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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'.
