Ambitious and loving matriarch Rhoda ruthlessly denies her wealthy, slave-owning mulatto heritage and skillfully leads her family up twentieth-century Minneapolis’s privileged social ladder, only to be thwarted in her quest for white perfection.

Biographical,Drama,Epic,Family,Memoir,Historical Fiction,Romance,Other,Political

The affluent, now white, Toronto Hanscomes hide the pregnancy of their daughter by her true South Carolina love, the white inheritor of their old family plantation, who could not marry her due to miscegenation laws, and claim the boy as their own. Another family secret is born.

Matriarch Rhoda adores her new bi-racial great-granddaughter but takes her secret mulatto lineage to her grave, or so she thinks. A Maine whistleblower Hanscom eagerly shares his genealogical discoveries with the next horrified generation, who also hides the truth. However, in 2013 all is revealed.

Toronto, Minneapolis

Yes

Quest,Other,Rags to Riches,Internal Journey/Rebirth

Meaningful Message,Philosophical Questions,Twist,Coming of Age,Other

Information not completed

Name: Rhoda Hanscome Campbell

Age: lifespan 1886-1982

Gender: Female

Role: Protagonist

Key Traits: Aspiring,Charming,Complex,Confident,Decisive,Empathetic,Engaging,Gracious,Greedy,Educated,Honorable,Leader,Outspoken,Skillful,Secretive,Sophisticated,Unapologetic,Strong Moral Code,Aggressive

Name: William Kissick Hanscome

Age: lifetime 1856-1945

Gender: Male

Role: Protagonist

Key Traits: Complex,Empathetic,Engaging,Faithful,Gracious,Educated,Insecure,Modest,Masculine,Charming

Name: Rhoda Baldwin Hanscome

Age: Adult 1880s - 1918

Gender: Female

Role: logical

Key Traits: Aspiring,Aggressive,Complex,Confident,Decisive,Educated,Engaging,Leader,Blunt,Unapologetic,Outspoken,Romantic

The author has not yet written this

The WASPs exposes the roots of racism and white privilege in Minneapolis via the true Hanscome family saga. Envision The WASPs as a consciousness-raising film, allowing even the most liberal among us to confront our own unknown and admitted prejudices, absorbed like osmosis through our culture and those subtly taught by our families, that make us feel morally right, better than others and is the fertile foundation for racism. Envision the 1949 South Pacific tune "You've got to be Carefully Taught" as the theme song. Envision flashbacks that rawly expose progressive Minneapolis, aflame with the murder of George Floyd and the underbelly of its "Minnesota nice" persona. Tell the strong woman theme through the first two generations of practical, calculating, yet loving Rhodas, feminists before their time, the third and fourth generations Rhoda's romantic quests for true love - the purpose of their lives, male dominance, and the rebirth of feminism. Tell the tale of denial of black heritage and the assimilation at the cost of diversity of the 20th century. Show their hopes, fears, laughter and obsessions in the pursuit of success. Or tell the whole 400-year rich history of the Hanscomes in a three-season series - the 1629 Salem "have-not" indentured servants, the 1700-1800s affluent "have" black and white slave owners in South Carolina, the 1850-1900s passing for white trials to attain prosperity, and the role of migrations.in their survival. Above all show the love of family.

Dr. Joan Adsit Dickinson has worn many hats - history teacher, psychologist, professor, behavioral health director and international consultant, wellness columnist, public speaker, yoga and meditation instructor, and author. She hails from Minnesota and kayaks with the dolphins near Anna Maria Island, Florida. She holds degrees from The University of Wisconsin-Madison, The University of Colorado-Boulder and The University of Northern Colorado-Greeley.

Age: 18-34,35-54,55+

Target Gender: Universal,Female Leaning

Racism, discrimination, Minneapolis white privilege, history of immigration and assimilation

Status: Yes: self-published

Publisher: self-published

Year Published: 2019

Yes

ISBN-13: 978-1691041268