Customer Reviews

Life on the Color Line : The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black

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This is an intriguing memoir that allows the reader to see what life was like for the author whose early life was defined by issues of race and color. The author had spent his early years in Virginia, where his white mother and his dark-skinned "Italian" father operated a roadside tavern. Growing up in the South, where issues of race and color were so important, the author had always thought that he was white, as he had been raised as such. When his parents' business, as well as their marriage, collapsed, his mother left them, forcing his father to return home to his roots in Muncie, Indiana. Abandoned by their mother, it was there that the author and his younger brother, Mike, were to discover which side of the then great color divide he and his brother were on. The lesson would be a difficult one.

In Muncie, Indiana, they were to discover that their father, rather than being Italian, was bi-racial, born of the union of a Black woman and a White father. In those times, however, you were considered to be either White or Black. So in Indiana, he was Black, even though, ironically, in the South he had passed for White. Now, his children, Greg and Mike, were to learn that, notwithstanding their appearance, they were considered to be Black, and forced to live in a segregated world on the wrong side of the race and color divide. They quickly learned what it was to be considered second class citizens. This was the nineteen fifties, during the heyday of the Klu Klux Klan, and well before the Civil Rights Movement had taken hold, so feelings ran very high on issues of race and color.

Looking as if they were White but considered to be Black, the boys found themselves in a limbo of sorts, rejected by both Whites and Blacks. They had to learn how to maneuver in this crazy patchwork quilt of absurd and confusing racial notions that would marginalize their existence and make them the target for every miscreant on either side of the race and color divide. This was to have great impact on the brothers, as they each found their own personal coping mechanism for the deprivation, poverty, hostility and prejudice that circumscribed their life in Indiana. Unfortunately, they ultimately each took divergent paths. The author would seek legitimate work and higher education as a way to forge ahead in life, while Mike would seek solace in the lure of easy money, easy women, and life in the fast lane, a choice that would end in personal tragedy for him.

The book clearly delineates the fact that, in the nineteen fifties, there were two Americas that existed side by side. One America was born of privilege and opportunity reserved for Whites. The other America was one of repression and lack of opportunity reserved for Blacks. Clearly, those who were defined as Black but wished to pass for White did not do so because of racial hatred. They did so as a way of bypassing a hated system that could so circumscribe someone's potential and ability to seek a better way of life. Who is White? Who is Black? These are questions that should generally be unnecessary. The response should be, "Who cares?".

The author focuses on his early life, the part that evidently caused him so much pain, while skimming on the latter part of his life. It would have been interesting to have spent some additional time on the latter part, to see how those early experiences affected or shaped the man he was to become and is today. Still, this is an intriguing memoir that is written by someone who has lived in these two Americas and endured. It is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.

Very few people in America could have imagined a life like Greg Williams had. His life and experiences were so unique that there couldn't have been a more appropriate title than "Life on the Color Line." The blatant racism he encounters all through his childhood and teenage years while trying to just grow-up and be a normal kid is something that American should be ashamed of when remembering this time in our history. Anyone that thinks racism wasn't THAT bad back then should read this book, reading about his perspective should definitely change their mind.

Greg started growing up as a young white boy in Virginia. His life was pretty normal for him and his "white" family at that time. His father successfully passed as white, even though he had black blood running through his veins. He had a couple of successful business ventures, the most notable of which was a booming cafe/diner, which of course adherred to the laws of segregation. Greg's mother was white in the true sense of the term, and she seemed to care for her children deeply as any mother should.

Everything was perfect for Greg and his family until misfortune hits and the veil is pulled off the charade of his father's false life. In a poetic justice type of moment the father's life in Virginia is devastated and shaken literally back to his roots. It looks initially like Greg and his brother Mike will stay with their mother in Virginia, but they have to tag along with their father back to Indiana where all 3 of their lives are changed forever.

Back in Muncie, Indiana, the book almost splits into 3 separate interesting stories: Greg's life, his brother Mike's life, and the father's. Their struggles bring a new meaning to tough times. Greg and his brother now have to blend into the black community which isn't easy, all while they are summarily rejected by the white community, and most painful of all an apparent rejection by their mother.

There are a lot of negatives in their lives now dealing with their living situation, and ... people which are almost laughable. One situation that stands out are the two school officals that get upset at his expressing any interest in white girls, but then the same people are angry when he is marching with a black girl during graduation. However, through all the negativity there is one person that shows how powerful Christian love can be as she adopts them and tries to keep them on the right path.

