The Gullah Mailman

Life in Today’s world is set at a frenzied pace. Everything has to be done faster and better than before and there is little time to sit back and enjoy the frivolous things in life. However, there are some places that still put value on simple pleasures such as enjoying a sunset or having a pleasant conversation with a neighbor. In a remote area of South Carolina known as St. Helena Island there is a community that had lasted for over one humdred and fifty years and is just as popular today as it was when it first began.

Pierre McGowan describes the friendly confines of St. Helena in The Gullah Mailman. Beginning with a detailed description of the island’s history and physical topography, McGowan then launches into the biographical account of his father Sam McGowan’s life. Sam left a promising social life in Charleston to become a mail carrier at this isolated community predominately inhabited by five thousand Gullah-speaking African-Americans. Over the years, Sam would become a trusted and respected friend to all the island’s residents and their stories become his story in the impressive memoir.