:arrow: I had never heard about this book until now and it sounded interesting so I decided to share. Sounds like we might be seeing this one on the big screen or on the small screen in due time. :wink: Secret Daughter A Mixed-Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away by June Cross By Kam Williams (September 13, 2006) *"My mother was an aspiring actress. She had separated from my father, a well-known song-and-dance man, shortly after I was born, in January 1954. My mother had met him backstage at the Paramount in 1949, before television changed show business forever. They said I looked exotic, she classic. Together- a bamboo-colored redhead carrying her olive-skinned, curly-haired daughter- together, we seemed alien. Skin fractured our kinship. Even at four, I knew that something was amiss." -- Excerpted from Chapter 1, Bedrock Ten years ago, PBS aired a documentary entitled Secret Daughter, a gut-wrenching bio-pic about the life of little orphan June, abandoned by both of her parents at an early age to be raised by strangers in Atlantic City. What made Ms. Cross' story so compelling was not the fact that her father was black and her mother was white, but that her mother was such an ice princess when her long-lost daughter tracked her down with a camera crew to ask her why she had dumped her on the doorstep of people she barely knew so many years ago. June came off as oh so masochistic trying to kiss-up to her cold-hearted mom, Norma, who did little to hide her annoyance that this sepia skeleton would come jumping out of her closet at a time when she was happily-married and had a white daughter with actor Larry "Corporal Agarn" Storch of F-Troop fame. Anyway, after hitting an emotional dead end retracing her roots, one would think that Cross would drop the "Love me, Mommy!" act and move on with her life. But with both her mother and father, Stump, now deceased, June decided that it was time to write a memoir of the same name. Unfortunately, the book is not nearly as riveting as the already televised account of her unfortunate ordeal. The problem is that she is far too inclined to give her absentee-mom a pass, ostensibly because the woman was white, and that segregation is an acceptable excuse for their separation back in the Fifties. While I admire the author for wearing her various vulnerabilities on her sleeve, she obviously remains damaged goods and inclined to make delusional rationalizations when, in my opinion, she ought to be tap-dancing on her mother's grave (and maybe on Stump's, too.) June just doesn't understand that there's never an acceptable excuse for the way that racist witch denied and mistreated her till the day she died. Before she tries to convince the world that her mother was misunderstood and actually really loved her, June needs to convince herself, and then figure a way to erase the monster we saw on that damning PBS broadcast from our collective memory.
This sounds like the same story that aired on I think it was EXTRA or one of the entertainment programs around a month ago. If it is, I couldn't help thinking how hard it must have been for the girl to grow up without her parents, knowing her mother gave her up. But then I remembered. Ya'll are going to hate my quick assessement, but... Those were different times back then. Think about it. Can ya'll imagine what would have happened if her mother tried to keep her?! Their lives would have been disastrous. Segregation was legal back then. That girl would have been called every name in the book and taunted physically as well as emotionally. They probably would not have been safe where her mother had lived. It's just the way it was. And in some ways, still is in this country. My view seems to side with the cold-hearted mother. But believe me. That girl was better off. At least she's taken control of her life and has done well for herself. 'should be dancing on her mother's grave.' Not necessary. I'm convinced if her mother loved her, and I'm convinced she did, the mere act of giving her up was enough to cause pain for the rest of her life. I'm convinced even the most harsh of humans feel emotional pain somewhere deep inside. Trust me. Her mother paid for it. But you're right, nobledruali. I wouldn't mind seeing it on the small or big screen. Great post.
1.Let me know if you find out anymore info about this, noble 2. Well, all I can say for now is that I'm glad the mother is dead
:shock: Dayum...haven't heard anything since I read this on the net but if I do I'll post it up. :wink:
