ebooks The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam in History

Description

Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize “A triumph of storytelling as well as a triumph of spirit.”—Alex Kotlowitz; award-winning author of There Are No Children Here As a child in 1950s segregated Virginia; Gregory Howard Williams grew up believing he was white. But when the family business failed and his parents’ marriage fell apart; Williams discovered that his dark-skinned father; who had been passing as Italian-American; was half black. The family split up; and Greg; his younger brother; and their father moved to Muncie; Indiana; where the young boys learned the truth about their heritage. Overnight; Greg Williams became black. In this extraordinary and powerful memoir; Williams recounts his remarkable journey along the color line and illuminates the contrasts between the black and white worlds: one of privilege; opportunity and comfort; the other of deprivation; repression; and struggle. He tells of the hostility and prejudice he encountered all too often; from both blacks and whites; and the surprising moments of encouragement and acceptance he found from each. Life on the Color Line is a uniquely important book. It is a wonderfully inspiring testament of purpose; perseverance; and human triumph. “Heartbreaking and uplifting… a searing book about race and prejudice in America… brims with insights that only someone who has lived on both sides of the racial divide could gain.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer