Haven Kimmel is the author of the bestselling memoir A Girl Named Zippy, and its sequel, She Got Up Off the Couch. Her novels include The Solace of Leaving Early and Something Rising (Light and Swift), and she is the author of the children's book, Orville: A Dog Story. Her next novel, The Used World, will be published in September 2007.
So much has been written, said, and expectorated about the memoir genre in the past five years there remains little to say. And it's true, the memoirs worth reading are rare--the ones that jolt or enlighten or delight with craft. Sarah Thyer's Dark At The Roots is a stand-out for countless reasons. Her sentences compel like electricity: the reader moves from one to the next as if being shocked, but pleasantly, or with the pathological love of the tongue for the toothache. Thank God I have this toothache, you think, because otherwise my life would be a pit of stupid. Her dialogue is dead-on (and having lived in both Mississippi and Louisiana I can tell you it isn't easy to replicate and virtually everyone gets it wrong). She is shameless and unembarassable and she makes a foreign world so concrete you can feel the shag carpeting and smell the extinct shampoo. Thyer handles a shadowy relationship with her father with a grace that both reveals and conceals, simultaneously. Most of all, from beginning to end she remains as consistent a character as one looks for in fiction: she is the best friend you wish you'd had, and the girl your mother warned you about (as if those two things don't always go hand in hand). My own sister recently said to me, as we were having a swinging contest at the park--I am 41 and she is 51--"I swing higher, I'm smarter and funnier than you, and people like me better." I can think of no better description for Sarah Thyer, or for her memoir, which was crafted with an edge razor-fine. She's gifted enough to write anything: fiction, another memoir, pamphlets about the dangers of hitting electric lines with your Rototiller. I can't wait for whatever comes next. --Haven Kimmel
Book Description
The story of one girl's heroic struggle to overcome the lower-middle class obstacles that stood between her and the world she knew she could call her oyster, Dark at the Roots limns the absurdities of growing up funny in the deep south.
When Sarah Thyre was barely out of diapers, her father started referring to her as the "family liar," though no particular incident had provoked this designation. Undaunted by her label, Sarah started referring to herself as Renee and creating scenarios that would help her assimilate up from her chaotic family into a higher social calling. But even as she was clipping an alligator logo off of one shirt to sew onto another, her place in the middle - of her family, her neighborhood, her school, her country - kept humbling her back to just plain Sarah.
In Dark at the Roots, Sarah is catapulted from the relative safety of a nuclear family, through the years of her mother going it alone with five mouths to feed with a steady diet of pasta and fried eggs, to the teenage years where wearing a school uniform was a godsend to a girl unable to afford the latest fashions ... if only she would have admitted it. In this telling, Sarah's inimitable sense of humor and resolve are both honed to a fine, sharp point. And though it is occasionally young Sarah who is skewered, she manages to turn her pain into punch lines, leaving little room for doubt that this is how a true humorist is built.
Whether it is a scene where small Sarah accidentally goes "poddy" in the garage during a game of hide-and-seek or medium-sized Sarah survives a fishing trip with her volatile father, or full-sized Sarah wrestles with a tooth she calls "Uncle Wiggly" and all he represents, grown-up Sarah tells her story with self-effacing sincerity and a seemingly invincible sense of humor. With its spare, razor-sharp prose and precision timing, Dark at the Roots emerges as not just a humorous memoir, but a powerful, universal testament to surviving one's rearing and living to laugh in the face of it all.
Customer Reviews:
Not that great........2007-09-11
The only thing I liked about this book was the picture on the cover. I thought this was a boring book.
From one Izod lover to another....LOVED IT!.......2007-08-15
Loved this book! I wanted a book for my book club that was going to make everyone laugh...and I think it will. We meet this Thursday night to discuss the 70's and this hilarouus book. I could relate so much to the trendy must have's of the 70's...I had one Izod shirt and a pair of Calvin Klein pants that I wore whenever they were clean. I thought I was so cool!
Thanks Sarah for the memories...
