Author Jerry L. Jones, EdD, is taking his latest book, Go and Come Again: Segregation, Tolerance, and Reflection: A Four-Generation African-American Educational Struggle on tour—a Virtual Book Tour, that is, with Outskirts Press! Technology has created a wide variety of ways to reach audiences all over the world. All it takes is a little thinking outside the box. Nowadays, you can market a self-published book in a variety of affordable and impactful ways. Virtual book tours, for example, are a great way to connect with readers from all corners of the globe . . . all from the comfort of your own home. Join Jerry L. Jones, EdD, and Go and Come Again: Segregation, Tolerance, and Reflection: A Four-Generation African-American Educational Struggle as they appear in features and interviews (such as the one below) in the weeks and months ahead!

Luckily for us, Jerry L. Jones, EdD, was kind enough to answer a few questions as the tour was getting started so that we can give you a sneak peek into the mind of the creator of Go and Come Again: Segregation, Tolerance, and Reflection: A Four-Generation African-American Educational Struggle.

OP: Tell us a little bit about Go and Come Again: Segregation, Tolerance, and Reflection: A Four-Generation African-American Educational Struggle. What is it about?

JERRY: The book is about growing up African American in Appalachia in the 1950s and the early 1960s and becoming an educator, teaching for fifty-two years. I analyze issues of race, career success, life’s journey, and destiny.

OP: Why did you decide to write this story?

JERRY: I wrote it to respect the legacy of African Americans of earlier times and honor those African Americans who are living today. I use the book as a center point for discussions about race relations, analyzing my own life’s story.

OP: What types of readers would be interested in this story?

JERRY: All ages can benefit from reading Go and Come Again.

OP: What is unique about your book?  

JERRY: The pictures are priceless, the humor is real, the details are stunning, and the empathy is apparent throughout the pages.

OP: Have you published any other books? Do you plan to publish more? 

JERRY: Yes, and yes!

OP: What differentiates it from other books in the same category? 

JERRY: Few educators have stayed in the classroom for fifty years; my perspective is different from administrators’. The Appalachian location is unique.

OP: How can someone learn more about your book or purchase it?

JERRY:Information can be found by going to www.jjonesgladespring.com AND internet searching jerry jones glade spring.

OP: Thanks for your time, Jerry! We look forward to learning more about you as you visit other bloggers!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

An African American born in 1947 in the Southwest Virginia small town of Glade Spring, Dr. Jerry L. Jones attended public schools during segregation. He holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Virginia State University and a doctoral degree from Virginia Tech. Starting his teaching career as a high school teacher in Baltimore in 1969, he became a professor at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond in 1974. Returning to his hometown in 2001 to take care of his elderly mother, Jones is currently a professor at Emory & Henry College, located only four miles from the Glade Spring home where he grew up, and that has been in his family since 1870. With nearly sixty years in education, both as a student and teacher, Jones provides a unique perspective about society, education, and minority status in America—past and present. When Jerry Jones’s mother, Mary Waugh, finished the seventh grade in the 1920s, there was no high school for Black children in Washington County, Virginia. She and one of her brothers were homeschooled during the eighth grade by a paid teacher. Later, Mary and her brother were sent to Morristown Junior College in Tennessee, which—at that time—had a high school department. The author details four generations of Black public-school education in his hometown, from his great-grandfather (a former slave) to his own education, which involved being bused about sixty miles a day to and from high school. With nearly fifty years as a teacher, Jones writes his book as a tribute to the struggles many African Americans faced in their pursuit of an education.

The stories about his family may not be overly unique. However, these stories are representative of the time and of the geographic location. The education of Negro children in the early years of the twentieth century in most Southern school districts was not a priority. This was a case of separate and unequal—a situation that took decades and federal intervention to remedy. Hesitant to call his book autobiographical, Jones details many of his life experiences—tracing his journey from the segregated public schools of Virginia to his college experiences at the historically Black Virginia State University and his teaching career in Baltimore, Richmond, and Emory. Additionally, he analyzes his own shortcomings and reflects on his personal traits and strengths.

For more information or to contact the author, visit www.outskirtspress.com/goandcomeagain.

This author purchased the Media Marketing Blitz marketing option, which allows self-publishing authors to connect with bloggers and harness the power of the blogosphere by taking their book on a “virtual road.” Learn more about this service by visiting your Publishing Center and reviewing the available marketing options.

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The post Outskirts Press Presents Jerry L. Jones, EdD, author of Go and Come Again: Segregation, Tolerance, and Reflection: A Four-Generation African-American Educational Struggle appeared first on Self-Publishing News for Self Publishing Authors.