Bombingham

by Anthony Grooms

In his barracks, Walter Burke is trying to write a letter to the parents of a fallen soldier, an Alabama man who died in a muddy rice paddy. But all he can think of is his childhood friend Lamar, the friend with whom he first experienced the fury of violence, on the streets of Birmingham, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. The juxtaposition is so powerful—between war-torn Vietnam and terror-filled “Bombingham”—that he is drawn back to the summer that would see his transition from childish wonder at the world to his certain knowledge of his place in it.

Walter and Lamar were always aware of the terms of segregation—the horrendous rules and stifling reality. Their paper route never took them to the white areas of town. But that year, everything exploded. And so did Walter’s family. As the great movement swelled around them, the Burkes faced tremendous obstacles of their own. From a tortured past lingered questions of faith, and a terrible family crisis found its climax as the city did the same. In the streets of Birmingham, ordinary citizens risked their lives to change America. And for Walter, the war was just beginning.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, African American, African American Literature, Historical, Literary Fiction, Southern

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Anthony Grooms grew up in rural Virginia. His education at the College of William and Mary and George Mason University led him to a teaching career in Georgia, where since 1995, he has taught creative writing and literature at Kennesaw State University, and directs its M. A. in Professional Writing Program. He is the author of Ice Poems, Trouble No More: Stories and Bombingham, a novel. His stories and poems have been published in Callaloo, African American Review, Crab Orchard Review, and other literary journals and anthologies. Writing in MELUS, a critical journal of multi-ethnic literature, Professor Diptiranjan Pattanaik said that Trouble No More demonstrates “the insider’s profound knowledge of the history and struggles of African Americans, while consistently managing to circumscribe a breadth of understanding with a tender story-telling art.” Reviewing Bombingham for the Washington Post, critic Jabari Asim wrote, "In its insistence that 'the world is a tumultuous place and every soul in it suffers,' this powerful, resonant novel offers no consolations. Grooms offers consolation, however, in allowing us to be present at the emergence of a brave and promising talent.” Grooms is a Fulbright Fellow, a Yaddo Fellow, a Hurston-Wright Foundation Legacy Award finalist, an Arts Administration Fellow from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the recipient of two Lillian Smith Awards from the Southern Regional Council. Both Trouble No More and Bombingham were selected as All Georgia Reads books. Adopted for study in colleges, Bombingham was the 2013 common book selection for Washington, D. C. The Vain Conversation, a novel, is scheduled to be published by Story River Books (USC Press) in fall 2017. Currently, Grooms is finishing novels about Black Americans in Sweden and school desegregation in Birmingham, Alabama.

Reviews

[Jean Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a simple book. At first it seems like a Young Adult novel but the ideas, the emotions, the storytelling style is very sophisticated and mature. A younger reader might enjoy it for the historical importance but this book is finely nuanced. I would have enjoyed reading this in class or a book group to discover and appreciate what other readers found in this novel.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a thought provoking story and a hard to put down book. I feel like I was mislead by a quote in praise of the book that was on the front cover. It stated that, "Groom reimagines....the infamous 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church." That event was only a small part of the story. It was about the atmosphere between white and black as well as the role that children played in the Civil Rights movement, Walter's homelife, the illness of his mother and the relationships he has with his family and friend, Lamar. It was about a grown man reflecting on and trying to come to terms with events from his childhood. I felt the story had a well-written ending. I was left feeling a little empty by it, but to end it any other way would have trivialized the rest of the story.

