When We Were Colored

"A bittersweet story about love, community, and family—and the difference they made in the life of one young man."—The New York Times Book Review.

In this beautifully evocative tale of life in the segregated South, the author of The Last Train North looks back at his "colored" childhood with deep pride, striking honesty, and unusual affection. Soon to be released as a major film from BET Pictures, directed by Tim Reid and starring Richard Roundtree and Phylicia Rashad. Photos.

In this beautifully evocative tale of life in the segregated South, Clifton L. Taulbert looks back at his "colored" childhood with deep pride, striking honesty, and unusual affection. Undaunted by the segregation, Taulbert's aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and friends are a loving, dignified, and humorous lot. Together they instill in young Taulbert a deep sense of community, optimism, and self-worth. Whether trying to pick 200 pounds of cotton in one day, eagerly awaiting the yearly arrival of the minstrel show and the chance to see the beautiful colored ladies on stage, or learning a life lesson from his grandfather, Taulbert had faith that, despite the hardships of his young life, he could realize his dreams.

Publishers Weekly

Taulbert reflects on his childhood in the segregated but amiable town of Glen Allan, Miss., during the 1950s and his move in 1963 to St. Louis, where he eventually founded his own marketing company. (May)

Clifton Taulbert is the author of three memoirs: Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored, the basis for the critically acclaimed feature film by the same name; The Last Train North, Watching Our Crops Come In, and most recently, Little Cliff and the Porch People. He was the recipient of the 27th annual NAACP Image Award for Literature, and was also one of the first African-American writers to win the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award for Nonfiction.

Time magazine named him one of America's outstanding black entrepreneurs. He is an acclaimed speaker who lectures around the world to schools, educators, businesses, and professional groups on the subject of the Eight Habits of the Heart.