A fantastic read for anyone who remembers (?!) the 70's.......2007-08-08
I've often pondered in amazement myself at what I know now was the "hands off" parenting style of the 70's. I went through it and still sometimes can't believe how we managed to survive... my sisters and I would go out early in the morning and not come back until all the mothers in the neighborhood yelled "DINNER" or well after dark. It was exciting, fun, funny, scary and joyous all at the same time. I didn't experience the South that Sarah writes about, unless you count Southern California the south. I loved all the references to the pop culture of the time, the TV shows, the music. It's a thoroughly entertaining, disturbing and funny account of a spunky, funny kid who manages to thrive in spite of her upbringing. I loved all the references to Catholic schools, priests (I know nothing of these things but they fascinate me anyway), and Disneyworld. It's a wonderful book and I highly recommend it!
Disappointed.......2007-06-28
I really enjoyed Thyre in Strangers with Candy, was raised Catholic myself, and lived a few years in the dirty South, so I was looking forward to reading this book. I was hoping to find her tales observant, amusing, and slightly touching.
Instead, I found the novel to be wholly unentertaining. It was definitely dark, but in the Welcome to the Dollhouse sorta way, and not very funny. To be honest, I didn't think her writing was very good or "compelling." Most of the stories were centered from her POV as a child, not as an adult looking back at the events.
The situations she reminiscences about not only make her seem like a jerk as a child, but not even a loveable jerk. The executions of each story lack oomph in the chapter endings and are very anti-climatic. I had no desire to finish it.
I DEMAND A SEQUEL!.......2007-06-12
I finished reading this lovely tome set in my illustrious home state of Louisiana last night and sat straight up in bed and shouted, "I DEMAND A SEQUEL!" As it was 2 a.m., my husband sat straight up in bed, too, and said "WTF?" Even the dog barked! LOL!
This is one of THE best memoirs I've read in years. Sarah Thyre is a born comedian and a fantastic writer. She captures the essence of the Coonass culture and the hidden joys of a dysFUNctional Louisiana childhood like no one else I've ever read. (I was born in south Louisiana and have lived here most of my life, so I know a good story when I read one.) Ahem...
My only regret was that she ended the book too soon. I'm dying to know what happened to her after high school (and the convenience store job so deliciously described) and if she really did go to LSU. So, Sarah, if you read this, please, please, please consider a sequel to this hilarious, touching, bittersweet story of your childhood.
I think it deserves ten stars after some of the dry, boring memoirs I've recently read. Buy this book if you need a good laugh and a summer read that you won't soon forget.
Book Description
From the author of Hot Summer Nights
Sex and the City for small-town Southern gals who like their men red hot, and their beer ice cold...
Jamie Lee Carter is living easy in Hootertown, which is teetering on the Tennessee border. No complications until a Hollwyood producer comes to town to scout locations for his new movie. He's got a Jaguar. She's got a pick-up. When these two worlds collide, prepare for sizzle and sparks.
Customer Reviews:
Terrible.......2007-08-07
I couldn't get past the first few pages. Written in the first person present tense it read like something for an elementary school student. I bought this and one other of hers on the basis of the Amazon reviews. The second one was just as bad as this one. What a waste of money.
Love this Book!.......2007-07-09
Normally... I don't read "Romance" Novels... but I happened to buy this book... and I'm glad I did! I Couldn't put it down. I'm look forward to the next installment!
Histerically redneck!.......2007-05-15
I loved this book. It's full of small town, southern charm and humor and I love the characters and their conflicts. A great, light read for those who like romantic comedies.
Oh my goodness!.......2007-03-06
Never have I ever given a book such a low score! I remember having a problem with first person for the longest time, but eventually I got over it and am completely fine with it being in first. But the way it was written was annoying! For example:
Instead of "I walked to the door."
It was "I walk to the door."
And also the thing that bugged me the most was that I was half-way thru the book and i didn't even know who the hero was supposed to be. Personally, I wanted it to be Parker. Because Griff was just a total jerk expecting her to take him in every single time he decided to go out and get drunk! Girrrrrrrrr. It frustrated me so much that **short of spoiler** Griff turns out being the guy she'll fall in love with AGAIN! I didn't find any chemistry between them. And the more she wrote about him the more I disliked him. It got to the point where I didn't even want to finish the book! [[And I didn't]].
Now don't get me wrong, I'm a total cowboy gal, but jeez this cowboy is one you wouldn't see me falling in love with.
I can not express [[or perhaps I have?]] how much this made me dislike the book. I can understand why Jamie Lee didn't totally go for Parker- since he was completely out of her environment-but come on. I just really DID NOT like the so-called "hero".
I only gave it another star because I loved her best friend, and I loved the southern redneck accent and words she used. Really amusing and fun.
