| Another Way Home: The Tangled Roots of Race in One Chicago Family Contributor(s): Hartfield, Ronne (Author) |
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ISBN: 0226318230 ISBN-13: 9780226318233 Publisher: University of Chicago Press OUR PRICE: $13.86 Product Type: Paperback Published: November 2005 Annotation: Spanning most of the twentieth century, "Another Way Home" celebrates the special circumstance of being born and reared in a household where being a woman of mixed race could be a fundamental source of strength, vitality, and courage. Ronne Hartfield begins her chronicle with the early life of her mother, Day Shepherd. Born to a wealthy British plantation owner and the mixed-race daughter of a former slave, Day negotiates the complicated circumstances of plantation life in the border country of Louisiana and Mississippi and, as she enters womanhood, the quadroon and octoroon societies of New Orleans. Equally a tale of the Great Migration, "Another Way Home" traces Day's journey to Bronzeville, the epicenter of black Chicago during the first half of the twentieth century. Here, through the eyes of Day and, ultimately, her daughter, we witness the bustling city streets and vibrant middle-class culture of this iconic black neighborhood. We also relive crucial moments in African American history as they are experienced by the author's family and others in Chicago's South Side black community, from the race riots of 1919 and the Great Depression to the murder of Emmett Till and the dawn of the civil rights movement. Throughout her book, Hartfield portrays mixed-race Americans navigating the challenges of their lives with resilience and grace, making "Another Way Home" an intimate and compelling encounter with one family's response to our racially charged culture. "A warm and touching memoir of a close-knit family as well as a record of the tumultuous history of race relations in the U.S."--"Booklist " |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Cultural, Ethnic & Regional - General - Biography & Autobiography | Personal Memoirs |
| Dewey: B |
| Physical Information: 0.56" H x 5.6" W x 8.52" (0.71 lbs) 200 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Midwest - Cultural Region - Upper Midwest - Ethnic Orientation - African American - Geographic Orientation - Illinois - Locality - Chicago, Illinois |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In her prologue to Another Way Home, Ronne Hartfield notes the dearth of stories about African Americans who have occupied the area of mixed race with ease and harmony for generations. Her moving family history is filled with such stories, told in beautifully crafted and unsentimental prose. Spanning most of the twentieth century, Hartfield's book celebrates the special occasion of being born and reared in a household where miscegenation was the rule rather than the exception--where being a woman of mixed race could be a fundamental source of strength, vitality, and courage. Hartfield begins with the early life of her mother, Day Shepherd. Born to a wealthy British plantation owner and the mixed-race daughter of a former slave, Day negotiates the complicated circumstances of plantation life in the border country of Louisiana and Mississippi and, as she enters womanhood, the quadroon and octoroon societies of New Orleans. Equally a tale of the Great Migration, Another Way Home traces Day's journey to Bronzeville, the epicenter of black Chicago during the first half of the twentieth century. Here, through the eyes of Day and, ultimately, her daughter, we witness the bustling city streets and vibrant middle-class culture of this iconic black neighborhood. We also relive crucial moments in African American history as they are experienced by the author's family and others in Chicago's South Side black community, from the race riots of 1919 and the Great Depression to the murder of Emmett Till and the dawn of the civil rights movement. Throughout her book, Hartfield portrays mixed-race Americans navigating the challenges of their lives with resilience and grace, making Another Way Home an intimate and compelling encounter with one family's response to our racially charged culture. |