Brick Walls

"Written from the vantage point of a central participant, Brick Walls is an original case study of modern manifestations of the civil rights struggle still ongoing in American public education. This cautionary tale from Florence District One is a story that ought to be told, one from which leaders in other communities can learn, and Thomas Truitt is to be commended for sharing it with us."—Frye Gaillard, author of The Dream Long Deferred and Cradle of Freedom: Alabama and the Movement that Changed America

"Veteran educator and school administrator Dr. Thomas Truitt writes from the perspective of both a participant in and an observer of community dynamics. Somewhat painfully the reader is compelled to experience the cumulative impact of intended and inadvertent actions which confound the unity to which the community aspires. This case study of schools and the community they serve should be read by all those who strive to influence and lead in public settings."—Jo Anne Anderson, executive director, State of South Carolina Education Oversight Committee

"Thomas Truitt's book is at once an inspiring and disheartening history. It is the story of a society that is moving only painfully towards racial reconciliation, an account of courageous leadership amidst relentless adversity, a tale in microcosm of the two Americas we sadly remain."—Bud Ferillo, producer and director of Corridor of Shame: The Neglect of South Carolina's Rural Schools