But overall, I really wouldn't reccommend this book.
(Wow. Never thoght I would ever say that.)
Not Worth The Money.......2007-02-12
I didn't like this book because it was the person who the story is about speaking about what happened. Really, these kinds of books aren't worth reading. If I had known it was that kind of book I would not have wasted my money. I would have given it no starts but that wasn't a choice. Don't buy if you don't care for these kinds of books.
Customer Reviews:
A Cultural Learning Experience of Interdepartmental and International Police Policy.......2007-06-24
In a departure from his previous books that established the Joe Gunther character and his place in southern Vermont police work, Mayor now expands his turf to include the whole of the state. Getting Joe involved in a case that takes on both the inter-cultural changes to Vermont as well as the burgeoning of Asian 'mafia' he skillfully mixes in how rural areas of the country are being affected by illegal immigration and the control of drug distribution.
What starts out as serendipity with the stop of a speeding car full of Asians on a late night in snowy January, ends up with a denouement in Montreal. In between we are instructed (without too much pedantistry) into the way these 'new' Asian mafias differ from the old 'Mustache Tony' Italian mafias that we see in the 'Sopranos'. In many ways they are much more sophisticated, violent and naive.
They are sophisticated in their use of the system and the fear of the new Asian community of law enforcement agencies which 'back home' are more corrupt than the gangs. There use of violence, which is highlighted by their use of 'home invasion' techniques and rape and intimidation of family members back home; is notorious in how it is used to 'cow' witnesses and those who they exploit. They are naive in their understanding of how the American (and more so now) and International cooperation among the myriad of government agencies working to protect the US and Canadian borders.
They story builds a little at a time and proves to be very realistic in its portrayal of both the Vietnamese and Vietchin who are new to this country. Like all new minority groups in this country they have come with their good and their bad, all trying to find their place in the American mosaic. Gunther is especially a good character to tie into the new systems of State-wide and Federal information sharing as well as the growth of cooperation between Canada and the US. All in all a great read.
A Master Artist With Words.......2001-05-24
All of Archer Mayor's books have a gripping story line. Although the stories are first class, the pictures drawn with words as the story unfolds are the best that I have ever encountered. The magnificent metaphors can create, in less than one sentence, images that may take other authors pages. Although each book is independent in and of itself, I enjoy reading the stories in sequence. There is a steady progression in character development and interpersonal relationships as we go from story to story.
If you are a mystery fan, I am sure that you will enjoy the entire series as much as I have. If you are a student taking a course in creative writing, I don't think that you will find a better word artist than Archer Mayor.
Thoughtful, Well Written , With Great Character Development.......2001-02-05
As a former prosecutor who has read many mysteries over the years I look for more than just an entertaining read these days. Authenticity and character development are very important. Joe Gunther's persona is so well developed that you can understand his actions--he doesn't jump out of character to suit the plot line. This novel (and Mayor's others) are carefully researched with a strong sense of place. Moreover, Mayor shares some keen insights about law enforcement that show a rare understanding of its compexities.
Well written, but tends to plod a bit........2000-02-29
First, let me say that Mr. Mayor certainly knows police procedure. I don't know if his background is in law enforcement or not (mine is not) but the whole thing sounds very convincing to me. The story concerns Lt. Joe Gunther of the Brattleboro Vt. police department and his attempts to unravel the murder of Benny Travers, one of Brattleboro's less savory citizens. All the signs begin to point to an Asian gang invasion of Brattleboro and the surrounding communities and Mr. Mayor leads us convincingly through the process that Lt. Gunther takes to solve the murder.
Mr. Mayor is a good writer and his sense of place is very strong, however I found the writing very un-emotional. It almost seems as if you're reading a police report rather than a fictional mystery. There is also a large cast of characters and it's sometimes hard to keep them straight. Especially since many of the characters in this book or oriental with both their given names and their anglicized names used interchangeably.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, with some reservations. If you like police procedure this book is excellent. I don't think Mr. Mayor takes any liberties at all with reality when he describes what Lt. Gunther has to go through to not only conduct his investigation but to appease the beauracracy in his own department. So it's a very realistic book. However, if you like a more slam-bang approach (which I admit, I do) you may find this book just a tad tedious.
