Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black

The Williams brothers are on a bus headed for Muncie, Indiana. They’re excited about the possibilities awaiting them there, as they think they’re going their maternal grandparents’ house. However, on the bus from Virginia to Indiana, Tony tells them that since he’s getting divorced, they won’t be staying with his mother’s parents. Instead, they’ll be living with Tony’s Aunt Bess. He adds that Sallie, the annoying tavern worker, is his mother, which meaning that they’re part African American. Both brothers sense that their lives are about to change dramatically. They’re acutely aware of the privileges they’ll lose, as their being African American instead of white will change their standing in the community.

In Muncie, Tony takes the boys to the side of the tracks with which they’re unfamiliar. One tarpaper shack belongs to William’s grandmother, Sallie. They go inside to find something to eat. When they find nothing in Sallie’s refrigerator but spoiled meat and beer, Tony takes them to Aunt Bess’s house.

At Aunt Bess’s house, Williams meets his tall great aunt and his cousin, Mary Lou, who is about his age. William sees several photographs of her family and recognizes a picture of himself, his brother, and his parents.