Ben MontgomeryRezensionen

In 1955, an older person--a woman from Ohio who had already endured her share of life's tests and challenges--walks the entirety of the Appalachian Trail (or AT), from Mount Olgethorpe,Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine. At 67 years old, Emma Gatewood is credited as the first woman to complete the thru-hike, and the first person to complete the thru-hike three times.

Grandma Greenwood's story, on both on the trail and in her past, are decisively a woman's, creating another facet of the story of a lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail. I wasn't enamored by the writing style or tone of the author, but he gave a considerable amount of attention to the character of Grandma Gatewood, which I appreciated and enjoyed.

Great book.

Amazing woman

Emma Gatewood, a woman who suffered at the hands of an abusive husband for much of her life, set out to walk the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. She was in her late 60s when she set out in the 1950s on her trek. While I enjoyed the story, I was disappointed in the lack of footnotes/endnotes to see exactly where the author got the information he passed along. A bibliography was included, but it was obviously not complete as it failed to list newspaper accounts consulted and diaries. I'm not sure the flashbacks to her life as an abused wife were handled in the best manner. Perhaps a more chronological approach would have been better than "flashbacks." (The dual timeline just wasn't necessary.) Gatewood rewalked the trail the following year and walked the complete course a third time in sections. She also walked across the Oregon Trail later. I'm amazed she did it in tennis shoes instead of hiking boots and that she was able to travel as lightly as she did. I was unaware of all the shelters built along the trail for those walking at regular daily intervals even though I live near portions of the trail.½

Delightful biography of Emma Gatewood, the woman who became famous in in the 1950s for through-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Biographical elements are interspersed with a detailed account of Gatewood's first through-hike. A fun, informative, and kind of comforting read--especially for me, who is familiar with many of the areas mentioned in the book, both on and off the AT.

Grandma Gatewood led a hard life. Once her many children were grown, she set out to walk the Appalachia Trail. I think she competed it a total of three times, as well as walking the Oregon Trail. She showed strength of character.½

How did I grow so old without knowing about Emma Gatewood and her epic walks? My own brother did survey work on the Appalachian Trail in the 1970s, as portions of the trail in Maine were being rehabilitated or relocated for better access and ease of maintenance. That project came about partly as a result of Grandma Gatewood's three--count 'em--three hikes of the 2000+ miles of that trail that stretches between Georgia and Mount Katahdin, after she qualified for Social Security. I've been to Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio, where this phenomenal woman guided WINTER tours in her late 70s from Old Man's Cave to Ash Cave on a trail now named for her. Her name must have crossed my consciousness somehow, but it never sparked my curiosity until recently, and I don't even know how she came to my attention finally. I just know Ben Montgomery's book about his great-great-aunt Emma has been on my Amazon wishlist for a year or so, and I dropped it into the basket last month. It's a grand read, not only giving us a portrait of a woman tougher than shoe leather (or canvas & rubber soled sneakers), but setting her life and adventures into excellent socio-historical context. It did not inspire me to want to hike the AT...but it did remind me of why I love a quiet afternoon alone in less challenging natural surroundings.

Great book about a determined woman in her 60s who decided to hike the Appalachian Trail in the 1950s when the trail was less traveled and barely marked. Information she had read indicated that it had good signage and equipped with proper shelters. What she found was a very different story, as had been her life prior to her 2,000 mile hike.

Very interesting, page turner. I liked the way the author intertwined Grandma's backstory with the hiking, though I thought in a few places, it seemed, the author "padded" the book with more contextual information than necessary.

This is the story of a pretty incredible lady, but the book itself isn't great. Maybe it was due to the format (I listened to the audiobook), but I had a hard time following the timeline.

A remarkable story, plainly told. I think I need to walk more.

I kept seeing this title and remembered reading a book as a child with a similar title that I loved and wanted to know if this was the same book. NO. No, it was not. (The one I had been thinking of was much more of a horror story than this.) Anyway, I am so sad that I missed this absolutely delightful book back then. It does have several morals sewn in, but they're not overbearing and the adventures and characters are fun. Seems like this would be a good book to read aloud to your kids.

This was a surprisingly moving story about the first woman to walk the entirety of the Appalachian Trail at the age of 67. The story takes you on a journey through the original stitchings of what made up the original AT as it was in the mid-1950's. As you read about her walk, you learn about Emma's personal story and the life-long love she had for the woods. In many ways the challenges posed by an overgrown, unkept trail paled in comparison to the challenges she overcame in life.

Listened to the audio book. A fascinating story about an incredibly strong woman. Being familiar with parts of the AT in Virginia and West Virginia I really enjoyed the descriptions. It made me feel like I was there again.

What an amazing woman.!! She does not care what anyone thinks and she goes ahead and does it. (A great Nike, "just do it" example, although they promoted this motto years after she actually did it.)
I have walked a small bit of the trail in Pennsylvania. I cannot imagine doing it all with the minimal support supplies that she used. She does inspire me a lot!