My favorite of the series........1999-12-23
I've read all of the Joe Gunther mysteries except for Occam's Razor and The Skeleton's Knee. This one if my favorite. It is the most tense and fastest paced out of the bunch. It is also very eerie in that we don't know or see the criminals except when they strike at one part of the state or the other. We only hear sketchy details about the criminal's lives as Joe's squadron does their research and deduction. The criminals in this case are Asian gang kingpins. Since we don't see them at work, we are spared stereotypes or other such gaffes. Instead, we get to sense the frustration that goes into investigating highly mobile, nationally networked, very sub-rosa criminals. Despite all the investigations, the story moves very fast. My only complaint is the ending is not satisfactory - it's almost comic bookish given the dose of reality throughout the story.
Average customer rating:
- Not what I expected
- Great Historical Novel of Faith
- Powerful, thought-provoking
- Powerfully, thought provoking book
- The Dark Sun Rises
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The Dark Sun Rises (Roots of Faith/Denise Williamson, 1)
Denise Williamson
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
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Binding: Paperback
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When Stars Begin to Fall (Roots of Faith, 2)
ASIN: 1556618824 |
Book Description
An Epic Story of Enduring Faith
From classics like Gone with the Wind and Uncle Tom's Cabin to the unparalleled recent success of Cold Mountain, the world of the Civil War South has captivated and fascinated readers for generations. Now in The Dark Sun Rises, author Denise Williamson opens another rich and powerful page in that tumultuous history.
Delora Plantation in antebellum Charleston is the setting for this powerful examination of the friction between faith and darkness, freedom and suffering, love and intolerance. As the godly plantation master, Abram Callcott, struggles with his rebellious son, Brant, a manservant, Joseph Whitsun, lives out his own courageous love for a beautiful housemaid. With honesty and deep emotion, The Dark Sun Rises tells a vivid story that confronts the most difficult era of American history.
Examining the difficult principle of servitude to God as the mark of obedience to Christ, Denise Williamson has crafted a subtle and gripping tale that will resound for readers with the other great stories of that era.
Customer Reviews:
Not what I expected.......2004-03-16
This book was not what I expected it to be. I borrowed this book from the library believing it to be an inspirational book, but I found it to be more depressing than inspirational. It seems that the author decided to allow almost every possible thing that could happen to a slave happen to Joseph.
The book was a little too wordy and at times gave out unneeded information. Even though the book was supposed to be about slaves overcoming the struggles of slavery while keeping faith in God, it was more about seeing just how evil, mean, cruel, and unchristian white slave owners as well as none slave owners could be. The Christians (slaves)constantly go from belief to unbelief in God depending on the problem at the time.
The Christian characters in this book are weak even though they are suppose to have such great faith. "Faith without works is dead". The unchristian ones are evil and almost always have the upper hand and are the stronger.
It even touches on how blacks go against blacks (or shall I say brown) because of the color of their skin.
A lot of the story may be based on true facts, but I thought it was told in a very depressing manner. I have read many books on slavery, but this book was by far the least inspired of all in my opinion.
I most certainly did not finish reading the book with the feeling that I was inspired!! By the time I reached the end I was tired of the cruelty, the word nigger, and the fact of Joseph getting abused in almost every chapter.
I was quite disappointed and would not read from this author again.
Great Historical Novel of Faith.......2002-02-23
The author has done a wonderful job depicting a terrible time in our nation's history from the perspective of those who had to live through it.
The slaves had to endure and put their hope in the afterlife, the Christian slave owners had to consider that their slaves might be better off being under their protection that to be free in the South. Their dilemna also included the fact that their plantations depended on slave labor. The white slave driver had to decide whether it was better for him to remain there and keep the slaves from enduring an abusive driver, or to seek out cheap land for himself and his family in the west.
Hate still abounded among nonChristians and those who called themselves Christians. The main character Joseph endures so much pain (physical and emotional) that you cry for him throughout his struggle. Some parts of the book were a bit wordy, but many other parts were painted vividly with such gripping descriptions that you feel you were there.
I finished the book with a new understanding of the struggles everyone in those times faced in the disgrace of slavery.
Powerful, thought-provoking.......2000-11-20
Ê This is a wonderful book that explores the complexities of how to live an honorable, Christian life in a society that approves of discrimination. In a world where laws and social prejudice dictate that some humans are less worthy than others, how is a Christian to act if he or she is a member of the oppressing group, or a member of the oppressed group? What can or should one do? The parallels for today are powerful for those who look.
