Description of the story… The Colour of Grace.
What follows is written to be a love story. It is a work of fiction but I have tried to reflect as accurately as I can remember, the attitudes and opinions pervading at the time it is set, in the 1970s.
Immigration may be an issue for some people in the 21st century but in the 1970s (Please see Preface) the influx of people with a different skin colour set alarm bells ringing, especially in urban areas.
Will they move in next door?
And if so, will the value of my house go down?
Will they be working side by side with me?
Grace Walker is a young, capable, and beautiful, black woman in a white dominated world, driven by her need to be accepted and to prove she is as good a teacher as anyone, black or white.
Others have different agendas so she finds herself, unwittingly and unwillingly, in a difficult situation, and there is only one man who can help her out of it, if she is not to suffer…
However, he has issues of his own to resolve and to question if he can trust in love again, so is he man enough for her?…
The chemistry of love transcends all and does not respect class, race or social boundaries, so how will the story end?
Prologue: The Colour of Grace
What follows is written to be a love story. It is a work of fiction but I have tried to reflect as accurately as I can remember the attitudes and opinions pervading at the time it is set, in the 1970s.
The 1970s were a time of social/political unrest in the UK, apart from the continuing difficulties in Northern Ireland; the three day week followed the first miners’ strike of 1972, and there was a lot of other industrial unrest which possibly paved the way for the Thatcherite Britain of the 1980s.
In 1972 Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of all Asians from Uganda, many of whom came to Britain. This with the indigenous population of West Indians and Africans gave rise to some people’s concerns about the integration of non- whites into English society.
The ‘debate’ took the form of speeches by politicians such as Enoch Powell, but it was also reflected in such television programmes as Till Death Us Do Part and Love Thy Neighbour, both BBC sitcoms. These followed on the heels of more ‘serious’ comedies such as Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, which dealt with the very issue of inter-racial relationships and marriages. There was serious deprivation and prejudice in many black areas resulting in resentment that eventually surfaced in riots in Bristol in 1980, then in Brixton in 1981.
I wish to stress that the negative and prejudicial comments made by certain characters in no way reflect my views on the matter; we are all God’s creation and my view is stated by Daniel when he laments to Grace, people should be not be judged by the colour of your skin but by the quality of your heart.’ The majority of them are conjecture- what might have been said in the context of the story, reflecting the views of people at that time. However the one comment that is true is the one made about the young black girl struggling with maths, as that was the comment made when as a young teacher I asked for guidance from a more experienced superior!
The chemistry of love transcends and does not respect class, race or social boundaries, so I have not given the story an ending as such… I leave the reader to be optimistic about the characters’ future, as love can conquer all!
The story? Ah, yes, the story…
Grace Walker is a young, capable, and beautiful, black woman in a white dominated world, driven by her need to be accepted and to prove she is as good a teacher as anyone, black or white.
She finds herself, unwittingly and unwillingly, in a difficult situation, and there is only one man who can help her out of it if she is not to suffer…
However, he has issues of his own to resolve and to question if he can trust in love again, so is he man enough for her?…
The author.
A Review:
I found this to be a light-hearted romance, highlighting the prides and prejudices of the whites AND the blacks (and even 'petulances' if that's even a word) during the 1970s. It's written in dialogue, which makes the reader feel they're a 'fly on the wall' - so it's quite immersive. I normally never read fiction, so this was a big change for me. A very pleasant, 'easy read'.
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