Borrow it
Coverart for item
The Resource In the country of women : a memoir, Susan Straight

In the country of women : a memoir, Susan Straight

Creator
Author
Summary
"In the Country of Women is a valuable social history and a personal narrative that reads like a love song to America and indomitable women. In inland Southern California, near the desert and the Mexican border, Susan Straight, a self-proclaimed book nerd, and Dwayne Sims, an African American basketball player, started dating in high school. After college, they married and drove to Amherst, Massachusetts, where Straight met her teacher and mentor, James Baldwin, who encouraged her to write. Once back in Riverside, at driveway barbecues and fish fries with the large, close-knit Sims family, Straight--and eventually her three daughters--heard for decades the stories of Dwayne's female ancestors. Some women escaped violence in post-slavery Tennessee, some escaped murder in Jim Crow Mississippi, and some fled abusive men. Straight's mother-in-law, Alberta Sims, is the descendant at the heart of this memoir. Susan's family, too, reflects the hardship and resilience of women pushing onward--from Switzerland, Canada, and the Colorado Rockies to California. A Pakistani word, biraderi, is one Straight uses to define a complex system of kinship and clan--those who become your family. An entire community helped raise her daughters. Of her three girls, now grown and working in museums and the entertainment industry, Straight writes, "The daughters of our ancestors carry in their blood at least three continents. We are not about borders. We are about love and survival""--
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Edition
Large type edition.
Extent
525 pages (large print)
Contents
  • Little house in the thistles : Glen Avon, California, 1963
  • The first bullet : Fine, Near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1876
  • The dance : Ruby Triboulet, Colorado Prairie, 1921
  • The country squire : Riverside, California, 1973
  • Nurse-in-charge : Rosa Leu, Aeschlen, Switzerland, 1944
  • Hey now : Riverside, California, March 1974
  • Olympia-one can could get you pregnant : Riverside, California, June 1974
  • Daisy belle : Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1915
  • Driveway #1-the first love letter : Riverside, California, May 1976
  • Castas
  • Mulato : Riverside and Los Angeles, California, 1979
  • The second bullet : Jennie Stevenson, Outside Tulsa, Oklahoma, Early 1900s
  • Fruitful
  • The toast : Riverside, California, 1983
  • Fruitful #2 : Riverside, California, 1989
  • Run the world : Riverside, California, 1989
  • Wild things : Riverside, California, 1995
  • Pig : Rubidoux and Riverside, California, 1997 (South Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia)
  • The Santa Ana River
  • A secondhand lonely : Riverside, California, 1998
  • Dew point-a pack of four : Riverside, California, Endless
  • Love strands : Riverside, California, 2000
  • Crosses and missions : California, 1998, 2000, 2004
  • Coach-driveway #2 : Riverside, California, 2004
  • The batmobile : Riverside, California, 2005
  • The yard couch : Riverside, California, 2008
  • Grizzly : Riverside, California (Tulsa, Oklahoma; Fraser, Colorado)
  • Nine 240
  • Al Green-driveway #1, the second love letter : Riverside, California
  • Travels with my ex in the time of revenue : Orange County, California, 2009
  • Switzerland, loveland, cuddyland : Always, January 12, 1950, Always
  • Bring me your smartest girl : Riverside, California, 2008; Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1925
  • Kin-White House #1 : Los Angeles, California, 2009 (Tulsa, Oklahoma; Riverside, California)
  • A place of style and refuge-White House #2 : Riverside, California, December 2011
  • Letter to my nephew-our dungeon shook (after James Baldwin) : Riverside, California, 2012
  • American human not interested
  • Braid/Züpfe : Los Angeles, California, 2017
  • Ancestry : Riverside and Santa Barbara, California; Ibadan, Nigeria, 2018
  • Saphina : Tennessee, 1870
  • The work of women-evaporation and memory, White House #3 : Riverside, California, 2018
Isbn
9781432873127
Instance
Label
In the country of women : a memoir
Title
In the country of women
Title remainder
a memoir
Statement of responsibility
Susan Straight
Creator
Author
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
"In the Country of Women is a valuable social history and a personal narrative that reads like a love song to America and indomitable women. In inland Southern California, near the desert and the Mexican border, Susan Straight, a self-proclaimed book nerd, and Dwayne Sims, an African American basketball player, started dating in high school. After college, they married and drove to Amherst, Massachusetts, where Straight met her teacher and mentor, James Baldwin, who encouraged her to write. Once back in Riverside, at driveway barbecues and fish fries with the large, close-knit Sims family, Straight--and eventually her three daughters--heard for decades the stories of Dwayne's female ancestors. Some women escaped violence in post-slavery Tennessee, some escaped murder in Jim Crow Mississippi, and some fled abusive men. Straight's mother-in-law, Alberta Sims, is the descendant at the heart of this memoir. Susan's family, too, reflects the hardship and resilience of women pushing onward--from Switzerland, Canada, and the Colorado Rockies to California. A Pakistani word, biraderi, is one Straight uses to define a complex system of kinship and clan--those who become your family. An entire community helped raise her daughters. Of her three girls, now grown and working in museums and the entertainment industry, Straight writes, "The daughters of our ancestors carry in their blood at least three continents. We are not about borders. We are about love and survival""--
Assigning source
Provided by publisher
Biography type
autobiography
Cataloging source
LBSOR/DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Straight, Susan
Dewey number
  • 813/.54
  • B
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
no index present
LC call number
PS3569.T6795
LC item number
Z46 2020
Literary form
non fiction
Series statement
Thorndike Press large print biography and memoirs
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Straight, Susan
  • Straight, Susan
  • Women authors, American
  • Racially mixed people
  • Large type books
  • Straight, Susan
  • Families
  • Racially mixed people
  • Women authors, American
  • United States
Target audience
adult
Label
In the country of women : a memoir, Susan Straight
Instantiates
Publication
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Little house in the thistles : Glen Avon, California, 1963 -- The first bullet : Fine, Near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1876 -- The dance : Ruby Triboulet, Colorado Prairie, 1921 -- The country squire : Riverside, California, 1973 -- Nurse-in-charge : Rosa Leu, Aeschlen, Switzerland, 1944 -- Hey now : Riverside, California, March 1974 -- Olympia-one can could get you pregnant : Riverside, California, June 1974 -- Daisy belle : Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1915 -- Driveway #1-the first love letter : Riverside, California, May 1976 -- Castas -- Mulato : Riverside and Los Angeles, California, 1979 -- The second bullet : Jennie Stevenson, Outside Tulsa, Oklahoma, Early 1900s -- Fruitful -- The toast : Riverside, California, 1983 -- Fruitful #2 : Riverside, California, 1989 -- Run the world : Riverside, California, 1989 -- Wild things : Riverside, California, 1995 -- Pig : Rubidoux and Riverside, California, 1997 (South Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia) -- The Santa Ana River -- A secondhand lonely : Riverside, California, 1998 -- Dew point-a pack of four : Riverside, California, Endless -- Love strands : Riverside, California, 2000 -- Crosses and missions : California, 1998, 2000, 2004 -- Coach-driveway #2 : Riverside, California, 2004 -- The batmobile : Riverside, California, 2005 -- The yard couch : Riverside, California, 2008 -- Grizzly : Riverside, California (Tulsa, Oklahoma; Fraser, Colorado) -- Nine 240 -- Al Green-driveway #1, the second love letter : Riverside, California -- Travels with my ex in the time of revenue : Orange County, California, 2009 -- Switzerland, loveland, cuddyland : Always, January 12, 1950, Always -- Bring me your smartest girl : Riverside, California, 2008; Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1925 -- Kin-White House #1 : Los Angeles, California, 2009 (Tulsa, Oklahoma; Riverside, California) -- A place of style and refuge-White House #2 : Riverside, California, December 2011 -- Letter to my nephew-our dungeon shook (after James Baldwin) : Riverside, California, 2012 -- American human not interested -- Braid/Züpfe : Los Angeles, California, 2017 -- Ancestry : Riverside and Santa Barbara, California; Ibadan, Nigeria, 2018 -- Saphina : Tennessee, 1870 -- The work of women-evaporation and memory, White House #3 : Riverside, California, 2018
Control code
on1119745373
Dimensions
23 cm.
Edition
Large type edition.
Extent
525 pages (large print)
Form of item
large print
Isbn
9781432873127
Lccn
2019037366
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations
Label
In the country of women : a memoir, Susan Straight
Publication
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Little house in the thistles : Glen Avon, California, 1963 -- The first bullet : Fine, Near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1876 -- The dance : Ruby Triboulet, Colorado Prairie, 1921 -- The country squire : Riverside, California, 1973 -- Nurse-in-charge : Rosa Leu, Aeschlen, Switzerland, 1944 -- Hey now : Riverside, California, March 1974 -- Olympia-one can could get you pregnant : Riverside, California, June 1974 -- Daisy belle : Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1915 -- Driveway #1-the first love letter : Riverside, California, May 1976 -- Castas -- Mulato : Riverside and Los Angeles, California, 1979 -- The second bullet : Jennie Stevenson, Outside Tulsa, Oklahoma, Early 1900s -- Fruitful -- The toast : Riverside, California, 1983 -- Fruitful #2 : Riverside, California, 1989 -- Run the world : Riverside, California, 1989 -- Wild things : Riverside, California, 1995 -- Pig : Rubidoux and Riverside, California, 1997 (South Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia) -- The Santa Ana River -- A secondhand lonely : Riverside, California, 1998 -- Dew point-a pack of four : Riverside, California, Endless -- Love strands : Riverside, California, 2000 -- Crosses and missions : California, 1998, 2000, 2004 -- Coach-driveway #2 : Riverside, California, 2004 -- The batmobile : Riverside, California, 2005 -- The yard couch : Riverside, California, 2008 -- Grizzly : Riverside, California (Tulsa, Oklahoma; Fraser, Colorado) -- Nine 240 -- Al Green-driveway #1, the second love letter : Riverside, California -- Travels with my ex in the time of revenue : Orange County, California, 2009 -- Switzerland, loveland, cuddyland : Always, January 12, 1950, Always -- Bring me your smartest girl : Riverside, California, 2008; Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1925 -- Kin-White House #1 : Los Angeles, California, 2009 (Tulsa, Oklahoma; Riverside, California) -- A place of style and refuge-White House #2 : Riverside, California, December 2011 -- Letter to my nephew-our dungeon shook (after James Baldwin) : Riverside, California, 2012 -- American human not interested -- Braid/Züpfe : Los Angeles, California, 2017 -- Ancestry : Riverside and Santa Barbara, California; Ibadan, Nigeria, 2018 -- Saphina : Tennessee, 1870 -- The work of women-evaporation and memory, White House #3 : Riverside, California, 2018
Control code
on1119745373
Dimensions
23 cm.
Edition
Large type edition.
Extent
525 pages (large print)
Form of item
large print
Isbn
9781432873127
Lccn
2019037366
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations

Subject

Genre

Library Locations

    • Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial LibraryBorrow it
      901 G Street NW, Washington, DC, 20001, US
      38.8986949 -77.0247823

Library Links

Structured data from the Bibframe namespace is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by DC Public Library System. Additional terms may apply to data associated with third party namespaces.
Processing Feedback ...