My only criticism of this gripping tale is that the evil characters donÕt even pretend to be Christians, and the Christian characters always are good, even if they are weak. In my experience, sometimes Christians deliberately do evil things, and many non-Christians are wonderfully moral and loving people.
Nevertheless, this is a book well worth reading and discussing with your friends. It is told in a manner that involves the reader on all levels. Marvellously written, with a powerful message.
Powerfully, thought provoking book.......2000-11-19
This is a wonderful book that explores the complexities of how to live an honorable, Christian life in a society that approves of discrimination. In a world where laws and social prejudice dictate that some humans are less worthy than others, how is a Christian to act if he or she is a member of the oppressing class, or a member of the oppressed class? What can or should one do? The parallels for today are powerful for those who look.
My only criticism of this gripping tale is that the evil characters donÕt even pretend to be Christians, and the Christian characters always are good, even if they are weak. In my experience, sometimes Christians deliberately do evil things, and many non-Christians are wonderfully moral and loving people.
Nevertheless, this is a book well worth reading and discussing with your friends. It is told in a manner that involves the reader on all levels. Marvellously written - powerful message.
The Dark Sun Rises.......2000-01-28
As an avid reader, it is an extreme compliment that I give this book my A#1 best book ever vote! It was hard to turn the pages without my tears falling on the words! Wonderful story, beautifully written!
Product Description
Interracial relationships, black mysticism in tribal Africa, and the strong bond of family love all combine for a compelling read in a new novel, Dark Roots, by Jeannie Cobb. An exciting narrative featuring main character Amber Brooks, who is African American, and Clayton, her white boyfriend takes the couple from the corporate boardroom, back in time to 1840s America in a frantic search for Amber's brother, James, an anthropologist whose near-fanatic interest in the African slave trade leads to his disappearance on the Dark Continent. Along the way, Amber and Clayton experience first-hand the power of long-held African beliefs in the supernatural, and discover the true meaning of love and life.
Customer Reviews:
Don't waste your money or time.......2006-05-14
This book wasn't good even as a first effort. The main characters were all unlikable, the plot was weak and wrapped up quickly at the end when the writer ran out of ideas. The characters sped the entire time they are back in time, crying, arguing, and being utterly stupid while reminding each other they are well educated with degrees. This book is embarrassing!
Wonderful story!.......2005-12-28
I loved this book. Although it has the same time travel theme as Kindred, which was very good, I enjoyed this book much more. The characters were well developed before going back in time which made the conflict even more entertaining. I'm in the process of reading it for the 3rd time and it's as compelling as the first.
RAW Rating: 4.5 - Ducks out of water.......2005-11-17
Ambitious, headstrong, intelligent, and beautiful, Amber Brooks is enjoying everything life has to offer: her company is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with, she has a fantastic relationship with her world-renowned archeologist of a brother, her best friend Malcolm is always there when she needs him, and she's in love with Clayton. Even Clayton's being white and her being black hasn't posed too many obstacles for her. The world is hers for the taking. Until...
Amber's brother James is missing. No, make that, he disappeared into thin air after participating in a tribal ritual using a mystical artifact. Amber, along with Malcolm and Clayton, rush to find out what actually happened to James and how to bring him home safely. They soon find themselves trapped in the 1840's on a North Carolina plantation. Clayton pretends to be the owner of his friends and lover, but these four are ducks out of water. Will Amber be able to hold her tongue and learn her place? Will Clayton be able to carry out the charade? Will Malcolm be able to continue to hide his love for Amber? Will James be able to find their way home before it's too late?
Jeannie Cobb has woven an exciting adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat. Her movement in time and tone were flawless, but what I really liked was how she showed the change in dynamics between the four, especially Amber and Clayton. Amber had been a "take on the world," "I am woman hear me roar," type of gal who'd had all equality stripped from her in exchange for property status. Clayton, though a successful attorney, was more of a subdued "let's all get along" type fellow who had to act like a Massa from 1843 North Carolina. You'd think Clayton had it the easiest of the four, but imagine having to watch the woman you love being treated as chattel and always fearing for her well-being (body and soul). It was one interesting trip in time to say the least. Though DARK ROOTS could use some proofing, I strongly encourage everyone to read this book.
