Jerry C. Armor. Montgomery: NewSouth Books, 2015. 186 pp. (Paperback).
I confess to not knowing anything about the Alabama Boys’ Industrial School (ABIS) before I read this book. ABIS was an institution founded in Birmingham by Elizabeth Johnston at the turn of the century. Just the story of how it came to be is amazing — a story of God’s provision as a result of a woman’s prayers and obedience to her call.
The school was begun as an alternative to the prison system where even young boys in need of a home and some correction were sent until Johnston convinced the Alabama Legislature to authorize the school. She then had the juvenile code rewritten, procured land and materials and had the school built.
Jerry Armor’s name is recognizable to many in North Alabama because of his years teaching criminal justice to students at Calhoun Community College in Tanner and Athens State University. He was introduced to the school first as a young juvenile probation officer from Moulton, then reminded of it later when he ran across some pictures of the school in the Alabama archives.
The early history of a boys’ correctional school could be expected to be dry and dull, but Armor has brought the story to life, sharing details that vary from inspirational to tragic to funny. Whether you have a particular interest in or knowledge of the ABIS or not, this book will inform you of a part of Alabama history and hold your attention as it does.
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