Those Pullman Blues: An Oral History of the African-American Railroad Attendant

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but quickly became caught up in the stories and work experiences of these men. Many people don't know what train travel was like in the days before Amtrak and this will be an eye-opening book for them. For those of us who do recall Pullman travel, and the people (many of them friends) who worked the cars, this book will bring back meny memories. Readers should be aware that that this collection of oral histories is not a railfan's book or a wallow in nostalgia. These men tell what it was like not only to work for the Pullman Company, but also what life was like for them away from the trains. Parts of the book are funny, and others are heartbreaking, but most work is that way. The only thing that kept the book from receiving a "10" rating was that it could have used some car diagrams (floor plans) to give the novice an idea of the interior layout of the cars described in the text.

David Perata has captured the essence of an era of time when the black man was presented to the public in such an extrordinary way, yet was treated by the Pullman Comapany as nothing more that an endentured servant. The book has a definate place in American history, and will become significant documentation of an era of travel and national growth that will be valued for years to come. A must read! Coretta Scott King should be proud of this endorsement!

The interviews of the men that built such a style of travel are conducted and written in such brilliance that you can almost smell the starch in their white jackets! A brilliant method of capturing the true life emotions of an almost invisibale servant who afforded the rail traveler a luxury that this country will never again know. Mr. Perata has imortalized those fine men in print, a much needed documentation of a bygone mode of travel and the truth behind it. Those Pullman Blues should be on every bookshelf in America