Lazy Researcher Review - Historical Preservation is so tricky right? After a heated debate with friends over the preservation of plantations as tourist attractions and the profits going to the descendants of slave owners (usually because said estate still belongs to the family anyhow) it's refreshing to see some structures reflecting the other side of that era.

Also, the granma on the cover looks like she's tired of everyone's shyte and I just love that. And yet - she also looks adorable but like she's seen a lot. Urgh...anyway.

Information Accessibility scale:
If you're a novice at the topic. Let's look at it like this
■1.Bob Ross Ease: don't overthink it, paint it and just enjoy vibe.
■2. CrashCourse Youtube: Phil Plait and team bite-size digestible chunks
■3.Bill Nye, Neil de Grasse Tyson: mass cable style appeal but very edutaining.
■4.Feynman, Hawking, Einstein, Kaku, Curie: data, concept, theory heavy degrees non-negotiable.
■5.Christopher Nolanesque: gloriously mind-bending, time-bending, sanity-bending fck your degree and linear thought

LEVEL: I'd put this at a 1.5 It's not enjoyable as in "Wow look at that!" It's a sobering account of living standards and a testimony of the human spirit and to how people still found a way to make barely a house feel like a whole lotta home. But also some houses are lush.

Rabbit hole Worthy or Nah?:
I love architecture and I love history and any other time I'd dive right in. But I don't want to because chances are high I'll stumble on a lynching or some thing related to Emmit Till and so much dark history. Forgive me but it's also the month of love so I'm tapping out now.

Snore inducing or Willing All-nighter :
Neither. It was a very quick read. Also, it was strangely nostalgic in a sad way, very bittersweet seeing all these people carve out a successful path even within societal chains.

Spotlight on Advocate/Activists/Archivists: 
□"What is in a house? It is the lineage of memories, lessons, community, inspiration, authenticity, and relevance today and for generations to come". (Althemese P. Barnes)
□"Dorothy Tookes, an ambitious and bold woman, transformed her home into a 17-room hotel that served African Americans who were not able to have accommodations during segregation in Tallahassee." (Was this in The Green Book?)
□"Lincolnville homeowners included several African American women.". (on Mary "Mae" Martin)

Significant Event/Concept/Person/Place:
■Mary McLeod Bethune
■John E. Proctor was born a free man but was sold into slavery. 😥WTF???
■ Smokey Hollow
■Tookes Hotel
■Sunshine Manor was gorgeous!
■shotgun residences for blacks

OVERALL: I do think this book should have had more eyeballs on it. I was very surprised when I found it on GR with such a low shelf existence across the user base. Pity.

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 NonFiction (Humanities/History) books by 2025