The Color of Love: A Mother's Choice in the Jim Crow South [Hardcover]

Gene Cheek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

The true story of a young man whose life and family were torn apart by a decision no mother should have to make.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cheek spins a mesmerizing yarn, told from a little boy's viewpoint, of growing up poor and white in 1950s North Carolina, surrounded by generations of wife-beating alcoholics. Through plain yet descriptive language seasoned with wry, biting adjectives, he ably conveys the sights, sounds and feelings of his surroundings. His musings are funny and hopeful, and Cheek shapes his childhood voice to suit stories of his tense relationship with his violent, alcoholic father; his mother's endless tolerance and denial; and his admiration for his maternal grandmother, who taught him to "be full of love, not hate." His child's-eye reportage captures the intricacies of his mother's postmarital relationship with Tuck, a strong, kind and gentle black man Cheek had met years earlier, and their secret life as an interracial family. The secret was revealed only after Cheek's mother had Tuck's baby, which enraged her family enough for them to have a court declare her an unfit mother. When the judge ordered her to give up one of the children, the author took the choice out of his mother's hands when he elected to leave the family and become a ward of the state, turning the formerly optimistic young man against the rest of his family. In an epilogue written in his adult voice, Cheek explains that his motivation for writing the book was vengeance, which in the process of writing turned to understanding and, finally, forgiveness. (May)
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From Booklist

After years of living with a drunken and abusive husband, Cheek's mother separated from her husband in 1961 in Winston--Salem, North Carolina. She began a clandestine relationship with a black man, Cornelius Tucker, who was everything her husband was not. Ten-year-old Cheek was enlisted to keep the relationship secret, which they managed for the most part until his mother became pregnant and gave birth to a brown-skinned baby. In the face of rabid racial attitudes and Klan violence, Cheek's mother and Tucker remained steadfast. But his vengeful father and other family members testified against the mother in a custody case that carried the threat of prison for violating the state's anti-miscegenation law. From the perspective of a young boy, Cheek recalls the horrendous choices that were forced on his mother and his separation from a loving family. Cheek recalls the painful guilt his mother suffered and the seething hatred he felt for years. This is a powerful story of love and forgiveness in the context of racial hatred during a tumultuous time in the South. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592286267
• ISBN-13: 978-1592286263
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,725,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gene Cheek is a blue-collar son of the South born on March 2, 1951, in Winston Salem, North Carolina. He has lived an unremarkable life with the exception of his children, grandchildren, and his own peculiar childhood. He lives and works in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. He is the author of The Color of Love, A Mother's Choice in the Jim Crow South," and the co-author of Butter My Butt and Call Me a Biscuit, and Other Country Sayings!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's hard to understand if you haven't been there., September 25, 2005

By 

liongoddess "calinestral" (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Color of Love: A Mother's Choice in the Jim Crow South (Hardcover)

Reading this book was painful for me. Don't get me wrong- it's a wonderfully told story of love in spite of circumstance- but it hit VERY close to home. My interracial parents were married in the eastern part of NC in the same timeframe as this book and endured a lot of racism, including death threats when my mother became pregnant with me. To have to deal with alcoholism, family betrayal, racism and manage grow up without becoming insane is a testament to Gene Cheek's inner strength. I'd like to meet him someday.

As far as the book goes- I would highly recommend this to anyone, but especially to people who need to realize that love IS color-blind. You can't stop it, change it, or make it go away. Trying to destroy it because you don't like or understand it just tears everyone apart- epsecially the innocent- and leaves scars that never truly heal.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Destruction caused by alcoholism and prejudice., November 16, 2004

By 

Sheila Canady - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Color of Love: A Mother's Choice in the Jim Crow South (Hardcover)

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever suffered due to circumstances beyond their control. This true story will reach into your heart and bring tears to your eyes. It is the heart-wrenching struggle of a young boy being forced to learn first hand the cruelty of alcoholism and prejudice. Gene relates his story with a frankness and sincerity so real that you almost hear his voice as you read. It is the story of the love-hate relationship that exists between an alcoholic father, his wife and son. At a time when his mother needs love and support, it comes from a forbidden source. Gene's life is changed forever because of the hate and prejudice that surrounds the relationship between his mother and a black man.

If you have never witnessed prejudice, this book will make it real. If you have never seen the destruction that alcoholism can bring to a family, you will feel the pain through the eyes of a young boy. You will "experience" Gene's desperation as he is forced to grow up at the tender age of 12 in the Jim Crow South!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Color Of Love: A Mother's Choice in the Jim Crow South, February 24, 2006

By 

S. Champion (Greenville SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Color of Love: A Mother's Choice in the Jim Crow South (Hardcover)

I usually have a book that I am reading. Some are good but I will forget the name of the book after a while. I will remember this story always. One of the best books I have ever read. The story touched my heart.