This was a really lovely memoir, with love for the author's family shining through in every page.

I don't think you need to live in St Louis to appreciate the sense of place in this book, or the way that location shaped lives. (Although if you do, it's nice to hear about places you know and to see someone else remembering them, too!) And many people in St Louis don't know about Mill Creek Valley, or understand the racist motivations for unhousing thousands of people for "progress."

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and realized that, despite the fact that we both grew up in St. Louis, we had very different experiences due to our differences in race and socioeconomic status. I learned about rat living, which made my recent encounters with mice in my house seem insignificant. Every month, I discovered that we both enjoyed cutting out Betsy McCall's paper dolls from McCall's magazine. I loved it when the paperboys delivered the papers and we played outside until it got dark. I admire the author's determination to achieve her extraordinary success as a writer. More of this type of writing is needed to bring people together in this divisive world; we have more in common than we realize.

I wanted to read this book because the content seemed intriguing and, with it taking place in St. Louis, is a bit of local history. Even now I can see how some of what is mentioned in this book is still prevalent. You can drive down certain streets and see newer modern homes right next door to boarded up homes. I loved reading some background on this and would absolutely recommend it to others.

This was exactly the book I needed, exactly when I needed it. So full of family and love, hope and the optimism of childhood. Yet also heartbreaking in the way of factual reads about the struggles of racism and poverty. The author gives us this gift with a flair for storytelling, and couples her reminiscing with facts gleaned from other sources, Excellent read.

Very good retelling of lesser known stories of life as an African American during the 50s. The viewpoint of a child is different from adults but is one worth knowing. In some instances I am shocked at what happened in the book but also not surprised the way African Americans were treated. Enjoyed reading about family during this time as well.

this was a really powerful memoir, I really enjoyed the voice in the writing and getting to me the people in the story.

Sadly, I did not enjoy this read. I felt like it was a rough draft. Too many words. I felt like the story got lost in the words.

With all due respect and regard for Ms. Gibson's family and journey, this book is nothing more than the personal recollections of a senior citizen about her mother, father and herself, a sort of family memoir that is maintained for future generations as a family heirloom. This book does not cover the lives of black children from the Mill Creek neighborhood, as the title suggests.

All the best to the author and her memories.

This is a memoir about growing up in a segregated community of Mill Creek. I thought about this book as a snapshot of a certain period of time for this family. I got a good sense of who this family was and some of the things that affected their lives, but there was something else I wanted in the book. Maybe I was missing some background information that would've made me appreciate the book more or maybe I was hoping for more explanations, I don't quite know what it was. This book was just alright for me.

(I want to thank NetGalley, Belt Publishing, and the author for this ARC, which I received in exchange for an honest review.)

Vivian Gibson writes a memoir about her family and her childhood. Her anecdotes show how life was in Mill Creek, a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, that was destroyed in 1959 as part of an urban renewal project that wanted to get rid of the "slum" and build a highway. In that way, Gibson tries to portray this African-American community through the stories of her parents, her siblings, her friends, her neighbors, and herself.

What I liked: It is clear that the author did research to show an accurate picture of Mill Creek in the '50s, and that is certainly valuable in a memoir. I also believe it is important to learn about groups that have been marginalized, as their voices hadn't been heard as often as those from the privileged groups. I mean, we all know many stories about how cities have been "improved" or "modernized", but we rarely hear what hundreds of people (in this case, 20,000 neighbors!) who live in those areas lose in the process. In that way, the author writes this memoir to save for future generations the soul of a community that was destroyed by racism and poor urban planning. That is why it is important to understand the experiences of people from Mill Creek and what their community meant to them.

What I did not like: The style of this book was to heavy on the descriptions for my taste. The stories that Gibson tells are interesting and charming, but sometimes it was hard to read because it is a long list of anecdotes. So, the reader can learn a lot about the daily life of the Ross family, but there is not a plot. The experience was like looking at a photo album with someone explaining to you what happened in each picture, so it is pretty cool, but it is not like a movie that uses images to tell a single story. Also, I would have wanted to learn more about the destruction of Mill Creek, since this process is only explained in the last 10% of the book.

This was such an interesting book! The author, Vivian Gibson, wrote it about her childhood growing up in the late 1950s in St. Louis.

Absolutely amazing insight...I had no idea about life for folks having to get by like they did, yet manage to raise 8 children into good adults. Vivian has opened my eyes to a way of life that I- as a white woman- never knew of.

This was a real heart wrenching read about one woman and what her family went through. They were the last family to leave the area of Mill Creek, before homes in the area were demolished for a so called renewal project by the city. Ms. Gibson highlights the highs and lows of her family, as well as some of what happened later on in life. I enjoyed reading about her and her family.

This memoir follows the author’s family from the great migration to the razing of their Mill Creek neighborhood during the urban renewal of St Louis. As one of 8 children raised in poverty in just 3 rooms I found their experiences interesting. However, I feel like the book fell short of its full potential and lacked emotion.

The "The Last Children of Mill Creek" by Vivian Gibson is a memoir of the author's life growing up in an area of St. Louis that was destroyed in the late 1950s to build a highway. Gibson recounts the ups and downs of growing up in a large family in a poor, segregated neighborhood in the Mill Creek neighborhood of St. Louis. While there were many forces acting against the family from the outside and some challenging family dynamics, Gibson's mother and community members provided a lot of strength and support. I really enjoyed the book, but I was definitely hoping for a greater intertwining of and a more in-depth discussion of the historical details relating to the destruction of the neighborhood. Sadly, the depiction of overcrowded, segregated, underfunded schools is not a scenario that stayed in the past. Overall, this was a good and interesting read.

A fascinating tale of the impact urban regeneration has on a community that is forced to relocate. Neither indulgent nor self-pitying I found this book to be an excellent piece of social history.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was raised in white poverty of the rural south and found it interesting to compare and contrast the culture and climate of this family to my own. This family's history is a successful story of what hard work, creativity and the support of a loving family and friends can do to uplift the human spirit. Instead of complaints about the restrictions of poverty, racism, and the many hardships faced this author relishes what was undoubtedly the nexus of her successful and creative adult life. It is a refreshing story that should serve as in inspiration to all races and cultures of what is out there if you are willing to work hard to overcome …..ie the American dream.
Ms. Gibson richly describes the characters is this book and the writing flows beautifully. I would encourage the reading of this book especially to those who are interested in the culture and history of the 20th century of the south.

Enjoyed this easy read memoir about segregation and the hardships this family faced.

Thank you Net Galley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Thank you to Belt Publishing and Net Galley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

In her deft and nuanced autobiography, "The Last Children of Mill Creek," author, entrepreneur and fashion designer Vivian Gibson reflects on her childhood in the primarily black neighborhood of Mill Creek, which was later destroyed by gentrification. With simple yet meaningful examples, Gibson illustrates the Great Migration, her parent's shrewdness to provide for all her siblings and the mischief her siblings engaged in. By turns thoughtful and engaging, Gibson's down to earth language and frank storytelling will be sure to win you over!

This is the kind of book that I consider an easy read.
Short and full of interesting stories, written wonderfully so that you just want to keep flipping the pages.
This book gave a very real look into the past and a compelling look into family dynamics.
I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend.