She had no slightest idea that her bouncing checks would soon land her into a 30-day jail term. It’s from these struggles and experiences that the author, Barbara Neely compares this societal oppression in her series debut novel Blanche on the Lam.īlanche’s employers never pay her on time she becomes bad on checks. But the shocking reality was that the only work they could get was either manual labor or domestic job which pays very little. After the blacks were liberated, they tried the best they could to move beyond manual labor and domestic work. Therefore due to lack of basic necessities, servants would often resolve to crime. The Africans found themselves all alone without the support of society or the law. The American slavery framework, even years after it was abolished took the expectations of powerlessness and invisibility of servants to the extreme. These servants were expected to shut up and hence had little or no opportunity to report any criminal activities within their line of work or their home environment. Neely has also had a successful public sector career, and besides writing, she’s also a host of a radio interview program known as the Commonwealth Journal.įrom the beginning of time and throughout history as we know it, both the upper class and the upper middle class had an attitude of neglecting their servants until they needed them for labor.
The author’s several short stories have been featured in magazines, journals, university texts, and anthologies. Several books in Barbara Neely’s Blanche White series have been taught in courses at different institutions including Boston College, Howard University, Guttenberg University, and Washington State University. She also won the Go on Girl Award for the best debut novel, and in 1993 she was awarded a Macavity Award. Notable awards include Anthony Award in 1993 and Agatha Award (1992) for her series debut novel Blanche on the Lam. She has received several awards for her notable works of literature.
Her Blanche Series debut novel, Blanche on the Lam (1992) introduces us to her heroine Blanche White, a mid-aged mom working as a domestic worker and an amateur sleuth. Barbara Neely is an African-American author of mystery and thrillers books.
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