The Mysterious Beginnings of
Fauna Hodel
This mystery tunnels far deeper than that which is laid out on the surface. Unlike many people who live their lives barely leaving a footprint on the topsoil, this child dug deep into our core, transforming beaten down hearts into the color of love.
This is not just the story of a woman who struggled to overcome extreme
poverty and enormous social prejudice, but the story of perseverance.
In 1951, Fauna Hodel, the Caucasian offspring of a prominently social California family, was given away at birth to a young Black woman who worked as a restroom attendant in a Nevada casino. The purpose was to insure that a Black family raise the baby. In her 16 year old mother’s eyes, Blacks were the far more loving than most everyone she encountered in the white community. To insure that the child would never return to her emotionally reclusive white family, she made sure her new baby's birth certificate listed the father as "Negro". The child, of course, grew up believing that she was of mixed race. She struggled before, during and after civil rights were enacted. Enduring prejudice from both races, she sought out the only person who truly knew where she belonged - her real mother.
But after discovering her true identity, she uncovered a family secret even more bizarre than her own - the mysterious world of incest, murder, and powerful forces that have kept this story from being told for more than 20 years.
To understand how difficult living in a world where you clearly
don’t belong, yet trying to blend in to survive, one needs more than to be able
to walk in those footsteps. It takes hope, perseverance, and character, to overcome these enormous obstacles.
This book examines that life and reveals both the good and the not so good - something that is in us all.
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Endorsements and Comments
“…haunting, poignant and heart-wrenching….the stuff of which movies are made.”
Cliff Rothman,
Contributor,
Vanity Fair
“...laughter, sass, spirit and tears leaves the readers awash in hope.” Alfre Woodard, Actor
I was telling a friend recently about the most
remarkable, one-of-a-kind story, that I've ever heard in Hollywood.
It's about the life (so far) of my friend Fauna Hodel. The tale she
lays out in her book One Day She'll Darken is like nothing you
will ever read. Given away under mysterious circumstances as a newborn,
the book goes on to explore family in its darkest recesses and in its
brightest glow. It's about race and class in modern America. It's about
our common desire to know who we are, where we are from and where we
belong. Added to that is the creepy mystery of L.A.'s greatest unsolved
murder case and the role that Fauna's grandfather might have played in
it. But more than anything, One Day She'll Darken is about a
resilient woman, one who was dealt a cruel hand but who refused to let
that be her life. A woman who is determined to show the world that what
has happened to her can make a difference in the lives of others.
George Larrimore
Access Hollywood
"One Day She Will Darken," is one of the
most inspirational stories I have ever read. When I laid eyes on it, I
couldn't put the book down, the images haunted me, and the characters
became alive and talked to me. There is justice in this world, if we
never give up. Fauna Hodel, the Author, will go down as one of
America's greatest inspirational story-tellers. The time is 'now,' for
such a story as this - may we all take heart and know we can make a
difference, if we try!
Judy Hevenly
www.judyhevenly.com
Los Angeles, California
Fauna Hodel was born in San Francisco and raised in Reno, Nevada. She has committed her adult life to breaking down racial barriers by sharing her own experiences and encouraging individuals to pursue their dreams.
Fauna is the Execut
ive Producer and Creative Consultant for the motion picture, Pretty Hattie’s Baby, based on her life story. The film was directed by Ivan Passer and stars Alfre Woodard, Charles S. Dutton, Alison Elliot, Bobby Hosea, Jill Clayburg and Tess Harper. The feature length film will soon be in the final stages of completion.
Ms. Hodel’s commitment to racial equality has led her to become known for her inspirational talks. Among her speaking engagements, include the Dept. of Communications and the Inter-racial Dialogue Club at Santa Monica College where she was a motivational guest speaker on human rights in film. She has also presented a two day seminar titled, A Story About The Color of Love at Brigham Young University, and has served on the panel for Women’s Independent Film Makers at California State University, Northridge.
Ms. Hodel was a guest speaker at the Women in Power events in Honolulu, and has written and produced a live forum Theater Presentation titled, “Working the Dream: The Fauna Hodel Story.” In addition, Ms. Hodel has been a Creative Consultant to a number of artistic projects that exhibit similar ideals in both film and video. She currently resides in the Los Angeles near her two daughters, Rasha and Yvette. J.R. Briamonte studied creative writing and
literature. He began his journalism career writing feature articles for Las Vegas Sporting Life Magazine. His second biography is set in Mexico. Mr. Briamonte resides in Hawaii.