This book is not a book about my family. But it is necessary for the reader to understand the part my family plays in the book. Without that foundation of Gregory support, I would not have been able to tell this story. . . The reader should understand that the emotions expressed throughout the book were felt only in the context of my year at Marshall. The intense experience of being totally immersed in the black world produced what the reader may feel are exaggerated expressions of the beauty of blackness. However, the reader should realize that I was discovering blackness and should take this into account when reacting to pointed contrasts between white and black. . . I have recorded the incidents in the book as I saw them. The only details altered are the names of the persons involved. —Susan Gregory, from the Preface and Author’s Note