Juanita Harrison, a southern African American woman, overcame the obstacles of poverty, a lack of formal education, racism, and a little thing called the Great Drepression to fulfill her dream of seeing the world on her own terms. This collection of her diary entries, unedited for grammar and spelling, has captured the voice of a resourceful, intelligent, adventurous and charming woman. Ms. Harrison's colorful descriptions, clear-eyed assessments of human nature (including her own), shrewd bargain hunting, and her whole-hearted enjoyment of all the good things in life should serve as inspiration to all would-be travelers.

While the author slavishly subscribes to hypodescent, she provides good historical detail on how the privileged social and educational opportunities of Southern multiracials were due to their often close ties with whites fathers and other relatives (as opposed to the myth of the callous white rapist slavemaster "breeding" more slaves). These privileges created the myth that mulattoes and mixed-whites were the "flower of the colored race." These "mulatto elites" filled the "Negro" colleges and universities and reinforced the idea that intelligence comes from "white blood." When you recognize this history, you can see why many people still make the ridiculous claim that losing non-blacks to a "multiracial" or "white" category will somehow destroy all the progress that "blacks" have made. Many of them probably still have the tacit belief that intelligence comes from "white blood."

This book was an eye-opener in that we get to view another way of African American lifestyle that many of us are unaware, black as well as white. Slavery forced us into a divide and conquer theory among blacks but Ms. Logan Alexander's family never forgot their African heritage and dedicated themselves to uplift the race leaving a legacy that is still intact. I recommend this book and look forward to reading her new book, Homelands and Waterways.

Miss Alexander book will help me with my own family history. The Barnes family of Hancock County Ga. Which were also freed people of color. Many thanks to you Ms. Alexander!!!! You have done a excellent job!!!