Greg and Mike's experiences and ongoing fight with racism hardly let you put the book down. I couldn't wait to see how they were going to handle each new situation. Once in a while there is a true story comes along that rivals any fiction, this is one of them!

If any person has ever doubted whether racism has existed in America this book should convince them that it has, as seen through the innocence of a young boy and his brother. Imagine growing up believing you are "white" with its accompanying acceptance at all levels of society. Now imagine that you discover that you are really "black" and will forever be judged by your "blackness" first and foremost, no matter what you achieve in your life. Add to this identity problem a mother that deserts her sons at the tender ages of 8 and 9 at the same time they are placed in their alcoholic father's black community. A burden for their father, not black enough for their environment and rejected by the white community they find love and a home with an amazing black woman, Miss Dora. This book has forever inspired me to believe in the value of each child and discourage racist attitudes wherever I encounter them.

Williams tells us a story uniquely American -- one that emphasizes, by daily grappling with personal turmoil, the absurdity of race as a social invention. While the classification of race more often than not is strictly arbitrary, its consequences for an individual life are far from that. Williams looks "white," but his father is a light-skinned black who had fostered the lie that he is of Italian descent. All this changes when a turn of bad luck dashes his business ventures and marriage to pieces. Sensing that he cannot take care of his sons alone, "Buster" takes them to live with extended family relatives in Muncie. There, Greg and his brother do not merely discover the truth, they experience how the truth can turn a world of white priviledge inside out -- and hurt like hell. The boys are constantly made painfully aware of the consequences of race, as they find challenges in coping with scorn from both sides of the racial divide. Greg goes on to overcome the obstacles, and one must admire his sheer force of will. Mike, his younger brother, lives an altogether different story, succumbing to one temptation after another. In all of this, the awareness of race sears their minds like a hot poker. At the conclusion of this book, one really does attain a deeper appreciation for the nonsensical underpinnings of America's preoccupation with race. This is personal biography that goes beyond self-indulgence, exploring a wider social landscape that we all take part in and take responsibililty for. Insightful storytelling of the highest order -- highly recommended.

I came to read this book as an assignment in preparation for my oral exams in defense of the PhD in English from The Ohio State University. Initially, I resisted reading the book thinking it was "just another story of a White person trying to make some money off a trend involving Black people. However, when I finally sat down to read the book, I found Gregory Williams' story so compelling that I could not put it down until I had read every word two days later. When Dean Williams first arrived at OSU as the Law School Dean, scholars fervently debated the finer points of his book and students flocked to hear him speak. After having actually read the text, I can understand why they were drawn to this man. He describes in heart-wrenching details the privations he and his brother endured when they were forced to remove themselves from the life of White privilege in Virginia to one where survival in Muncie, Indiana meant learning quickly the cold hard facts of being Black in skin that appeared to be White. The family friend who took Gregory and his brother into her home is the only character who stands out as more memorable than the boys' alcoholic paternal grandmother. No reader could sit dry-eyed through a reading of this book where two innocent children were scorned and battered by relatives, peers, and strangers alike. Gregory Williams is to be admired for withstanding the agony of his unusual upbringing and the marvelous outcome as he now holds a superlative position in one of the nation's most prestigious universities that prides itself on the number of minority doctorates it produces. My only puzzlement following the reading of the book and viewing the family Dean Williams built, is that he seems to have ended up with a very "White-looking" family and so he seems to perpetuate the same image of self-hate that he describes his father as producing. However, Williams is truly to be commended for his superb handling of a "race" issue that confronts a society which declares that there is no biological basis in race---all Blacks are not always all Black (F. James Davis) and more multi-racial writers and scholars need to step forward and be recognized.

Greg and I were in the same class, graduating from Muncie (IN.)Central High School in 1962. He always seemed to be rather guarded....kind of a shy guy in many ways. But that is quite understandable. He had to be that way. Most likely, he was not ever sure what the agenda was of others who surrounded him. God knows, he was ostracized by people of both predominant races in Muncie at that time. That was apparent. Becoming a basketball legend changed that to some degree. Geezzzzz! I was even disowned by a female cousin of mine because I danced with a black girl at a 7th grade record hop back when it was acceptable for girls to dance with other girls! The girl remained a friend of mine throughout our school days (for Greg's knowledge, this was Sylvia M.). Moreover, I worked (in H.S.) with the mother of the white girl he eventually married. It is too bad that her family chose to disown her, but I am proud of her for standing up to them and following her heart. Yeah Sara!! Buy this book, and READ IT WITH YOUR HEART!! You'll be VERY glad you did!!

