Sharony Green Boeken

The narrative follows a University of Alabama historian's decade-long journey in public history, showcasing a blend of personal and educational experiences both in and out of the classroom. It emphasizes the importance of engaging with history in a public context, offering insights into the challenges and triumphs faced while bridging academic knowledge with community involvement. Through various initiatives, the book illustrates the transformative power of history in shaping public understanding and appreciation.

"The author recovers an understudied but important period in Zora Neale Hurston's life: her 1947-48 stay in Honduras. Hurston - an anthropologist by training - was officially searching for a "lost" Maya ruin. But the author argues that Hurston was also engaged in a much more personal project: in escaping the Jim Crow south to Central America, she was able to sidestep wearying conversations about race in the United States, while still embracing her privilege (and power) as a citizen of the United States in postwar Central America"--