
Blood Done Sign My Name
A True Story
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Narrated by:
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Robertson Dean
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By:
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Timothy B. Tyson
The “riveting”* true story of the fiery summer of 1970, which would forever transform the town of Oxford, North Carolina - a classic portrait of the fight for civil rights in the tradition of To Kill a Mockingbird (*Chicago Tribune)
On May 11, 1970, Henry Marrow, a 23-year-old Black veteran, walked into a crossroads store owned by Robert Teel and came out running. Teel and two of his sons chased and beat Marrow, then killed him in public as he pleaded for his life.
Like many small Southern towns, Oxford had barely been touched by the civil rights movement. But in the wake of the killing, young African Americans took to the streets. While lawyers battled in the courthouse, the Klan raged in the shadows and Black Vietnam veterans torched the town’s tobacco warehouses. Tyson’s father, the pastor of Oxford’s all-White Methodist church, urged the town to come to terms with its bloody racial history. In the end, however, the Tyson family was forced to move away.
Tim Tyson’s gripping narrative brings gritty blues truth and soaring gospel vision to a shocking episode of our history.
Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award
“If you want to read only one book to understand the uniquely American struggle for racial equality and the swirls of emotion around it, this is it.” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
“Blood Done Sign My Name is a most important book and one of the most powerful meditations on race in America that I have ever read.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
“Pulses with vital paradox...It’s a detached dissertation, a damning dark-night-of-the-white-soul, and a ripping yarn, all united by Tyson’s powerful voice, a brainy, booming Bubba profundo.” (Entertainment Weekly)
“Engaging and frequently stunning.” (San Diego Union-Tribune)
©2004 Timothy B. Tyson (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a divison of Random House, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
“Admirable and unexpected...a riveting story that will have his readers weeping with both laughter and sorrow.” (Chicago Tribune)
“Blood Done Sign My Name is a most important book and one of the most powerful meditations on race in America that I have ever read.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
“Engaging and frequently stunning.” (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Powerful and important book. Highly recommend.
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Great Book!
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If you could sum up Blood Done Sign My Name in three words, what would they be?
Eye-opening, humblingWhat was one of the most memorable moments of Blood Done Sign My Name?
All of the personal recollections of racism were very moving.Which character – as performed by Robertson Dean – was your favorite?
The father - Vernon TysonHistory we need to know
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This Is A Very Good Book
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Fantastic!
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Powerful story of intersectionality
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First Person History
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Excellent and Eloquent
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Would you listen to Blood Done Sign My Name again? Why?
Yes. This book was well-done, depicting the complex relationships between blacks and whites in the South, and taking away the sunshine and rainbows of nonviolent resistance in the Civil Rights era. It is also a family history... a very personal one. Mr. Tyson got many interviews with many people who affected his life, and that made it more personal than a true crime book or a political commentary, and more well-rounded than a family biography - though it is all three.Important work
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Fast forward to present day, and here am I, the mother-in-law of an African American man and the proud grandmother of biracial boys. This has changed my perspective. A lot. Some of my Caucasian friends complain about the BLM movement, and shout the rallying cry: "All Lives Matter!!" Umm, well yes they do. And they mattered back when the KKK were burning crosses and lynching young black men for daring to stand up to white folk. In a conversation with a peer in recent months, I was challenged on using the term White Privilege. "Well, I don't know what you're talking about. I grew up poor. I didn't have privilege." To which I responded, "Your skin color was your privilege. You weren't turned away from jobs, or renting a home, or shopping at a store BECAUSE you are white." He just didn't get it, and many don't. I don't completely understand because I didn't live that experience. But one thing I know is that I want better for my beautiful grandchildren. The world will not see them as biracial; they will see them as black. So fighting for what is right for my fellow human beings whose skin color is different, is actually fighting for what I want the world to be for my grandsons.
While at times this book was a little tedious, due to discussion of background characters and timelines (and admittedly, I like a "page-turner"), it was eye-opening in regard to the racial justice system in North Carolina in the 1970's! Not the 1870's, or 1940's, but just less than 50 years ago. What happened to Henry Marrow and the subsequent lack of justice handed out to his killers, made me cry, made me so angry, and made me question why there can't be exclusions to double-jeopardy. This is when one has to rely on Mr. Teal and his family having to answer to their Maker.
Lastly, I think the world needs more people like Rev. Tyson and Timothy Tyson. People who are willing to withstand the backlash because they know that they have to follow their conscience. That's the kind of person I hope to be.
A look into the meaning of White Privilege
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