Sadeqa Johnson

The lives in the late 1940s and early 1950s of two Negro teenagers, Ruby in high school in Philadelphia, Eleanor at Howard University in Washington DC. Both become pregnant with a man they love. Ruby is trying to win a scholarship to be the first person in her family to go to college and become an optometrist. Eleanor, from a small town in Ohio, is a Sophomore at Howard and wants to become a library archivist. One marries the man, the other does not. One suffers a miscarriage, while the other is forced to give up her child.… (mais)

This is a very engaging, readable book that focuses on two young women, Ruby and Eleanor, from very different backgrounds. each with a determination to succeed in their academic pursuits.

Ruby's single teenaged mother decided to pursue men rather than raise her daughter, so Ruby's grandmother and aunt were her source of strength and solace. When Ruby and a white Jewish boy, Shimmy, fall in love, his mother is horrified, especially when she finds that Ruby is pregnant.

Eleanor is from a respectable middle-class family and attends Howard University where she meets a medical student from an upper-class family. The trajectory of their marriage is often troubled by her mother-in-law's meddling.

The lives of Ruby and Eleanor will intersect at the most poignant moment of their lives. I was surprised to learn that lighter-skinned Blacks are more favored within that community. Unfortunately, bigotry, prejudice and hypocrisy exist in every area of our world.… (mais)

Much has been said and written about this book, however, the point is missed by many. I enjoyed reading this book. The reader is sharing the lives of two women who happen to be women of color. I suggest you go into reading this blind do not read others' reviews, finish it before you read anything else. Take notes if you must but remind yourself to allow yourself to feel. Fear, first love, forbidden love, class, race, hate, love, fear, parenthood, miscarriage, white-passing, and worlds apart. This novel has something for everyone. I loved it and recommend that you pick it up. 5 stars… (mais)