I'm mostly really liking this book. Grandma Gatewood is inspiring for her just do it attitude toward walking and love for the solitude and beauty of nature, but depressing in that she had such limited choices in her life that she stayed with her husband as long as she did. It took some getting used to the back & forth in her life and the input of the outside world's history into the book, but decided that it did add to the story.

I read this in 2 days. I could have read it quicker, but life takes over sometimes. It was a book club choice after reading about John Muir & Gifford Pinchot for our last selection. I liked this book much more. I was kept interested throughout the book - during her trail tramping, her family history, the periods of U.S. history, etc. I am a year older than she was when she walked it the first time, and I have to say I definitely admire her strength, persistence and level headedness!

Late at night, a white mob comes to the home of a freed slave (George Dinning) accusing him of stealing and ordering him to leave his Kentucky home. After shots are fired into his home, Dinning fires back with a shotgun filled with birdshot, accidentally killing a white man. After fleeing his home, he surrenders to a nearby sheriff, and is charged with murder. His family is forced to flee their home, which is burned down. Facing mob rule and the threat of lynching, Dinning is able to find legal support from a lawyer (Bennett Young) and protection from the state governor. A landmark legal victory is obtained for wrongful conviction, and damages are awarded, primarily against the few in the mob with little or no money. A true story, based in the late 1890s, in the Jim Crow South, where justice prevails.

Resilient, old, and determined, Grandma raises her kids, has an abusive husband, and walked because she likes it. She decided to try the AT after reading about it in a National Geographic. Unsuccessful the first time, she tried again the following year and completed it with America’s news watching. The stuff of legends!!! Thru-hikers have heard of her.

I think I've checked Ben Montgomery's book "Grandma Gatewood's Walk" out of the library about three times before without getting a chance to read it before I could return it. The universe was trying to tell me something.... I think.... because this time I had a chance to read it and I was so disappointed.

Grandma Gatewood is a very interesting woman and I'd have loved to read a book written about her by someone else. Montgomery is a very dramatic writer -- and he doesn't let facts to get too much in the way of a good story. (Grandma Gatewood climbed up and down Katahdin in 3.5 hours? Sure.... OK. Lots of people getting mauled to death on the AT by wild boars.... Sure, OK.) The hyperbole really isn't necessary and made the book unreadable for me.

Several years ago I went to a local church to hear a Metro Detroit fiber artist talk about her quilt. The quilt was huge, a stark black with thousands of names embroidered on it.
April Anue, the artist, told us how God hounded her to make this quilt, and what it cost her, the anguish and tears that accompanied every name she embroidered. She talked about the horror of making the nooses that ornament the quilt.

The 5,ooo names on the quilt are those of African Americans who had been lynched in America between 1865 and 1965. The title of the quilt is Strange Fruit.

Strange Fruit by April Anue

Five thousand human beings, beaten, tortured, and murdered. Anue researched every name, now memorialized for all to read.

In the Jim Crow South there were black Americans who were harassed, beaten, their homes and livelihoods taken from them, their families traumatized; they were denied protection under the law by the authorities and the courts. How many tens of thousands have been forgotten, their names lost?

Ben Montgomery has brought one man back to life. A freed slave whose white neighbors gathered on moonlit night to demand he leave his hard-earned, modest home and farm. Twenty-five men who claimed to be 'friends.' A man who disguised his voice and wore a handkerchief to hide his identity called to him to come out of his home. When this black man had the audacity not to comply, shots bombarded his home, wounding him. And to protect his home and family, this man shot out his window into the crowd, killing a white man.

His name was George Dinning. He fled into the fields to hide as the white men took their fallen comrade away. The next morning, Dinning's house and barn were burned to the ground. George turned himself into the authorities when he heard that he had killed a man.

The story of that night, Dinning's trial, and what happened afterwards is devastating and moving. And, it is perplexing, for the story of Dinning protecting the sanctity of his home brought a surge of support, including that of a prominent veteran of the Confederate Army who built memorials to Confederate heroes while supporting organizations to benefit freed slaves. He was "foremost in work of charity among our race," one black minister said.

A Shot in the Moonlight incorporates historic documents in a vivid recreation of the events of that night, the trial, and the unexpected twists of fortune afterward. Dinning stood up to power in the courtroom, asking for reparation for his loss. Everything was stacked against him, and when he was denied justice, a deluge of editorials were printed in his defense.

In his book What Unites Us, Dan Rather talks about building consensus on the shared values we all hold dear. The sanctity of home and a man's right to protect his home and family raised sympathy of for Dinning, for every American could sympathize with protecting one's home and family.

This is an amazing story of a brave man, a horrendous tale of hate and racism, and a revelation of race relations in America that brought chills and tears.

I received a free book from Little, Brown Spark. My review is fair and unbiased.

