Girl, Don't You Jump Rope!

About the Book

The life experiences revealed in GIRL, DON’T YOU JUMP ROPE! make this memoir by Betty Anne Jackson, truly engrossing. There were no signs that read “colored” or “white”, yet everyone knew where the boundaries were in 40’s and 50’s Chicago. And, being ‘colored’ meant there was no way to escape the limits that segregation imposed on one’s life. The author describes attending a ghetto school, as well as encountering a hostile experience at university level, and then a cross-burning on the lawn of the vacation home she and her husband shared with friends. With humor, she paints a heartfelt portrait of the contrasts between the tree-lined neighborhood of her very early years and the harsh realities of how ghetto living can engulf the human spirit. Betty Anne had no choice other than to grow up in one of the earliest housing projects on the south side of Chicago, but she always struggled to be FROM the project...not OF the project! This is the story of that struggle.

About the Author

As a child, retired educator, writer, poet, editor, Betty Anne Jackson’s secret ambition was to become a famous comedian. As a teen, she practiced using humor to joke her way through life. Amid adulthood’s tragedies, disappointments and losses she has held on to her sense of humor.

Although she never became rich or famous, in her circle of friends she is a comedian. And, as for joking her way through life... she’s still at it!