[Desdemona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very emotional. Very telling of the time when the black population of Birmingham was struggling with integration. The chain of hopelessness black people felt from generation to generation seems to continue even after the end of the book. Great, educational, and a must-read book for the Civil Rights movement.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review_Bombingham_AnthonyGrooms. 304 pages. Five stars. Grooms takes a political situation, the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the sixties, and infuses it with a wrenching coming-of-age story expanding well beyond the Movement in Birmingham to include Vietnam, cancer, religion’s role in fatalism, loss, hatred and love, fear, and responsibility. The novel opens with and is told from a floating present in Vietnam where Walter is serving combat duty. He has witnessed the combat death of a close friend and is trying to fulfill a mutual promise to write a letter to the family back in the States. Even there, in combat, the Civil Rights Movement and racial tension remain ever-present, ever threatening as Walter mentions Birmingham scratches it out, then re-mentions it. The bulk of the novel, however, moves back to concern “Waltie” as a child growing up in horrific circumstances much like Vietnam with the KKK and its intermittent bombing of a Black neighborhood, “Dynamite Hill.” There, the KKK and Bull Connor’s police and their German shepherds snake forward like copperheads to strike and then vanish into the background. In young Waltie’s foreground lies his mother dying of brain cancer and refusing medical treatment, trusting to God instead—to the dismay and anger of her entire family. His father, chased away by his wife, is living in a hotel and drinking entirely too much. His extended family move in to help with Waltie and his younger sister, Josie. Lastly Lamar, a close friend of Walter, has a grandmother who falls for a visiting preacher from the Movement. For this immediate reason, Lamar pulls Walter and Josie into the dangerous children’s marches and protests in Birmingham. More and more, these protests move into the novel’s foreground, with, alas, devastating effect. A superb, gut-wrenching and informative read.

[sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an assigned class reading. I am conflicted on how I exactly feel about this book. Throughout my reading I complained endlessly: "But where is this going? What is the point?" It was not until the final few chapters I really felt the emotional and mental toll the narrator has endured. Loss after loss. Inner struggle after inner struggle. Walter's mother's idea about hope...it is heartbreaking.

At the end, when Walter says "When I lost Lamar, I lost the moon; I lost the stars." I knew instantly that this quote, this deep feeling of sorrow, would (will) stick with me forever. It may not be a favorite of mine, but I am fond of it.

[R Zavala · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure I'm supposed to be wowed, but I was not. The tedious writing robbed the story of its power. That the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was delivered in such an offhand manner made it feel far less significant, rather than the galvanizing event it was. For all the praise given, I was disappointed.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and harrowing account of life in pre-civil rights Birmingham from the standpoint of an 11-year-old boy in the midst of family trauma, jumping ahead to the boy as a young man in Vietnam. The prose is a little uneven at times, but the overall message of humanity and determination against the odds holds true. Underrated read on the south, too.

[Jess Autiero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and breathtaking, as soon as I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. Simply amazing!

[Tricia Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Far better than I expected. It was such an emotional historical fiction...spanning the Civil Rights era of terror to Vietnam. It deals with life, death, loss and hope. Read it!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective. Made me curious to learn more.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the most moving book I have read this year. Groom has such a powerful writing style.

[kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

this story brought tears to my eyes…it makes me sad and angry that hate, ignorance and racism still exists every day…😡😢🤦🏼‍♀️

[Lawrence Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book, which detailed the civil rights movement in Birmingham, including the fact that there were many blacks that wanted no part of civil disobedience.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel is a well written piece of historical fiction. The text delivers the reader into the one of the most volatile places in the Civil Rights Movement. The author brings glimpses of MLK, Jr. and Reverend Shuttlesworth. The story follows Walter Burke as he is reflecting upon growing up in Birmingham, Alabama. Walter is in Vietnam reflecting upon his life, this angle is the thread that weaves the story together. Much of the story left me wanting. Only towards the end of the novel does author place the characters in the middle of history. Walter and his sister are smack dab in the middle of German Shepards and fire hoses, compliments of Bull Connor. Following the young people through the ordeal adds a harrowing aspect of the story.


The plot limits the story in surprising ways. The most interesting aspects introduced within the story are not the focus of the plot. Walter breaks from himself in Vietnam, but the Vietnam sections only comprise around 15 of 300 pages. The reader sees MLK, Jr., but we do not meet him through some random/chance encounter. The plot is frustrating; rather than focus upon the movement in and around Birmingham, the story follows the disintegration of the Burke family due to cancer. The bus boycott is only mentioned in passing and is in no way the focus of the story. The novel begins with a juicy scene in Vietnam, then goes away from this story until page 83. The Vietnam aspect of Walter is more interesting than much of the family fracturing covered in painful detail within the novel. The stance of the mother is parroted consistently, but not resolved or used as a spring board to an overarching point.

The quality of the writing overcomes the poor plot and execution of the story. There are fantastic bursts of writing throughout the novel. Pages 98-99 include an excellent riff about Walter witnessing a nuclear attack in Birmingham. Pages 146-147 is an nice piece about how a story is enriched and created from various sources.

p.187 "I felt proud of their accomplishments, but also an uneasiness that it didn't matter what black people did for America, we would always be segregated."

