RIC S. SHEFFIELD
Author - Speaker - Workshop Facilitator
“I tend to think of myself, first and foremost, as a storyteller. The stories that I tell are about nonwhite people like me who grew up in rural communities largely invisible, and yet hyper-visible at one and the same time, because of the color of our skin. I believe that seeing and knowing us gives texture to the illusive concept that is ‘rural diversity.’”
We Got by: A Black Family's Journey in the Heartland by Ric Sheffield
Life along the color line in rural Ohio was hard. Being Black often meant feeling frightened and alone. For a family like Ric S. Sheffield's, examining this reality closely meant confronting challenges and tragedies that often felt overwhelming, even as their odyssey also included the joyful and inspiring. Navigating day-to-day existence in a world where trusting white neighbors required a careful mixture of caution and faith, Sheffield and his kin existed in a space where they were both seen and unseen.
Spanning four generations and assessing the legacies of traumatic events (arrests, murders, suicide) that are inextricable from the racial dynamics of the small community his family called home, this gripping memoir is a heartfelt, clear-eyed, and rare chronicle of Black life in the rural Midwest. Experiencing the burden of racism among people who refused to accept that such a thing existed only made the isolation feel that much worse to Sheffield and his relatives. And yet, they overcame the obstacles and managed to persist: they got by.
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SAMPLING OF READERS’ COMMENTS
Jess C “This book is a gorgeous, intelligent and authentic journey. Weaving a narrative of both intergenerational trauma and resiliency--zooming in and out on the effects circumstances have on individuals, the family unit, and a larger community-- just about everything important and imperative to life and humanity is touched upon in this novel. There are opportunities to celebrate history, humanity and family, as well as times to reflect on cultural positioning and the insidious nature of white supremacy. The author writes of the intersectionality of race, history, class and location in America in a way that will both bring you awe and move your heart. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!”
Nancy P “I picked up your book from the bookstore recently and finished it this afternoon… I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed and learned from your very personal family memoir. The honesty and generosity with which you tell hard stories was a writing feat. Thank you for writing this memoir and sharing it beyond your family. I think it will touch and teach every reader.”
Jamie S “I just finished reading "We Got By" and I must say, I enjoyed it so very much. I could not put the book down, and spent much of yesterday reading it and asking my husband to "please... let me finish just one more chapter!" You did such a wonderful job of telling your family's story with deep love, respect, and honesty-- that's no small accomplishment. What a gift you have given our community, by sharing these memories. Thank you!”
Ann M “I’m joining the legions of others who have written to you about your book! I’m not sure if I can say anything that hasn’t already been said, but since this is not a competition, I’ll proceed…I’m grateful that you wrote the book. You accomplished your mission, of sharing with your readers what it was like for you (and before you, your ancestors) growing up as a Black person in rural Ohio. White rural Ohio, that is. That’s something most of us couldn’t have known, so you enriched us by sharing that story… Your story is a compelling one, and I like the way you interjected little tidbits about yourself as a kid... Please give yourself credit for opening yourself up as you did by writing your book. That’s risky business and it took courage!”
Anita C “I went out to get the mail a few days ago and there was a package from Prime Amazon. Had intended to prepare something to eat before reading my mail, but had to see what the package contained first. Inside the package was We Got By! My heavens … after a quick glance … couldn’t put it down. The pages had me. Mesmerized for sure. You are a masterful storyteller! Congratulations to you! My meal prep was put off until another time.”
Bruce K “I finished your book. Thank you for writing it… I was shaking with anger and emotion. Had to put the book down several times. To read about so much crap you and your family, and others had to endure (and still do), while I saw only bits & pieces from the peripheral edges of some, was very moving to me… But your powerful inside story just moved me so much. It boggles the mind. Makes me feel guilty for not seeing or understanding more than just the bad stuff on the edges that I did witness… Keep writing! I think a sequel to “We Got By” might be in order.”
Lia T “I loved your book! It’s an amazing read, an anatomy of the family, this capturing of the source and discovery of all the tributaries. You reveal such surprising honoring and acknowledging of the ‘hills they climb’ – So well described, a quiet reverence for the navigation…The grand characters full of heart and soul, deeply connected in the love of family and the land, respect for life, and each other. BRAVO!!!”
Reed B “Congratulations on this fine, instructive, and engaging book! The blurbs on the back cover explain some of the reasons I liked and profited from it… As with any book about race in America, I found myself, as I read it, reflecting on the many changes in my own ever-shifting awareness and understandings of the subject – from a conversation with my father way back in 1944 (on the observation deck at LaGuardia Airport during WWII, of all places!) to conversations with other semi-isolated, COVID-fearing friends, all white seniors, just over the last few years. What I found personally most illuminating in the book was the sociological lessons it taught me, especially about the lives of members of Black families in rural OH… Thank you for giving me things to think about and for letting readers in on the lives of a group of very interesting people. Such stories always deserve to be saved.”
About
Ric S. Sheffield, author of We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland, has researched, taught, written, and lectured extensively about rural diversity in general, and the Black experience in small town America in particular. As co-director (with Prof. Howard Sacks, Kenyon College) of the award-winning Community Within: Black Experience in Knox County, Ohio project and co-director (with Prof. Brooke Bryan, Antioch College) of the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s (GLCA) Oral History in the Liberal Arts (OHLA) program, he has designed and executed projects intended to explore minority communities in small town America. He also offers workshops on exploring diversity in rural geographies and cultural contexts.