Billy and his brother Mike grew up in northern Virginia believing they were white. When their father's bar business went broke, and the family lost their tony townhouse in an exclusive Alexandria neighborhood, and their mother disappeared with a new man and two younger children. Alcoholic and desperate, with nowhere to turn, Billy's father Buster takes them back his roots. In the ghetto of Muncie, Indiana, the boys find out that their father is half black.
While race is an integral part of the storyline, this story is really about the boys' survival. Abandoned by their abused mother and her racist family, left on their own by their alcoholic father and his racist and alcoholic family, the boys are taken in by an unrelated neighborhood woman who raises them, despite living on just $25 a week. The author describes the contrasts of living in a black and white world, and of the prejudices he faced from strangers, from teachers, from family.
Despite all odds, and through finding small encouragements along the way, Billy grew up to follow his dream and become a lawyer. Today, he's the president of City College in New York.
This was a great autobiography, far better than its title suggests. This is an older book, first published in 1995, and I found it at my library. If you enjoy reading factual stories of other people, you will enjoy this book.
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