Michelle Mears\u27s book on the rural and urban freedmen settlements of Austin is a welcome contribution to the social history of African Americans in Texas. By considering postemancipation black lifeways at such a small scale, as few existing works do, it offers readers a more comprehensive view of the experiences, struggles, and accomplishments of African Americans within a specific historical context. Mears also achieves a good balance between discussing Austin\u27s historic black communities and situating them within the social, economic, and political processes occurring more broadly within the state and the greater South.
Her research is meticulous, and scholars will appreciate her introduction, with its review of the literature and sources on Texas freedmen. The book then unfolds with a solid demographic analysis and historical synopsis of the fifteen documented freedmen settlements in and around Austin, noting their origins and characteristics. Mears makes frequent use of historic maps, allowing readers to locate and visualize spatially the layout of each community
