Gal: a True Life

Ruthie Mae Bolton was born January 6, 1961, in the Hungry Neck section of Charleston, South Carolina. At the time, her mother was thirteen; she has never known who her father was. Her mother was the wandering kind, so Ruthie Mae-nicknamed "Gal" by her stepgrandfather-was raised in her grandparents' home. One day Grandmama died as a result of a severe beating by her husband-it occured to no one to call this to the attention of the authorities-and Gal was left in the brutal hands of her granddaddy, who beat her unmercifully as well. Ruthie Mae began to steal things in school and she developed a stutter; she drank and smoked dope. But she stuck resolutely with her education and graduated from high school, which was likely her salvation, for today Ruthie Mae is happily married, with children and a fine job. At last she is at peace-with herself and even with the memory of her grandfather. It is nigh impossible to convey the astonishingly eloquent simplicity of Ruthie Mae's witnessing to her time. Here is an absolutely remarkable document, as touching as it is painful, as ageless as it is timely.

A young African-American woman born and raised in Charleston, SC, movingly relates in unsparing detail her struggle to overcome a legacy of abuse and neglect. Choosing to write under a pseudonym to protect her family, the author showed her manuscript to another Charlestonian, novelist Josephine Humphreys (The Fireman's Fair, 1991), who describes in the foreword how she suggested that the story would be better told in the old Southern way--orally. And this they did, with Humphreys taping and transcribing each session. Born in 1961, when her mother was only 13, Ruthie was raised by her grandmother and Clovis Fleetwood, the man she called Grand-Daddy, in the Hungry Neck section of Charleston. Though shabby and rundown, it was a place of special pride to local African-Americans, who have owned land there for more than a century. Fleetwood, who gave Ruthie the nickname ``Gal,'' enjoyed an honorable naval career, winning numerous awards and achieving the rank of chief petty officer, but off duty he was a sadistic monster. He beat Ruthie's grandmother to death in front of her, punished minor infractions with savage beatings or humiliating punishments, and though he spent money freely on drink and other women, he refused to provide the girl and her sisters and young aunts with proper clothing or adequate food. Ruthie developed a stutter, began to steal, and as she grew older smoked dope and drank. ``I was evil as a child,'' she confesses, ``but I was evil because I was being treated evil.'' Her despair-fed anger and self- destructive behavior finally ended when she met Ray Bolton and his affectionate kin, who showed her that some families, unlike her own, could truly give love. An inspiring journey of a contemporary pilgrim who, beset by all the worst demons, learned to love and forgive. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Born in 1961 of a 13-year-old mother--father unknown--Ruthie Mae, or "Gal" as she was known, was raised in a Charleston, S.C., black island community as a virtual slave to a drunken, sadistic step-grandfather who beat his wife to death. After years of theft, alcohol and drugs, Gal doggedly--almost to spite her grandfather--graduated from high school as a means of survival. The harrowing, oral account of the girl's travails conveys the author's lively portraits of a motley cast of characters (all bearing pseudonyms). Becoming a prostitute to flee her brutal first husband, Gal was happily transformed by a second marriage and motherhood. The abundance of sordid detail may daunt some readers, but from it all emerges the portrait of a remarkable woman, still "tasting and peering, touching, listening." Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ruthie Bolton, known as "Gal" to her family, was born in the Hungry Neck section of Charleston in 1961. Her mother was 13 at the time, her father unknown. Tired of the frequent beatings she got at home, her mother soon left, leaving Ruthie to be raised by her grandparents. Dominating the household was Ruthie's brutal grandfather, who kept his family in want despite a job that paid well, who beat his wife and children and had numerous girlfriends. When Ruthie was still small her grandmother was beaten to death, and the years that followed were marked by violence, also. Hardened by the abuse, Ruthie developed a stutter, took drugs, got married too young, and lost her child to her husband's family. Eventually she met Ray Bolton, and the love and acceptance she found in his large family were her redemption. Ruthie's own, authentic voice--aided by that of writer Josephine Humphreys, who transcribed Ruthie's story from tapes--helps make this story of pain, courage, and salvation completely convincing. Mary Ellen Quinn

Gal is the true story of a young black woman. The author, who writes pseudonymously in order to protect the privacy of her family and friends, was born in 1961 and raised in the South. Her early life was bleak and unpromising. After years of sadistic abuse from the twisted man she knew as "Daddy," she seemed to be headed along a bumpy path. Despite setbacks, Gal managed to complete high school. After further difficulties with drugs, alcohol, and men, she was finally able to turn her life around through the love and support of her second husband and his extended family. This is an inspiring story of inner strength and the healing effects of love. For larger public libraries.
January Adams, ODSI Research Lib., Raritan, N.J.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.