on so many levels and touched so many
different issues: Historic, human, socioeconomics, I can't begin to describe how much I liked it
with the poor words at my disposal. I can say READ IT!

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