I am a 19 year old college student. I picked this book up not knowing what to expect. This book took me to a place that I could not imagine anyone ever having to go. Imagine living a happy life with all of the privileges of being white. Imagine your life taking an unexpected twist and all that you ever knew is gone, including your identity. This is the life of Gregory and Mike Williams.

Greogory and Mike were two white kids with not a worry in life until their alcoholic father beat their mother one time too many. She left the kids with their father and fled scared for her life. After their father's business diminished, they had to move to Munchie, Indiana and learn the horrid truth of their lives, they were now known as "colored" in white skin.The father that they had been led to belive was Italian, was really a black man that crossed over trying to make a better life for himself and his children. I wanted to cry as the boys went through trials and tribulations no child should have to suffer. They didn't have a mother or father to rely upon, their "white" family disowned them, and they had to fend for themselves just to have something to eat. I cried in many place because I couldn't imagine living a life like this and surviving.

I commend Mr. Williams for this masterpiece and letting us in on his life. I will not take any of the things I had for granted after reading this masterpiece of an autobiography. Thank you Mr. Williams for making me appreciate my life.

I was a graduate student at Ball State University, and this book was a required reading for a course I was taking. For someone that did not grow up in Muncie, IN this book provided a solid perspective of the history of this area. What's even better is that I have been able to recommend it to friends and family on the East Coast that had virtually no knowledge of Muncie, IN--a city that was once part of the historical "Middletown" study. Gregory Williams provided a powerful account of the racial intolerance he faced and his struggle for an identity during his childhood years. The evolution of his relationship with his father is one you will want to follow to the end. Not only was his narrative a compelling one, but his style of writing kept me captivated throughout. There were few books that were required reading for me in college that I truly enjoyed, and felt had significant meaning. Whether you read it for class or pleasure, you will be amazed by the story of Gregory Williams. At the conclusion of this true story you will honestly want to know more!!

Life on the Color Line should be required reading for every American, especially anyone who wants to put their life's problems in perspective.

This is the most moving book I have read in a long time and I read a lot! William's account of his childhood truly woke me up to how fortunate I am to have the life I have, despite losing my mother at age 20. No one should have to endure the painful struggles of racism, poverty, rejection, parental neglect and abandonment that Williams did, as well as a dysfunctional family to top it off. Whether Williams dated black girls or white ones, he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

Life on the Color Line contains many harrowing scenes. One that stood out for me was when William's white maternal grandmother refuses to pass along her daughter's messages to her children after she has left the family. She calls her own grandchildren "niggers" and refuses to let them live with her in a nice section of Muncie only a few minutes away from the black ghetto where they reside with a family friend Miss Dora.

One question that remains unanswered after reading this book is why William's mother only took her younger children with her when she left her husband. Why did she leave Gregory and Mike with their alcoholic father? It doesn't make sense that she would take some of her children to safety with her, but not all of them. The only explanation I can come up with is that Greg's mother figured her older boys were mature enough to fend for themselves. Towards the end of the book, their mother's inability to understand what kind of life she left her boys to leave left me wanting to throw rocks at her and give that woman a good beating.

I am in awe of the author's maturity, courage, and sheer will power that enabled him to overcome all these obstacles. His experiences put my own life in perspective.

I borrowed this book from the library, and now that I've reached the last page, I will definitely be buying it on Amazon!

Life On the Color Line is a very powerful book. It shows the struggle Gregory Williams had to encounter being black but looking white. First part of his life he believed he was white. It wasn't until his mother abandoned him and his father lost the family business that he and his little brother, Mike, found out they were black. They moved to Muncie, Indiana. Greg's father was an alcoholic and could not care for the boys properly. So a kindhearted woman, Miss Dora took them in. Between holding down a job to get by and trying to guide Mike in the right direction,(who had made a turn for the worst) Gregory must also overcome the stuggle of racism to gain his education. Thoughout this book Gerg is descriptive of how life was growing up colored and looking white. In the last chapter I think he was to general and quick on how he finished the book. For me he left to many unanswered questions. I feels like the story is not finished. But all-and-all I really liked the book and would recommend for everyone to read it.