Good Reads / Community Library Notes
The World According to Fannie Davis
Bridgett M. Davis
Review by Priscilla Comen
The World According to Fannie Davis
Bridgett M. Davis
Review by Priscilla Comen
The World According to Fannie Davis, by Bridgett M. Davis, is the memoir Bridgett writes about her mother, Fannie. She was a numbers runner from her seedy apartment in Detroit. This was a big secret all of Bridgett’s life. Fannie was also a mother, wife, and granddaughter of slaves.
When Bridgett went to school wearing beautiful patent leather shoes, her teacher looked at her with disgust. Bridgett told her she had ten pairs of shoes like those. Her mother takes her downtown to Saks to buy two more pairs, and tells her to tell the teacher she has twelve pairs of shoes. Her mother was a proud woman who stood up for her rights. She bought a house in Detroit “on contract” because blacks couldn’t get traditional financing. The FHA refused to insure mortgages for their homes. The interest rate on mama’s home was 13%. Paying it all in cash would risk revealing her secret. Bridgette’s sister wrote letters to God because she was fearful they’d be discovered.
Author Davis describes every room and piece of furniture in their Detroit home. She especially liked the backyard where she could swing high enough to grab an apple on the neighbor’s tree. She loved sliding down the banister from her upstairs bedroom to the lower floor. Fannie wanted a regal place where she could be a grand dame of generosity. She dispensed advice as well as food, money, clothes, and a bed to sleep on when needed.
Author Davis talks about her “daddy” too. Daddy taught her to tie her shoes, to tell time, and to read. He took her to her first day at school. He got a tiny amount of cash when he left GM on disability. Mama was really the breadwinner. She bought their house, their car, paid all the household bills, the repairs, medical expenses, and bought books for the children. She had loyal customers who trusted her honesty. She paid off immediately and expected her clients to do the same. Author Davis recalls the Detroit riots after a police raid on a pub erupted. More than 2,500 buildings had been looted and burned, but their beloved Broadstreet house was intact.
Numbers could be decided from anywhere: street addresses, telephone numbers, travel in flight numbers, hotel rooms, taxi cab numbers. There were also numbers based on important dates such as 911 and December 7 (127). Fannie felt common sense was important and that she could talk to God without a middle man priest. She didn’t like those who duped their parishioners and working class followers.
When the FBI cracked down on the gambling games by tapping telephones, Mama put in a second, unlisted phone number, and burned the previous month’s records in her incinerator. She protected her customers’ identities. Author Davis has written a loving book about and for her mother. Find it on the new non-fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.
When Bridgett went to school wearing beautiful patent leather shoes, her teacher looked at her with disgust. Bridgett told her she had ten pairs of shoes like those. Her mother takes her downtown to Saks to buy two more pairs, and tells her to tell the teacher she has twelve pairs of shoes. Her mother was a proud woman who stood up for her rights. She bought a house in Detroit “on contract” because blacks couldn’t get traditional financing. The FHA refused to insure mortgages for their homes. The interest rate on mama’s home was 13%. Paying it all in cash would risk revealing her secret. Bridgette’s sister wrote letters to God because she was fearful they’d be discovered.
Author Davis describes every room and piece of furniture in their Detroit home. She especially liked the backyard where she could swing high enough to grab an apple on the neighbor’s tree. She loved sliding down the banister from her upstairs bedroom to the lower floor. Fannie wanted a regal place where she could be a grand dame of generosity. She dispensed advice as well as food, money, clothes, and a bed to sleep on when needed.
Author Davis talks about her “daddy” too. Daddy taught her to tie her shoes, to tell time, and to read. He took her to her first day at school. He got a tiny amount of cash when he left GM on disability. Mama was really the breadwinner. She bought their house, their car, paid all the household bills, the repairs, medical expenses, and bought books for the children. She had loyal customers who trusted her honesty. She paid off immediately and expected her clients to do the same. Author Davis recalls the Detroit riots after a police raid on a pub erupted. More than 2,500 buildings had been looted and burned, but their beloved Broadstreet house was intact.
Numbers could be decided from anywhere: street addresses, telephone numbers, travel in flight numbers, hotel rooms, taxi cab numbers. There were also numbers based on important dates such as 911 and December 7 (127). Fannie felt common sense was important and that she could talk to God without a middle man priest. She didn’t like those who duped their parishioners and working class followers.
When the FBI cracked down on the gambling games by tapping telephones, Mama put in a second, unlisted phone number, and burned the previous month’s records in her incinerator. She protected her customers’ identities. Author Davis has written a loving book about and for her mother. Find it on the new non-fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.