Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black

Wow. Just wow. America in the 1950s and 1960s was a truly messed up place to be. This is an amazing book, told from the perspective of a man who had been raised to believe that his father was Italian and that he was white - with all the privilege that implied. One day his parents split up and he discovers that his father was, in fact, black - with all the discrimination that this implied. Fascinating story of a turbulent time. My only criticism is that the book skims over the last 30 years of the author's life in about 4 pages -- a very abrupt ending, especially considering the struggles that he must have faced in his adult life. Significantly, he married a white woman, and this is barely addressed. Still, an excellent read.

Life on the Color Line shows the rare and unusual view point of a boy who all his life thought he was white but found out that he really was part black. His whole life, his father who is half white and half black has been passing as an "Italian" and it wasn't until his parents' divorce and bankruptcy when Gregory finds out a quarter of him is African American. Even though Gregory looks entirely white and has lived the life of a white person up until then, when people found out that he was part black, they treated him as inferior and discriminated against him. On the other end, Gregory also felt discriminated against because many blacks did not recognize him as African American since he looked so white. The difficult situation that show more Gregory is put in can be arguably described as the "worst of both worlds." Readers follow his account of racism and prejudice that existed in Virginia at that time. This is a very interesting autobiography with a serious message, yet engaging plot. show less

This book tells the interesting story of a boy who thought he was white but turned out to be part black. It was a really eye-opening tale that depicted the racial divide in the 50s and 60s. I sympathized with Greg as he battled discrimination and cheered for him when he overcame his hardships and succeeded in the end. It sent a great message about acceptance and equality.

The racial struggle that is at the heart of this book was only interesting because it was an autobiography. I'm sure there are still racial issues occuring in our country today, but this man's story shows how far our society really has come. His perseverance and detirmination are undeniable. It is uplighting to see the underdog prevail. The ending was great, but only strengthened because it was reality.

WOW. That's all I can say about this book. I led the discussion Life on the Color Line for our book club. It was a difficult book to read. I think Williams is on my list of living people I would most like to meet.

moving, powerful, and inspirational. a true story of hope and survival in the face of a mountain of obstacles. the struggles and betrayal Greg faced are shocking, and his strength and determination astounding. highly recommended. a powerful story of race and prejudice, and one man's struggle to break every boundary. 5 stars

The prose in this is really, really pedestrian. I finished it so fast because I didn't want to spend any more time on it than I had to, not because I wanted to read it.