So, folks weren't reading this?

In response to Dr. Perry's discussion that the Life Histories weren't published:
Having read the North Carolina histories, I am not surprised. It seemed to me that the writers knew in some cases that the profiles they created would not be read during their lifetimes. So many of the descriptions of the subjects they interviewed were unflattering to the extent to being insulting: describing the female subjects as "mannish," "awkward," "ugly," and so forth. Either they did not expect the subject to read, or they only wrote flattering descriptions of the subjects they perceived to be literate. Nevertheless, I am astounded at how many of the accounts written in the North Carolina file are so consistent with our Dos Passos novel. Can't wait to explore and write about it more.