Title: Born and Raised in Sawdust: My Journey Around the World in Eighty Years
Author: Lewis Thigpen
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1728329604
Pages: 316
Genre: Inspirational/Memoir
Reviewed by: C.C. Thomas

Read Book Review

The release of Lewis Thigpen’s memoir could not come at a better time. Born and
Raised in Sawdust: My Journey Around the World in Eighty Years chronicles the life of
the author, a story filled with challenges overcome and disappointments weathered. At
its base, it is the story of a black child who grew up in the Jim Crow South of Florida in
the 1930s and 1940s. However, a careful read will leave you with an understanding of
systemic racism and how it permeates every segment of our society, both then and now.

Thigpen, the grandson of slaves, shares stories of honest, hard-working parents who
instilled a strong work ethic in their children. The details of another era are enlightening,
such as the author’s memories of canning, recipes using fresh vegetables straight from
a farm garden, and other bits and pieces of life in the rural southern US. Interwoven
throughout are instances of systemic racism that will be alien for many modern readers,
but ones which the author and his family simply took in stride because that was their
reality. These unwritten rules and social mores are spelled out to the reader for the stark
contrast to modern times. Thigpen makes it clear that unquestioningly obeying these
unwritten rules were instilled into every black child. He and his siblings learned these
harsh lessons, but each rose above them to achieve great professional success in spite
of how they were treated.

The book is divided up chronologically, with specific parts tied to momentous times in
the author’s life beginning with a description of his childhood home and earliest life
memories. The story then transitions to the author’s school years and stories of how
racism invaded every aspect of his life, including being bullied for the color of his skin
and the aptitude of his intellect.

While it might seem as if Thigpen’s life is one achievement after another, his endeavors
were not always successful. During his teen years, Thigpen worked as a migrant farm
worker in the northern part of the US, which sparked in him a life-long yearning for
travel. A stint in the army was the consequence of his dissatisfaction with manual labor,
followed by a lifetime of personal improvement. Thigpen goes through each phase of his
life, explaining how he came to be the man he is today. He does not shrug off instances
of racist behavior in the book, but lays the blame squarely with each instigator, including
the Army, universities, and the government. Small details help Thigpen to weave a rich
tapestry of a unique American life, filled with honor and bravery, tragedy and triumph.
For any who seek to better understand our American culture and the Black Lives Matter
movement, this book is a great place to start. It will inspire spirited conversations and
heartfelt sympathies for a man who struggled throughout it all.

In the acknowledgements, Thigpen explains that he was asked to write the book to
showcase the accomplishment of African Americans in Gadsen County, Florida. After
reading this story, it is clear that Thigpen is selling himself short. His accomplishments
could rival any man’s or women’s across the globe. It isn’t only that Thigpen
accomplished great success in spite of the challenges of racism; rather, it is because
Thigpen himself is such a dynamic character on the page—full of spice, brutal honesty,
and a grim determination to prove everyone wrong and himself right.