Life Is So Good

by George Dawson, with Richard Glaubman

Random House, 288 pp., $23

George Dawson began receiving media attention when he enrolled in an adult literacy program at a Dallas high school at the age of 98. The book’s title also seems to be one of his favorite sayings. The lessons Dawson absorbed from his family can be reduced to three essentials: work hard, be optimistic, and stay out of trouble. The grandson of a freed slave, Dawson lived through restrictive Jim Crow laws and lynchings. Although he was careful to appear submissive, his pride and self-respect remained intact. The co-author of the book, Richard Glaubman, a teacher, unsucessfully attempts to introduce some continuity by preceding each chapter with a relevant newspaper clipping. Glaubman’s chapter introductions do not add much to the book; they are at variance with Dawson’s homespun tone, and the links feel contrived. Yet we have Glaubman to thank for befriending Dawson and writing down his recollections. Reading the book feels, at times, like sitting with a friendly neighbor on the front porch.

This article appears in February 4 • 2000.

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