What Others are Saying
Heart Beat of the Texas Hill Country
"Home of the Brave is a book about heroism."
MILITARY TIMES
"Montrose had the audacity to look for solutions by taking on yet another conundrum: Can those on the sideline of an enormous conflict find a way beyond saying ‘thank you for your service’ to support America’s warriors?”
The answer? Yes.
Old Firehouse Books
A few weeks ago, we were thrilled to host author and journalist Donna Bryson and to chat with her about her new book Home of the Brave. Our friends at the Bean Cycle were kind enough to loan us some space, and the tiny (but enthusiastic) group that came had a truly engaging conversation with Donna over their cups of coffee.
Donna was kind enough to answer some of our questions to be featured here, for those of you who missed the event.
LETTER TO THE DENVER POST
To all my fellow Americans, I hope you enjoyed a festive and safe 4th. Just remember that, for some, this holiday is not as festive as it once was.
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Amazon Reader
All of us who live in communities with a large number of vets can come away from this tale inspired with ideas about reaching out to our soldiers.
THE GAZETTE
In "Home of the Brave," Colorado-based author Donna Bryson describes the leadership style of Melanie Kline, who founded a grass-roots project for vets originally called Welcome Home Montrose.
Denver Urban Spectrum
Bryson emphasizes the crucial importance of the black and white leadership at UFS and documents the programs, policies and changes they initiated. Equally important, she shares aspects of their personal stories that impact the challenges of creating a new South Africa.
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The Denver Post
It's A Black-White Thing offers a refreshing view of how race-related upheaval can lead to positive change—something from which Americans might take a lesson.
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The Montrose Mirror
Journalist Donna Bryson has spent her career in the major leagues, covering breaking news and worldwide events for the Associated Press and other prestigious news organizations from such locations as Cairo and Johannesburg, South Africa. Now, Bryson has turned her eye on Montrose, penning her second book about this small Colorado town and its efforts to provide a welcoming and supportive community for returning veterans.
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Colorado Public Radio
“I came to see Bloemfontein as a microcosm [for what was happening elsewhere in South Africa],” she says. “But a lot of South Africans see it as particularly racist, as particularly troubled by the past.”
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The Denver Post
Donna Bryson’s “It’s A Black/White Thing” is a compelling examination of the politics of race, exploring the impact of a racist video made by students at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
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Not Now, Darling...I'm Reading
Donna Bryson has written a thought-provoking book. Given our obsession with race (and that’s what this book is all about), it should be mentioned that Bryson is an African American journalist who has lived in South Africa—in the late 1990s and again from 2008–2012. She brings her own experiences to the table as well as many interviews with students, academics and administrators at the University of the Free State.
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Sunday Times Books Live Podcast
In this interview, Bryson speaks about the events and research that fed into and came out of this book. She focuses on how young people experience and respond to racism at University of the Free State.
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Netwerk 24
Veteran journalist and commentator Ruda Landman says that issues around tradition and change at the former Afrikaans universities are in the news, and that anyone who wants to understand these issues from a different angle should read It's a Black-White Thing. She adds: “One of the book’s strengths is that Bryson has empathy with each of the characters … It is a positive book throughout. The author accepts that transformation is crucial. It is difficult, very difficult, and it will take years, but there are people who are working towards it with commitment and in sincerity.
“In the midst of so much hot-headed rhetoric as we’re currently hearing about this journey South Africa is on, this book can calm and teach.”
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It's a Black–White Thing
Published May 2014
Home of the Brave
To be published January 2018