As a resident of Holly Springs, I was eager to read this book. I'm 41, and among the youngest group to be a part of the white mass exodus from the public school system.
In some cases, reading the book was a learning experience; that is, I found that there were many things I did not know about our town's history.
BUT, the book is poorly written. I frequently asked myself, did this guy even have the book proofread even ONCE. In a couple of places, the copy makes no sense, as if it had been accidently copied and pasted in the wrong place.
What the author does to those being quoted is even worse. I strongly suspect that he went around with a tape recorder, conducted some interviews, and then wrote the book a year or more later. Quotes tend to be presented in "string quote" fashion, with the speaker just rambling on. No nonsensical statement is questioned to perhaps draw out a sensical response. The result is that those being quoted sometimes appear to be blithering idiots. It's really unfair to quote people in this fashion.
The author states that the private school didn't start until 1970, but I know I started attending in 1968. A not-so-minor error, and one that makes me pause before accepting other things presented in the book as fact.
The author is really attempting to share the black story of school integration, and apparently only quotes blacks in the book. I suppose I understand that, but by limiting the views presented, he really only tells half the story. He really needed far more sources, both black and white.
I think the history of the Mississippi private school movement, and the effect of integration on both the public schools and the communities, is one worthly of serious academic inquiry.
Unfortunately, the author in this case is guilty of poor reporting, although the book certainly contains some interesting facts.