Greetings AfriGeneas Writers:

At the AfriGeneas Book Forum Dera Williams and VKN referred us to historian/author Martha Sandweiss' book "Passing Strange: A Gilded Age Tale of Love and Deception Across the Color Line." Thank you! I remember studying Clarence King in graduate school but like so many never knew of his secret life.

At first glance the title suggests that Clarence King passed as a black man. However Sandweiss’ subtitle explains that it is a story about “Love and Deception Across the Color Line." Clarence King led two separate lives.

NPR offers an intriguing interview with author, Sandweiss.

She shares an important caution for all non-fiction writers about speculating on an historical subject.

“ I’m an historian who lives and dies by her footnotes.”

When she is not sure Sandweiss uses expressions such as “They might have” or “Perhaps they.”

Sandweiss also tells NPR listeners on how she used census, real estate records, newspapers, and letters to document the life of King and especially his wife and children.

Please click on the link below:

On the right you’ll find the NPR Interview with Martha Sandweiss. The interview is quite long more than a half hour. It includes discussions from NPR listeners. The C-Span Book Talk unfortunately isn’t working properly.

Enjoy!

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