Reviewed by Deatri King-Bey
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
disappointed in author.......2005-07-15
I was pleased that Ms. Cobb published an historical fictional novel, but embarassed and disappointed that she views long held African beliefs as "supernatural." Such thinking is an insult to all people of African descent, including Ms. Cobb's very own ancestors. African spirituality and "religion" is not founded in the supernatural. In the very least, it is founded on animism. It's a shame that a writer would ignore contextual documents and research about African "religions" given that her novel is historical fiction.
A Page Turner!.......2005-03-12
Amber Brooks is a young, successful, attractive, no-nonsense, go-getter businesswoman who is the heartbeat of her man (Clayton), her brother (James), and her best friend from childhood (Malcolm). Life is good and all is well until her grandmother has "the dream" - when Granny Ida dreams, death is on its way to visit a family member. Granny has dreamt of her grandson, James, a world renowned archeologist on location in West Africa examining a theory of reincarnation and time travel to the 1840's America - specifically the slavery era on a North Carolina tobacco plantation.
When James vanishes into thin air after participating in a tribal ceremony using an ancient artifact, Granny Ida suspects he is trapped in the spirit world. Amber and Clayton rush to Africa to investigate and when Amber eerily vanishes (just like James), Malcolm and Clayton are determined to rescue her. Eventually all four end up at the same plantation where the rules of the day elevate Clayton as the owner of his three African American friends. They are stuck in the past with no clue how to return to modern day - so they fall into their respective roles until they can escape. Amber befriends other plantation slaves and learns critical survival skills (like keeping her mouth shut, feigning ignorance and stupidity, not fighting back). The "modern" characters undergo a humbling experience as they witness beatings, back-breaking work, humiliation, suffering, and learn of sexual abuse of slave women. In her friendships, Amber ultimately bonds with a woman who will serve a key purpose in the novel and her life.
Complicating things are the interracial aspects of Amber (African American) and Clayton's (Caucasian) relationship, Malcolm's desire to become more than friends with Amber, and Clayton and Malcolm's jealousy and envy of one another. Also lurking about is the evil, sadistic overseer, Big Jake, who is determined to have Amber for himself. The author shares a lot of historical knowledge of the era - citing the knowledge of herbs and roots that slaves possessed to heal themselves from beatings and brandings and it uses for other medicinal purposes; and their ingenuity and industriousness when it came to stretching their food, clothing, and other resources.
Dark Roots is a wonderfully imagined and well written speculative and historical fiction novel. I was captured from the opening passages and kept turning pages until the end. I think fans of Tananarive Due (The Between, The Good House), Octavia Butler (Kindred), and/or Stephen Barnes (Lion's Blood) will probably enjoy Dark Roots.
Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club
Book Description
In Fair Women, Dark Men, Peter Frost presents the evidence that there has been a cultural preference in virtually all human societies for fair complexions, especially in women, long before black slavery, European colonialism, and what we now call "color prejudice."
How does this earlier sensibility to skin color relate to the later development of prejudice against dark skin?. Fair Women, Dark Men exposes and explores historical, biological, cultural and psychological facts which might help to answer this question.
Customer Reviews:
This is just a propaganda piece.......2006-09-20
for racialists and conservatives who want to prove that black and mixed race black women are less attractive than other women. It's been peddled by so-called scientists from the 18th century to the present. This book ratifies alot of racist/sexist stereotypes of people of color and women I read since high school.
I'm just not feeling this book. Sorry!
Lucid, short, and important.......2005-06-24
A couple of decades ago, I began noticing that the leading lady in a movie was almost always fairer-skinned than her leading man.
It appears filmmakers and their audiences subconsciously associate lightness of complexion with femininity. Yet, nobody ever seems to talk about it.
Medieval Europeans referred to women as "the fair sex," but in contemporary discourse, skin color is associated only with race, not with sex.
We don't behave like that, however.
Audiences famously want their leading men to look "tall, dark, and handsome" (a phrase first applied to that epitome of male glamour, Cary Grant) when they embrace their leading ladies. But, apparently, "dark" is even more important than "tall."
My impression is that female fans are more insistent than male fans that their favorite actresses be fair. Conversely, male fans don't much like pale actors, as Jude Law's problems shedding the dreaded "pretty boy" tag demonstrate.
When the Internet came along in the 1990s, I discovered that an anthropologist at Université Laval in Quebec named Peter Frost had been researching for years this question of why actresses were so fair, and much else besides.
His findings are quite extraordinary.
