An edition of Life on the color line (1995)

Life on the color line

the true story of a white boy who discovered he was black

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Last edited by MARC Bot
July 15, 2024 | History
An edition of Life on the color line (1995)

Life on the color line

the true story of a white boy who discovered he was black

  • 26 Want to read
  • 1 Currently reading

Gregory Howard Williams and his younger brother, Mike, grew up believing they were white and that their darkskinned father was of Italian descent. Then their parents' marriage disintegrated, their mother departed, and their father's business ventures sank into a sea of liquor. Pursued by debt and personal demons, "Tony" Williams took his two boys to his hometown of Muncie, Indiana, where he was known as "Buster," and where there was no escape from the truth he had hidden for so long.

The truth was as plain as the color of Buster's family. Gregory and Mike Williams were the sons of a brilliant and charming but troubled black man who fled the burden of race until need drove him back to his roots. Suddenly Gregory and Mike discovered they were black as well, strangers in a segregated world about which they knew nothing, forced to learn the strategies of survival amid the poverty, prejudice, and agonizing absurdities of a time and place where racism flourished.

In this extraordinary and powerful memoir, Gregory Howard Williams recounts his remarkable journey along the color line and illuminates the contrasts between the black and white worlds: one of privilege, opportunity, and comfort, the other of deprivation, repression, and struggle. He tells the story of his father, a self-destructive man who often neglected his children, yet had faith in his eldest son's ability to succeed in the face of nearly insurmountable obstacles.

Of "Miss Dora," a loving family friend who gave Gregory and his brother the food they ate, the clothes on their backs, and the roof over their heads - all on a salary of just twenty-five dollars per week. Of the hostility and prejudice he encountered all too often, from both blacks and whites, and the surprising moments of encouragement and acceptance he found from each.

Williams tells the story, too, of the divergent paths he and his brother eventually took, one defying the odds and the advice of teachers and counselors to become a lawyer, the other succumbing to the lure of fun, flash, and the quick buck. Life on the Color Line is a uniquely important book. It is a compelling drama of a man straddling two worlds and two heritages, and a wonderfully inspiring testament of purpose, perseverance, and human triumph.

Publish Date
Publisher
Dutton
Language
English
Pages
285

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Life on the Color Line
Life on the Color Line
2009, Penguin USA, Inc.
Electronic resource in English
Cover of: Life On The Color Line
Life On The Color Line
1996-01-01, n/a
Cover of: Life on the color line
Life on the color line: the true story of a white boy who discovered he was black
1996, Penguin Books
in English
Cover of: Life on the Color Line
Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black
February 1, 1996, Plume
in English
Cover of: Life on the color line

Add another edition?

Book Details


Edition Notes

Published in
New York, N.Y

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
305.896/073/092, B
Library of Congress
KF373.W474 A3 1995, KF373.W474A3 1995

The Physical Object

Pagination
x, 285 p. :
Number of pages
285

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL1104794M
Internet Archive
lifeoncolorlinet00will
ISBN 10
0525938508
LCCN
94029894
OCLC/WorldCat
31607032
Library Thing
28816
Goodreads
1713579

Work Description

"A stunning journey to the heart of the racial dilemma in this country. Everyone will be enriched by reading the unforgettable tale.

Excerpts

The white frame building dwarfed all the other beer joints on U.S. 1 between Alexandria and Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
added anonymously.

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History

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July 15, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
March 7, 2023 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 17, 2022 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
November 18, 2020 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
April 1, 2008 Created by an anonymous user Imported from Scriblio MARC record