Another Way Home: The Tangled Roots of Race in One Chicago Family (Hardcover)

by Ronne Hartfield (Author)
Key Phrases: pond store, stern destiny, New Orleans, Down Home, Miz Katharine (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Hartfield's mother, Day Shepherd, was part of a line of mixed-race individuals, many of whom, like herself, could have passed for white. Instead of leading the lives of tragic mulattoes who were unable to fit into either white or black worlds, or opting to pass for white and giving up their family heritage, her mother's family managed to live happily, even within the severe limitations of racial restrictions of the South, in Mississippi and Louisiana, and later in the North in Chicago. Hartfield draws on her mother's recollections and genealogical research to trace the family from their roots on a plantation, where the white master fathered children with his slave and offered them as much protection as he could under the circumstances, including shielding them from the disapproving eyes of his mother, to a vibrant family of middle-class comfort and accomplishments. This is 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. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"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 "Graceful, intelligent, full-hearted, and searching, Hartfield's memoir tells the story of her mother's journey from a Southern plantation to the clamor of New Orleans to the bustle of Chicago's Bronzeville.... Another daughter writing a memoir about a woman like Day in a city like Chicago in a time like the explosive 20th Century might have filled these pages with bitterness.... Not Ronne Hartfield. Her mother had dignity, and dignity is what Hartfield gives to these pages." - Beth Kephart, Chicago Tribune "Best Nonfiction Books of 2004" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (October 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226318214
• ISBN-13: 978-0226318219
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,352,866 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read..., December 29, 2004

By	Alice Hammer (Fox River Grove, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Why isn't this on the best seller list? Ronne Hartfield's family history is beautifully written, covering not only her family's transition from Mississippi to Chicago but black history as well. I grew up in a white neighborhood in Chicago. This book let me step into a parallel universe! Hartfield also covers women's changing roles over a century. The loving relationships among family members are a model and inspiration for all of us.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Race and the Emergence of Identity, December 31, 2005

By	Sarina Butler (Chicago Illinois) - See all my reviews

Another Way Home takes the reader through a time that first seems long gone, but surprises with its current influence and meaning. At first blush the story tells of the societal strictures of the South against mulattos. Gradually, the reader realizes that the book is actually about the development of identity and the hurdles society puts in the path of individuals. The book becomes less about the tensions of black and white, and more about the importance of solid values, courage and self-confidence. Ultimately it is these three critical traits in Day Rone that enable her to create the life she wants with the man she loves, and to raise a gifted family of solidy rooted individuals. Day Rone shares everything with my Sicilain grandmother and my husband's Irish mother -- proving that we are more like one another beneath the skin than we are different. The book engages from the first page because it speaks to every family. Beautifully written, imaginatively presented, and too true to be fiction, it makes for an entertaining and moving reading experience. It's a book worth reading so that we do not forget the struggles of the past, and also so that we can see the strong women who shape our own lives.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Way Home , November 25, 2004

By	Catharine Reeve (Tucson, Arizona) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Another Way Home, by Ronne Hartfield, works for me on three levels: 1) it tells the ever-interesting story of a woman (Hartfield's mother) who grew up a mulatto in the segregated South, then passed for white in Chicago; 2) it is a strong and powerful tribute by Hartfield to her mother, beautifully and lyrically told; and 3) it moves from the personal to the universal, reminding us all of the family continuum we are born into and the remarkable people our parents often are.

This book is a history lesson told through personal anecdote. As it wends its way through Day Rone's journey from South to North, the reader is given an up-close look at the celebrations, achievements and tragic loss of a remarkable American family. Celebrating Day Rone's life will lead you to want to celebrate your own family, too. I strongly recommend this book.