He's finally published a lucidly written and wide-ranging book entitled Fair Women, Dark Men: The Forgotten Roots of Color Prejudice. It proves well worth the wait, shedding light on a broad array of contemporary social issues.
It turns out that this favoritism toward lighter skinned women is not an invention of Hollywood. You'll note that conventional "social constructionist" thinking can't explain this phenomenon. The standard academic's logic would predict that, because whites rule and men rule, therefore the whitest men would be the most popular. But pallid blonde actors of the James Spader ilk typically play evil preppie-yuppie villains, not heroes. Conversely, the movie industry is responding to a fondness for fairer females found in almost all cultures across almost all eras.
In his foreword to Fair Women, Dark Men, U. of Washington sociologist Pierre L. van den Berghe, author of one of my favorite books, The Ethnic Phenomenon, summarizes:
"Although virtually all cultures express a marked preference for fair female skin, even those with little or no exposure to European imperialism, and even those whose members are heavily pigmented, many are indifferent to male pigmentation or even prefer men to be darker."
Frost reports that out of 51 different cultures in the anthropology profession's famous Human Relations Area Files, 44 cultures favored lighter complexions on either only women (30) or on both sexes (14). In only 3 cultures was fair skin preferred on men only, and in just 4 cultures was darker skin desired.
Lighter ladies were favored in many countries with little exposure to Western beauty standards, such as medieval Japan, Ethiopia, Aztec Mexico, and Moorish Spain, where the dominant culture was darker skinned than the conquered natives.
Frost discovered that the reason women were called "the fair sex" is because women are indeed fairer on average after puberty. He notes that 50 out of 54 anthropometric studies from around the world have shown that women's untanned skin, such as under the upper arm, reflects more light than men's. Women have more subcutaneous fat, which gives them a lighter look.
The gender difference in color is not large, but before Europeans came into frequent contact with sub-Saharan Africans and others of highly different hues, it was noticeable. Frost writes:
"When one's social horizon takes in a limited range of observable skin tones, small gradations of color take on more importance.... A 'white' person was simply a fair-complexioned individual; a 'black' person, a dark-complexioned one. This old way of seeing things persists today in surnames that once referred to the normal range of skin color in Europe, [in] surnames like White, Brown, and Black among the English..."
Could it all just be social class prejudice? Traditionally, wealthier women who didn't have to work outdoors could avoid tanning more than poor women who had to slop the hogs. That plays a definite role in maintaining the bias, but the cultural fondness for fairer women is even found among hunter-gatherer tribes where all women have to be outdoors every day finding food.
Frost also points out a corollary of this sexual selection for lightness:
"Since higher-ranking men marry the more attractive women, the upper classes tend to lighten in color with each passing generation, as in India."
This seems particularly true in Latin America, where the elites remain quite white-looking despite almost 500 years of intermarriage. The trick is that the most successful short, dark men often wed tall, blonde women and have more European-looking offspring, thus replenishing the caste system.
Frost's short but mind-expanding book shows once again how much more fascinating the study of humanity can be-when freed of the boring old prejudice that biology has nothing to do with human beings.
Books:
- Dead Air
- Death in Winter (Star Trek: the Next Generation)
- Depression: A Stubborn Darkness--Light for the Path (VantagePoint Books)
- Distant Shores: A Tenth-Anniversary Celebration (Star Trek: Voyager)
- Dragon's Keep
- Dragonfly in Amber
- Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia
- Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke
- Elemental Geosystems, Fourth Edition
- Estimator's Piping Man-Hour Manual, Fifth Edition (Estimator's Man-Hour Library)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Asimov's Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan
- The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
- Hands in Clay: An Introduction to Ceramics
- Mt. St. Helens: Surviving the Stone Wind
- Sacred Legacy: Edward S Curtis And The North American Indian
- Our Changing Planet: An Introduction to Earth System Science and Global Environmental Change
- Sufferings in Africa: The Astonishing Account of a New England Sea Captain Enslaved by North African
- Love: A Celebration in Art & Literature
- Population Growth, Resource Consumption, and the Environment: Seeking a Common Vision for a Troubled
- Lights And Shadows Of Army Life: Or, Pen Pictures From The Battlefield, The Camp, And The Hospital.
The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life
Hyper-chondriac: One Man's Quest to Hurry Up and Calm Down
Without a Map: A Memoir
Driving with Dead People
Helpless: A Novel
