Annette Gordon-Reedâs Surprising Recollections of Texas
Martha Yates Jones, left, and Pinkie Yates in a buggy decorated with flowers for Houstonâs annual Juneteenth celebration in 1908.Credit...Reverend Jack Yates Family and Antioch Baptist Church Collection, via The African American Library at The Gregory School, Houston Public Library
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By H.W. Brands
Almost every memoir could fairly be subtitled âThe Education of.
â¦â Some explicitly embrace the formulation; âThe Education of Henry Adamsâ is the second most influential memoir in American letters, after Benjamin Franklinâs autobiography. âOn Juneteenth,â Annette Gordon-Reedâs insightful, often touching reflection on the Black experience in Texas, starting with her own, lands between these two: less arch than Adams, more historical than Franklin.