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A Shot in the Moonlight: How a Freed Slave and a Confederate Soldier Fought for Justice in the Jim Crow South by Ben Montgomery tells the true story of George Dinning, a freed slave in the American South and the way he made history. Mr. Montgomery is an award winning reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist.

This was one of these books that you find once in a while which you simply cannot put down. Mr. Montgomery knows how to tell a story, building a narrative, and tension while keeping the narrative flowing.

A Shot in the Moonlight: How a Freed Slave and a Confederate Soldier Fought for Justice in the Jim Crow South by Ben Montgomery follows a freed slave, George Dinning, an honest, hardworking family man by all accounts. Mr. Dinning lives in Kentucky, the Jim Crow South, and prospering via his work ethic, brains, and good nature. One evening a mob comes to his farm demanding he’d leave town or be lynched. Mr. Dinning was accused of stealing meat and burning a smokehouse – with absolutely no evidence and no history of doing anything even remotely close. The mob shot at the house, Mr. Dinning returned fire and killed one of them, a prosperous white man.

Mr. Dinning, not a stupid man by any means, rode miles away and handed himself into a sheriff he knew would try to protect him. This was dangerous as law men were intimidated by mobs and often gave into lynching to save their own skins. His case would have to be tried in federal court though, since he didn’t have any rights in Kentucky to sue white people. Mr. Dinning made history by being the first freed slave to successfully fight his would be white killers.

The research Mr. Montgomery has put into this book is impressive, the writing even more so. As a true reporter, the author relies on first-hand accounts, while describing the far reaching implications for Kentucky, African-Americans, and the nation as a while.

This book has many fascinating characters, George Dinning of course, but also his lawyer Bennett H. Young. Mr. Young was a man of contradictions. A Confederated soldier, who simultaneously fought for the erection of Confederate monuments, while at the same time operating charities to help the African-American community as well as working pro-bono in the courts, being viewed as a friend for the community.

A fantastic book, telling an amazing story of an important chapter in American history. An important book to read, especially at these trying times.

This is my third book by Ben Montgomery, he is becoming one of my favorite writers. He profiles ordinary people, a risky gambit, but the quality of his writing and the extraordinary events makes them forever memorable. They are unsung heroes who lived through difficult circumstances and succeeded in the end. Such is the case with George Dinning, a freed slave, who in 1899 had a run in with the "white caps" (Clan). It reads as a taught true crime thriller. It is also a reminder what life was like not long ago for the thousands of blacks shot, hanged and burned in the generations after the Civil War, and many others who got away and in some cases got the better of it. The book is transportative back to a time and place, well worth the visit.

This is a good story about a very interesting woman. That said, IMO, only Erik Larson should be allowed to write about what people had for lunch. He's the only one who knows how to make it interesting. Don't get me wrong, the author was good enough to relate Emma's back story and keep the reader's attention but, for my taste, yes, a little too much rote detail just because it happened to be recorded in her diary. I just feel that an extraordinary writer could have taken this story and made it into a book of more that regional interest that people would want to make a film about.

It's difficult sometimes to separate the quality of a book from the subject of the story. Grandma Gatewood's Walk is a wonderful book, but largely because of the merits of its subject: Emma Gatewood, who, starting at the age of 67, hiked the entire length of the Appalachia Trail thrice, as well as the Oregon Trail. Gatewood, affectionately dubbed Grandma Gatewood, was such an inspiring individual, and her story is one that I doubt many born since the 1960s are familiar with.

Like many works of non-fiction, Grandma Gatewood's Walk suffers from repetition. There doesn't seem to have been enough worthwhile material to complete a full book-length work, so some of the story has been stretched to cover the holes. And while the writing is competent and clear, this is far from the most brilliant or enlightening book. But it all goes back to the subject of Emma Gatewood, and Ben Montgomery does a stand-up job presenting her as a very interesting and inspiring person. Montgomery makes this book all about her, and in that regard, he succeeds.

“She had told her children she was going on a walk. That was no lie. She just never finished her sentence, never offered her own offspring the astonishing, impossible particulars.”

Ben Montgomery based this book on the life and adventures of Emma Gatewood, who at the age of 67 hiked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail during the 1950s. Readers are given some insights into Emma's youthful family life, which definitely wasn't a bed of roses, as she eventually had eleven children. The idea for the walk was kindled when Emma read an article in a magazine about the Appalachian Trail, which stated how well marked it was and how it didn't require any special skills or experience. As Emma would later discover, the article was quite inaccurate. Overall it is an inspirational story, although Emma never gave news reporters one specific answer as to why she decided to hike the trail. Perhaps it was an escape or a way to heal from the personal hell of abuse she endured at the hands of her husband for decades.

I decided to give the book 3.5 stars, partially due to the writing, as it just didn't flow well. It sounded as though parts of the book were taken directly from Emma's travel diary, so perhaps that is why the writing sometimes sounded choppy. I'd still recommend this book to readers who love reading inspirational stories about women. Emma Gatewood was definitely a trailblazer and one tough cookie!½