Summary of Jeff Guinn's Go Down Together

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Henry’s father, Henry, was a farmer in East Texas. He had two half-brothers, Ed and Jim, and a half-sister, Marie. He was completely illiterate, and spent his time dreaming of owning his own racehorse.

#2 Henry’s son, Jim, would become a strict parent. He would make sure his son went to church and Sunday School regularly, as he believed that the difference between right and wrong was constantly being reminded of it.

#3 Henry and Cumie’s marriage was not a smooth one. They had to move to Milam County, where they continued to grow cotton and produce babies. Henry was never going to be in a position to buy a farm of his own, but he still wanted to.

#4 The Barrow family moved to Texas, and Cumie began to send her children to school. She saw to it that they were in class whenever possible, despite the difficult circumstances.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822511286

IRB Media

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Insights on Jeff Guinn's Go Down Together

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Henry’s father, Henry, was a farmer in East Texas. He had two half-brothers, Ed and Jim, and a half-sister, Marie. He was completely illiterate, and spent his time dreaming of owning his own racehorse.

#2

Henry’s son, Jim, would become a strict parent. He would make sure his son went to church and Sunday School regularly, as he believed that the difference between right and wrong was constantly being reminded of it.

#3

Henry and Cumie’s marriage was not a smooth one. They had to move to Milam County, where they continued to grow cotton and produce babies. Henry was never going to be in a position to buy a farm of his own, but he still wanted to.

#4

The Barrow family moved to Texas, and Cumie began to send her children to school. She saw to it that they were in class whenever possible, despite the difficult circumstances.

#5

Cumie Barrow was the parent who disciplined her children. She was a typical East Texas countrywoman who loved the outdoors, went to church, and schooled her children. She was strict, and her methods did not seem to help with her oldest son, Buck, who eventually quit school.

#6

Buck was a country boy who loved hunting and fishing, and he had a quick temper. He was also involved in cockfighting, which was a popular pastime in his community. Bud was different, as he had a quick temper but was also very smart.

#7

When World War I ended in 1918, American farmers went down to defeat along with the Germans. The term global economics would have meant nothing to Henry and Cumie, but it was deadly to the tattered remnants of their dreams.

#8

After the war, farm production in Europe came to a standstill. American grain and cotton were suddenly in worldwide demand, and prices skyrocketed. Tenants like Henry couldn’t afford to invest in the booming market, but they did hope the effects would eventually trickle down to them.

#9

The Barrow family’s farming dreams were about to end in 1920, when boll weevils destroyed some farmers’ crops. They had to find a way to support themselves in their old age, and they decided to move to the city.

#10

Dallas was a fine place to live in 1922, and not by accident. From its founding in 1841 on the east bank of the Trinity River, civic leaders planned for orderly, controlled growth. They wanted a vibrant city that rivaled San Francisco or even Athens or Paris as a cultural mecca.

#11

Dallas was a city that wanted to attract new residents, especially investors, taxpayers, and philanthropists. It needed these people to keep its economy stimulated and its civic improvements funded.

#12

Dallas was the first city to try and stem the tide of immigration from farm to city by indirect means. They held meetings to try and identify empty buildings that could be used to provide temporary shelter to the unwelcome influx, but these raggedy bumpkins showed no intention of passing through and infecting other communities.

#13

The Barrows were extremely poor, and they had little money for food. They would go out looking for work, usually in Dallas’s factories-cum-sweatshops, or else in manufacturing plants in Cement City.

#14

The Barrows moved into a boxy house right on the campground, which was slowly becoming a neighborhood. While Henry sold scrap metal and bought wood, Cumie spent her days watching over Flop and Marie. Bud was splitting time between the camp and Uncle Frank’s farm in Corsicana.

#15

When Buck arrived in Dallas, he began making a living from vague pursuits that