[John David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was about a boy named Walter Burke that reminisces his Civil Rights experience in Birmingham, Alabama after one of his friends was killed right next to him in Vietnam. The book starts out when Walter is in Vietnam and his friend Haywood Jackson is killed in a firefight with the VC. With the challenge of writing a letter to Haywood's parents, Walter starts remembering his childhood in Birmingham. The book then switches prespectives to Walter as a kid. One afternoon, Walter's father tells him that his mother has brain cancer. Despite being devestated by this news, Walter tries to live a normal life with his family. That is until his parents start getting into fights on whether or not Mrs. Burke should see a doctor. Walter's father leaves the house and promises to come back, but doesn't for several days. That's when Mrs. Burke's family came to help out around the house. Afterwards when Mr. Burke still doesn't come back, Mrs. Burke's sister, known to Walter and his sistr, Josie, as Aunt Bennie, decides to stay. While she is staying, Walter and Josie start to get envolved with the Civil Rights Movement. They go on several marches and Josie even gets arrested! What happens next, you will just have to find out by reading this book. Throughout the duration of the story, the prespective switches from Walter as a kid and Walter in Vietnam. This book was pretty good. I was very interested by the fast paced beginnig, but in the middle, the story line slowed down. However by th end, I couldn't put the book down. Though a good book, it was kind of depressing. The theme of the book was to trust but do not hope. It is also depressing, because Walter pretty much throws his life away and doesn't care anymore, plus a lot of people die. I ejoyed this book, but it was a little sad.

[Emily K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for ENGL379C (Literature & Film of the Civil Rights Movement), and currently we have been learning about the Birmingham Children's Movement. This book tells the story of Walter, a middle school student who suddenly finds himself at a crossroads of his father's beliefs and his mother's beliefs, which influence his decision to join the Children's Movement and fight against segregation.

Although this book is set during the 60s of the CRM, Grooms delves into topics such as religion vs science, family history and tension, class differences, and friendship, universal topics that everyone can relate to. This shows that the CRM was not just limited to race issues, and more importantly, it shows a different perspective of civil rights activism.

Personally, I saw the CRM as an era of empowerment, activism, and success. But Walter's narrative shows the skepticism that people in the African American community had towards direct involvement in the CRM. Not everyone was like MLK Jr or Rosa Parks. It was a dangerous time, and being an activist was a huge risk that could put a target on your back. I really liked how Grooms explored this different perspective, and seeing it through a child's eyes was even more fascinating.

There were a lot of strong moments in this book. It really makes you THINK and critically examine history and the present.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really puts in your face the reality of living in the Jim Crow south in the sixties through the eyes of a child. I think it's easy as a white person living in the 2000s to sometimes think lunch counters, water fountains, blah blah. To just kind of gloss over it. But there was no glossing over it for the people who lived it and had to somehow explain to themselves and their children the hundred ways they were belittled and dehumanized every day. It's harrowing to think this happened in our own country only fifty years ago. Reflecting on times like this, and how many people were willing to accept the status quo and justify it to themselves, it's motivating to be sure we're on the right side of truth and justice in our own lives. Because history will judge each of us.

The writing, however, seemed a little... inexperienced. A little too much telling and not showing, a few too many conversations overheard through a window. I thought the ending was surprisingly strong, though. The boy who grew up in Birmingham is now fighting in Vietnam, and the way violence and injustice and loss has scarred and shaped him, and continue to haunt him, come together just in the nick of time.

[Isaac Marshall]

People who might be interesred in this book is anyone who likes history, or likes the Vietnam War time period. Or who have never heard of the Bombing that happened in Alabama in a church that killed 4 children.

I give this book a 3 stars because it was a great story but it was confusing at times when he would be talking about the bombing or the war because both were very hard and horrific times to him. Also because you would have to go into the book knowing what the actual Bombingham thing is about so I had to do some research just to even know what he was talking about.

Repetition was use a lot in this book because he would always say “ why Him ???”
Mood was one because you could tell when he was talking about his childhood and when he was talking about killing people in war. The setting was in Vietnam in his little shack/ tent after a long days work of shooting down people who tried to cross the border.

