Gal: A True Life [Hardcover]

Ruthie Mae Bolton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 23, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0151001049 | ISBN-13: 978-0151001040 | Edition: 1st

Ruthie Mae Bolton was born January 6, 1961, in the Hungry Neck section of Charleston, South Carolina. At the time, her mother was thirteen; she has never known who her father was. Her mother was the wandering kind, so Ruthie Mae-nicknamed "Gal" by her stepgrandfather-was raised in her grandparents' home. One day Grandmama died as a result of a severe beating by her husband-it occured to no one to call this to the attention of the authorities-and Gal was left in the brutal hands of her granddaddy, who beat her unmercifully as well. Ruthie Mae began to steal things in school and she developed a stutter; she drank and smoked dope. But she stuck resolutely with her education and graduated from high school, which was likely her salvation, for today Ruthie Mae is happily married, with children and a fine job. At last she is at peace-with herself and even with the memory of her grandfather. It is nigh impossible to convey the astonishingly eloquent simplicity of Ruthie Mae's witnessing to her time. Here is an absolutely remarkable document, as touching as it is painful, as ageless as it is timely.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Born in 1961 of a 13-year-old mother--father unknown--Ruthie Mae, or "Gal" as she was known, was raised in a Charleston, S.C., black island community as a virtual slave to a drunken, sadistic step-grandfather who beat his wife to death. After years of theft, alcohol and drugs, Gal doggedly--almost to spite her grandfather--graduated from high school as a means of survival. The harrowing, oral account of the girl's travails conveys the author's lively portraits of a motley cast of characters (all bearing pseudonyms). Becoming a prostitute to flee her brutal first husband, Gal was happily transformed by a second marriage and motherhood. The abundance of sordid detail may daunt some readers, but from it all emerges the portrait of a remarkable woman, still "tasting and peering, touching, listening." Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Gal is the true story of a young black woman. The author, who writes pseudonymously in order to protect the privacy of her family and friends, was born in 1961 and raised in the South. Her early life was bleak and unpromising. After years of sadistic abuse from the twisted man she knew as "Daddy," she seemed to be headed along a bumpy path. Despite setbacks, Gal managed to complete high school. After further difficulties with drugs, alcohol, and men, she was finally able to turn her life around through the love and support of her second husband and his extended family. This is an inspiring story of inner strength and the healing effects of love. For larger public libraries.
January Adams, ODSI Research Lib., Raritan, N.J.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1st edition (May 23, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151001049
• ISBN-13: 978-0151001040
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Go Gal!, November 10, 2001

By 

Yasmin Coleman (PENNSYLVANIA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Gal: A True Life (Hardcover)

What a Story! Originally when I picked up Gal, I thought it was going to take me back to the `30s or `40s. Gosh was I surprised to find out that the author was born in 1961...she's around my age! As I read her story I was appalled and thought the atrocity of her situation shouldn't have ever happened. Where was the extended family? Why didn't someone...anyone intervene?

Ruthie Bolton, aka Gal, was born in the impoverished Hungry Neck section of Charleston. Ruthie's mom was a 13-year old teenager and she never knew her father. Tired of her step-father abusing her, Ruthie's mother left home and Ruthie, and never returned to claim her. Ruthie's step-grandfather, Clovis Fleetwood, while an honorable enlisted Navy man was a mean, vicious, brutal, selfish, jealous and unloving family man. Because Fleetwood though Ruthie's grandmother was cheating on him he brutally attacked her and left her for dead while her granddaughter and children watched. Ruthie's life would be pure hell after her grandmother's death and would quickly spiral into one of poverty, abuse, neglect, humiliation, and later in her teen years include stealing, drugs, alcohol, pregnancy, and an early marriage which ended in divorce. Only after Ruthie meets her second husband, Ray Bolton, and his family will she be shown love, support, understanding and compassion. And it is then as an adult that she realized that her family and childhood were not normal.

Gal is a heartwrenching but touching and poignant story. It's a story of overcoming obstacles and excelling in spite of adversity. It's a story of what one is able to accomplish when one has the love of a family. It's a story that I recommend to everyone but especially those who need the motivation to move beyond a horrible past. Ruthie's story is one of pain, humiliation, courage and ultimately love. Ruthie's life is a miracle and a triumph. Thank you Ruthie Bolton for sharing your story.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking..., October 8, 2004

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gal: A True Life (Hardcover)

Ruthie Bolton (which is a psuedonym), or Gal as she is called, and her family experienced things that no one, especially young children, should ever experience in life. She was abandoned early in life by her teenage mother and later grew up being humiliated by others. She also suffers horrendous abuse at the hands of her grandfather, the same man who savagely beat and killed her grandmother. In an attempt to escape the harsh realities of her life, Ruthie develops some very bad habits, and makes several bad choices, one of which includes getting married at a very young age (for the wrong reasons), which ultimately ends in divorce.

Even though her past is horrific, she does not allow the ugliness that was her life determine her future. When she meets the man that will eventually become her second husband, Ruthie's life begins to change for the better. With the love and support of her second husband and his family, Ruthie begins to flourish. She goes on to become a wife, mother and career person, titles she never thought she would hold.

GAL: A TRUE LIFE was an absolutely riveting book. The emotions were so real I could feel them, as if I had actually lived Gal's life. I commend the author for having the fortitude and the desire to share her painful childhood with the world. I do understand the author's desire for anonymity, but I would love to meet and hug the woman behind the psuedonym Ruthie Bolton. She is the epitome of a true survivor.

Reviewed by Renee Williams

of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A toughie, but a goodie, June 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Gal: A True Life (Paperback)

I truly enjoyed this book! I am a college student, and I hardly EVER get a time to do some recreational reading, and so when I went into a women and cheldren's bookstore, I glanced the shelves, and grabbed a book with the simplest title, "Gal". I cracked it open, and literally read it nonstop in one day. It was truly remarkably how Mrs. Bolton remembered all the events in her life, and was able to put it on paper with such frankness and honest detail. I mean, to speak of these events, up until the day she writes the book--remembering her estranged mother, relationships with relatives and men, and just riding that mental roller coaster of good times and bad times--shows courage, strength, and hope. She brought us through the times and the eras, through the changes and mindsets of life, especially in the South. All through the viewpoint of one woman. I also like the way the author seemd like an aunt or a neighbor, telling a story...not trying to use big words, not paying attention to grammar, but writing it in her style, the way she know how to get it on paper. This added flavor and personalization in a way that autobiographies rarely do. She told it like it was. Not sugar coated--when it hurt, it hurt, when she messed up, we felt her sadness, when she succeeded, we felt her joy. She was "Ruthie". And now we all know a piece of "Ruthie"...or if you prefer, "Gal". I bought this book brand-spanking new in October, and since then, I have passed this on to my mother, sister, and EVERY female friend I have. Now, it's all dog-eared and ragged, and I STILL highly recommend this for every woman pre-teen to adult, to read this and truly grasp the messages and the expereince within. I guess that's my two cents. Feel free to comment. ;)