A portrait of Black life in the Great Plains, written by a key figure in the Chicago Renaissance and decades-long editor of Ebony.
Era Bell Thompson grew up on the plains of North Dakota, where she and her family were some of the only Black people amid an overwhelmingly white population. American Daughter, originally published in 1946, recounts her childhood in the rural West, her college years in Iowa, and the social and racial revelations she experienced upon arriving in Chicago, where she first encountered a large Black community.
Her memories defy contemporary assumptions. She was a popular high school student, even if she was forced to disarm ignorant questions from her peers. She describes her father’s work for the governor, her family’s interactions with diverse Midwestern immigrant communities, the natural beauty of the landscape, and the collaborative spirit necessary to survive the harsh weather conditions in North Dakota. As an adult in Chicago, she discovered lifestyles and attitudes that were entirely unfamiliar after her childhood in predominantly white spaces. While Thompson endured discrimination in rural and urban settings alike, she relied on her trademark humor to defuse tensions and bridge differences. Her memoir similarly radiates optimism, curiosity, and wit.

Long out of print, this new edition includes a foreword by the Chicago-based journalist Natalie Y. Moore, who not only contextualizes the memoir for contemporary readers but also explores Thompson’s life after American Daughter, including her trailblazing career as an editor for Ebony magazine.