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looking for a title

17 years ago

Hi am looking for a title, cant recall what it is. Perhaps you have read it?

It's about a white man who passes himself off as black man during the late 1800s. He portrays himself as a pullman porter to the black woman he marries. This gives him time to have his other life, the true one, as a white scientist (I think). He and his wife have 4 or 5 kids; she never discovers his secret til long after he's dead. Then she goes to court to fight for his estate for her kids (she doesn't have any rights to it because of her race)

I first saw this a few months ago; it hadn't yet come out. Every title I type into amazon comes up with thousands of other books with similar wording. None are what I'm searching for.

What's the book title? Or even what is the author's name?

sincerely

Sherry

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Comments (4)

twobigdogs
17 years ago
Hi Sherry,

I think the book you are looking for is entitled Passing Strange by Martha A. Sandweiss. It is non-fiction and the man's name is Clarence King, a noted scientist, author and surveyor of the West after the Civil War. His "other self" was named James Todd, a black pullman porter and steelworker.

I've not read it yet, but it is sitting on my ever-growing TBR stack(s).

PAM
veronicae
17 years ago
There was another book as well...I was all set to give you the title...and then realized the titel I was giving you was the paper I had written in the late 60's.

It was the story of a young man who was of mixed race...but very light skinned. He spent years "passing" as one race, then the other...never felt comfortable in either place.

I have googled and searched a bit...and will keep trying.
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twobigdogs
17 years ago
Sherry,
After re-reading your original post and then Veronicae's post about other similar books, I thought I'd check the copyright date in Passing Strange since you are looking for a newer book. Passing Strange came out from Penguin Press in 2009. The ISBN # 978-1-59420-200-1, only available in hardcover for $27.95 in the USA.

Keep us posted!

PAM
leel
17 years ago
Ihave recently read Passing Strange, and it was well worth the time.

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