Review of Deceptive Calm
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Judy Wright
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Review of Deceptive Calm
[Following is a volunteer review of "Deceptive Calm" by Patricia Skipper.]
Growing up Black in South Carolina, in the 1960s, was rife with danger. The Ku Klux Klan didn't think twice about terrorizing a bus carrying Black and White students from the Charleston Catholic school in broad daylight.
This story follows Vanessa Condon, a very light-skinned biracial orphan, and her best friend, Trisha Bibbs, a poor White student, through their high school years, college, and ground-breaking careers in journalism. Discovery of a government inefficiency lends itself nicely to Vanessa's desire to start a whole new life as a completely different White person. Teenage love and dreams of romance leave the young women with very different approaches to life on different coasts.
While Trisha grappled with the “old boys club” selling airtime ads in the east, Vanessa paid her dues by first bringing coffee, and then story ideas, that her male counterparts fleshed out and published. Broadcast journalism, as an industry, had not opened the doors and welcomed women to the ranks. Those in control of the airwaves were certain that the listening public would tune out if a woman's voice came over the air. They were so certain that the predominant professional association, the National Press Club, did not allow women members until 1971.
After the Federal Communications Commission mandated that women be integrated into “non-traditional” roles in broadcast journalism, Trisha, with her master's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, was given her own territory to begin selling airtime on WDCA-TV. She became a master at capturing the most off-beat businesses in the area.
Meanwhile in San Francisco, Vanessa Vaughn (as she was now known) was also making headway in her chosen field. She had been given the opportunity to report on social events, but her real break came when management offered her the chance to anchor the news! She soon became the darling of the airwaves and attracted the attention of the local trust-fund playboy, Tod VonWesterkamp. Tod repeatedly tried to get Vanessa to go out with him. She was determined, however, to develop her financial independence before embarking on any romantic journey. Eventually she let her guard down, succumbed to his charms, and married into the prestigious family.
She was finally living her storybook life, until their son became ill. Then her husband and his family showed their true colors...romance, racism, secrets revealed, and the unthinkable happen in this coming of age story during a very turbulent time in the history of our country.
Patricia Skipper has expertly woven the true-to-life story so that the reader can picture themselves beside Vanessa and Trisha throughout their adventures. I would rate this book a five of five. The author brings an authentic air to the story by using the vernacular of the times through the speech of the characters and descriptive passages of the teens' exploration of their own bodies and sexuality.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Growing up Black in South Carolina, in the 1960s, was rife with danger. The Ku Klux Klan didn't think twice about terrorizing a bus carrying Black and White students from the Charleston Catholic school in broad daylight.
This story follows Vanessa Condon, a very light-skinned biracial orphan, and her best friend, Trisha Bibbs, a poor White student, through their high school years, college, and ground-breaking careers in journalism. Discovery of a government inefficiency lends itself nicely to Vanessa's desire to start a whole new life as a completely different White person. Teenage love and dreams of romance leave the young women with very different approaches to life on different coasts.
While Trisha grappled with the “old boys club” selling airtime ads in the east, Vanessa paid her dues by first bringing coffee, and then story ideas, that her male counterparts fleshed out and published. Broadcast journalism, as an industry, had not opened the doors and welcomed women to the ranks. Those in control of the airwaves were certain that the listening public would tune out if a woman's voice came over the air. They were so certain that the predominant professional association, the National Press Club, did not allow women members until 1971.
After the Federal Communications Commission mandated that women be integrated into “non-traditional” roles in broadcast journalism, Trisha, with her master's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, was given her own territory to begin selling airtime on WDCA-TV. She became a master at capturing the most off-beat businesses in the area.
Meanwhile in San Francisco, Vanessa Vaughn (as she was now known) was also making headway in her chosen field. She had been given the opportunity to report on social events, but her real break came when management offered her the chance to anchor the news! She soon became the darling of the airwaves and attracted the attention of the local trust-fund playboy, Tod VonWesterkamp. Tod repeatedly tried to get Vanessa to go out with him. She was determined, however, to develop her financial independence before embarking on any romantic journey. Eventually she let her guard down, succumbed to his charms, and married into the prestigious family.
She was finally living her storybook life, until their son became ill. Then her husband and his family showed their true colors...romance, racism, secrets revealed, and the unthinkable happen in this coming of age story during a very turbulent time in the history of our country.
Patricia Skipper has expertly woven the true-to-life story so that the reader can picture themselves beside Vanessa and Trisha throughout their adventures. I would rate this book a five of five. The author brings an authentic air to the story by using the vernacular of the times through the speech of the characters and descriptive passages of the teens' exploration of their own bodies and sexuality.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Cross Intents by Scott Wells
