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“In the middle of our tea drinking [Madeline] asked me if I was still seeing Mr. James. She did not approve of my friendship with a black man, but at the same time [she] a southerner, used the ‘Mr.’ out of respect for me. Yes, of course, I told her …. Then she looked at me and said, ‘Why?’ Whether I was being rebellious or answering without thought I have no idea, but I said, ‘Because I love him.’ To my absolute astonishment, Madeline said, well, it’s all right then.” – From the book.

Constance Webb has led a remarkably full life as a committed political activist, a fashion model and actress, a writer whose works include the first biography of her friend Richard Wright, and the wife and confidante of one of the foremost intellectuals of the twentieth century, CLR James.

Raised in Fresno, California, Webb became an ardent Trotskyite while still a teenager. After moving to Los Angeles, she remained politically active and met James on his first US tour when he visited the city to speak. He fell in love instantly with her and established an epistolary relationship, offering advice and support during her two short-lived marriages, the launching of her modelling career, an ill-fated affair with a well-known actor and her move to New York City in the early 1940’s.

In New York, where she continued to model and act, Webb became a member of the inner circle of James’s Johnson-Forest Tendency and eventually James’ wife. She also established an enduring friendship with novelist Richard Wright and championed his work. Despite a sometimes rocky marriage, James and Webb had a son together, but when James finally left the US for England (under threat of deportation), Webb did not accompany him.

Webb offers a candid memoir of political, sexual and social awakening at a pivotal time in twentieth century America. Politically committed, she was nevertheless repelled by the misogyny and petty feuds that often marred the actions of the left. She was able to earn her living by using her beauty, but she was compelled to live a double life because of the virulent racism that surrounded her working days. Through James, before their marriage, she became a close friend of Wright, Ralph Ellison, Chester Himes and James Baldwin. Webb provides vivid, first-hand portraits of the radical left, the African-American literary scene, and, especially, the intimate daily life and thoughts of CLR James.

Buy the book here.