African American Autobiography Discussed in Great Plains Quarterly
Released on 01/29/2004, at 12:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 29, 2004 -- In 1946, Era Bell Thompson published her autobiography "American Daughter," detailing her life growing up on a homestead in North Dakota, and her life and book are examined by a pair of University of Sioux Falls scholars in the most-recent issue of Great Plains Quarterly.
Kevin L. Cole and Leah Weins describe Thompson's book as an account of an African American woman who comes of age on the northern plains in the early 20th century. "It is one of those almost forgotten autobiographies that deserves to be read, ranked, and reconsidered," they wrote.
When she was 8, Thompson's family moved from a comfortable, middle-class life in Des Moines, Iowa, to a homestead in North Dakota. In 1945, while living in Chicago after college, Thompson applied for a Newberry Fellowship to write a book about North Dakota. That book became her autobiography, incorporating the uniqueness of her family's experience on the plains.
Thompson illustrated her family's encounters with missionaries and religious revival camps using humor and gentle satire while integrating the perspective of a child. Cole and Weins describe Thompson's treatment of religion as an integral element of her life and work. They also include a short biography on Thompson, who was an international editor for Johnson Publishing Co. and an editor for Ebony magazine.
Cole and Weins also draw attention to Thompson's idealistic and hopeful vision of America as stated in her concluding passage of "American Daughter": "I know there is still good in the world, that way down underneath, most Americans are fair; that my people and your people can work together and live together in peace and happiness, if they have the opportunity to know and understand each other." In 1979, in recognition of Thompson's achievements, the University of North Dakota changed the name of its Black Cultural Center to the Era Bell Thompson Cultural Center.
"Great Plains Quarterly" is edited by Charles Braithwaite and published by the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The journal is available for purchase from the Center at (402) 472-3082.
CONTACT: Charles Braithwaite, Editor, Great Plains Quarterly, (402) 472-6178