Ida Mae [Paperback]

Delores Thornton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1997

In this first novel, Ida Mae the protanist, deals with life on the other side of the color line. She is a young girl of color, orphaned at an early age, and adopted by white parents. Set in Cedartown, Georgia in the 1950's, her situation proves to be challenging in a turbulent time of our history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This story of transracial adoption and its aftermath is Delores Thornton's debut novel. Let us hope that there are many more to come! -- The Midwest Book Review March 17, 1998

From the Author

I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. Cedartown, Georgia is my mother's birthplace, and I've visited on occasion. It seemed like the perfect place for this novel. I share Ida Mae's love of country music; that was the inspiration for this book.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 211 pages
• Publisher: Marguerite Press (December 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965658406
• ISBN-13: 978-0965658409
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,584,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm an Indianapolis native and lifelong resident. I've written five books and am working on an upcoming Christian Fiction book titled, "Airing Dirty Linen."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Strong Shall Survive, January 2, 2000

By 

Patricia G'orge-walker "Pat G'Orge-Walker, Es... (Elmont, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ida Mae (Paperback)

Ida Mae is not your ordinary read. The author has taken the time to give a caring indepth look into the soul of Ida Mae. Although the setting is in the 1950's....it speaks to the inner strenghth of today's women who, though no decision of their own, march to the beat of different drummers. You are completely engrossed in Ida Mae's life and want to know what is next for this young woman. Fortunately the author has decided to write a sequel so that we may vicariously see what further rewards await Ida Mae. A good read and only a beginning for Delores Thornton. Ida Mae translates into strength and survival and the will to forge your own path.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bad Beginnings, Traumatic Experiences, and More!, June 14, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: Ida Mae (Paperback)

A story of bad beginnings, traumatic experiences, and strange behaviors, of oxymorons, perseverance, and stamina. The story begins with Ida Mae Belcher, a 17 year old black teenager, being brutally raped by 3 young white men. But the issue of race in the story does not carry the full negative connotation that would be expected of the Deep South in the early 1960's. Let me take you back, after the Klan killed Ida Mae's father, her mother ran away from home because she feared for her life, for her unborn child and she was without a husband. At age 7 Ida Mae's mother, Louella, died and the white family her mother worked for adopted her, strange for times in the rural south. Her adoptive mother died leaving her with her paraplegic father, Theodore Belcher and a hired hand. Ida Mae's love for country music won her a $100.00 cash prize for writing a country western jingle, which is part of the reason she was beaten and raped. The final test of 17 year old Ida Mae's stamina comes when Theodore Belcher killed the 3 men responsible for her rape and was then killed himself.

After graduation, Ida Mae is taken to Vermont to live with Theodore's son Wilbert, for 5 years, then returns home to Georgia. During Ida Mae's life, you share her resilience, her ability to cling to the positives of life, her ability to find emotional love.

Thornton has shown how to live each hurdle with as much strength and dignity as the situation will allow. And she depicted an odd but realistic view of an unusual occurrence in southern living. I give this book a 3.5 on the RAW Scale.

Reviewed by aNN

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read, April 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ida Mae (Paperback)

You've got to read Ida Mae and then go out and buy Babe, the author's next book. Ida Mae takes you through the mountains and valleys of decades of a woman's life. There is no fakeness about this book. Ida Mae sounds like a real woman that you'd enjoy knowing. I can't reccomend the book enough. I'd give it six stars if I could.

Kimberley Lindsay Wilson, author of 11 Things Mama Should Have Told You About Men.