[Cporra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bombingham is a book written by Anthony Grooms about the continual bombings in Birmingham during racial segregation, ultimately causing the city to be referred to as "Bombingham." The book follows the life of an individual named Walter Burke, who fought in Vietnam and had countless memories about it. The book itself wasn't well written, the language conveyed in the book had a lot of cursing making it unsuitable for kids. Also there were constant fade-ins from Vietnam to Birmingham, making it hard to follow. Their wasn't as much history as I was expecting, it focused primarily on Burke's problems at his home. This book overall is not the best book to read leisurely, its language is suitable for adults, so lastly if anyone does plan on reading it I would suggest it be an adult not a child.

[Paulo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is based off the continual bombings in Birmingham Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement. Giving the name Bombingham to the city. It focuses on the life of a Vietnamese soldier named Walter Burke, who was a child in Birmingham when the racial protests were going on. As one of his close friends dies in battle, Walter feels the necessity to write a letter back home to his family describing to them how heroic and an a admirable person he was. Upon doing so all he can recollect was his childhood an his experiences with racial segregation and the many hate crimes that occurred in Birmingham.

[Alex Dennis]

Bombingham was a good book about a young boy named Walter. when he was growing up, and during his time in the military. Most of the book takes place during a spring and summer of one of his middle school years. It is during the beginning of the civil rights movement. The story revolves around the movement and the relationship between Walter and his father and cancer stricken mother. It is a good book and it was easy to follow in the beginning, but towards the end of the story the meaning becomes deeper and goes into deeper thoughts. All in all it was a good book that helps readers understand the hardships that African Americans went through during that time.

[Jordan Parrish]

After reading this book I thought that it was a really amazing book. I'd never read a civil rights book so this was an experience. The way Anthony Grooms wrote this book made me understand racism at a different level, more in a first person view through the eyes of someone who is supposed to be innocent. It was really realistic and it didn't hold back, which gave me the full experience of someone during that time period. I would recommend this to anybody who is in need of a civil rights book.

[Linda Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I finally read Tony Grooms book. Walter's family is one I will remember for a long time. This novel reminded me that fiction is often the most powerful way into the truth of a historical period. I learned much race, assumptions, and activism in reading Walter Burke's coming of age story set in Birmingham, AL.

[Kylie]

This book is about Walter Burke. He is the main character and through out the book, the author/ main character bounces back and forth between what he is currently going through (which is writing a letter to his best friend's, who is now dead, parents) and his childhood memories growing up in Birmingham, Alabama during the break of the Civil Rights movement.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is a tale of sad strange events in birmingham alabama. this one boy in vietnam had a comrade die and is writing a letter to that comrade's parents, but all he can think about is his sad struggles in his childhood. the book continues to go on about walter and his role in the civil rights movement. he's been through everything and when you think he's had enough his mom gets sick.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been on my "list" since it came out ten years ago, and I can't believe I didn't get around to it until now. It has a moving story and great characters. It's based on actual events in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1960s, and I love books based on actual events. It was a scary time in the south, and Grooms' young narrator is trying to make sense of it all. I highly recommend this book.

[Demetric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very well written and in a since inspirational book, It reminded me of what my mom and grandma had to deal with growing up in the south. Towards the end of the book the message became very sorrowful, a drunk father and a mom on her death bed.

To me this was more of a one time read though.

[Adam Scarmuzzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book extremely eye-opening. It really went into extreme detail about the horrors that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement. Some people might think the way the book was set up is difficult to understand, but not for me. I loved it and would highly recommend it to anybody who wants to learn a little bit more about how America became what it is today.

[Robin]

I'm impressed by all this book is trying to do -- a soldier in Vietnam reflecting back on his childhood in segregated Birmingham. A lot of profanity, so much so that I can only see it in high school. (Of course there is a lot of profanity -- how could there not be and have it be an authentic human reaction to the circumstances?) Very promising.

[Lynn Kanter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young African American man serving in the military in Vietnam reflects on his childhood in Birmingham, Alabama during the violent height of the civil rights movement. Beautifully written, this novel takes you inside the day-to-day reality of living through a revolution. I don’t know how I missed this book, which was published in 2001. Go read it right now.