Awards and Praise
You'd be hard pressed to find a more entertaining and enlightening coming-of-age story than this one, set in 1960s North Carolina. Narrator Peggy Richardson adroitly conveys the early life of the author, who loses both of her parents by age 16. One of the notable features of the story is the remarkable evolution of Kaufmann's views on civil rights. Richardson movingly conveys Kaufmann's voice from childhood to the present, along with the voices of her close-knit family, school friends, and the blacks who make up her world. The story is at once personal (crushes, annoying relatives) and historic (the Kennedy assassination, Jim Crow laws). Richardson's delivery is appropriate for every situation. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2015]
  • Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2015
  • Reviewed in Indy Week, June 6, 2014:
The cast includes a wised-up older brother, a reactionary extended family and a “sage African-American maid.” This stock characterization from the jacket summary sells the content short—Kaufmann does not caricature Edenton, which she is clearly fond of; instead, she draws the complex interface of nostalgia and progress in an honest, humane way. Her characters test and mix our sympathies.

For full review, click here.
  • Finalist in the 2014 San Diego Book Awards (published memoir)
  • Finalist in the 2012 San Diego Book Awards (unpublished memoir)
Judges’ comments: 
“Written exceptionally well.” 
“Great material.” 
“A wonderful story of a time that seems longer ago than it actually was.”
  • Reader reviews posted on Amazon
A must read!
Ms. Kaufmann has a gift for detail and dialogue. If you grew up during the late 50's/early 60's this is a delightful journey through tv, toys, baseball, etc. of that era. Her tragedies and survival are riveting. She doesn't just remember her childhood, she lives it for us through "Little Helen." (Who else would try to imagine Jesus telephoning someone from the bank to give them a heads up about a check?) Ms. Kaufmann reminds us of how carefully our myths are woven into the fabric of our society and how strange and confusing it seems when they begin to unravel. She not only looks critically at the society she grew up in, but at herself and her own ideas and beliefs as well.

Hats off to the author!
I love this book! Spent my weekend spare moments reading it and was so sorry when it was finished. White Gloves and Collards took me back to the time when I grew up and yet also painted a great three dimensional picture of the author’s early life, family and community. I felt as though I knew the author’s family and friends and would love to see them again. Congratulation and my thanks to Helen Kaufmann!

Could hardly put down this uplifting story!
Once I started reading this book I found myself turning back to it whenever I had a few free minutes.The author is as skilled and honest at recalling childhood perceptions and motivations as anyone I've ever read. She does a wonderful job of taking us inside her family and the intricate social structure that surrounded it as both faced inevitable change. The characters are vivid, and the story is fascinating.

Telling it like it was.
I loved this book. In particular what came thru was the realism of the story populated by very real people. I found compelling in the narrative the juxtapositioning of the life this sleepy southern town with its old ways and racism with the increased awareness of the growing sensitive child and turmoil in her life. After all we all have to find our way in this life. Hearing Helen's story was a true delight. Her writing style is superb without being overdone. Hard to put it down. I can't wait for her sequel - her life after she left her small town roots.