One Day She'll Darken: The Mysterious Beginnings of Fauna Hodel

There are a lot of grammar mistakes and use of the wrong word. It mostly deals with Fauna's relationship with Jimmie Lee, her adoptive mother. Not much about Tamar Hodel and very little about George Hodel or the Black Dahlia. So far, the TV show "I Am the Night" bears no resemblance to the facts as stated by Fauna. (After 3 episodes.) The TV show is much more interesting. But if you want the truth and the poor writing doesn't bother you, the book tells the truth per Fauna.

This book was amazing! I grew up much like Fauna and had to fight both sides of the racial inequities. Reading this book took me on a journey of my own life. Fighting for my place in the midst of the civil rights era and not knowing where I fit in was extremely difficult and being told I was mullato meant nothing. My favorite movie has always been Imitation of Life much like Fauna because we could relate to it. Sixty three years after my birth, via Ancestry, to find out that I am 83% Caucasian and having no one still alive to explain this to me is heart wrenching. All I have is why?

It was nothing like I expected, not the story of a serial killer as much as bittersweet insight to the drama and heartache stemming from biased opinions of impoverished black and wealthy white children. The writing style and emotional convictions are an insightful and thought inspiring revelation into social norms and how they influence and threaten to crush those who rebel against them. fauna, her adopted and biological mother rebelled as best they could, fractured but not broken by the weight of their It was nothing like I expected, not the story of a serial killer as much as bittersweet insight to the drama and heartache stemming from biased opinions of impoverished black and wealthy white children. The writing style and emotional convictions are an insightful and thought inspiring revelation into social norms and how they influence and threaten to crush those who rebel against them. fauna, her adopted and biological mother rebelled as best they could, fractured but not broken by the weight of their individual burdens. individual burdens that weighed heavily on their hearts but also tempered their strengths.

I wanted to love this book because I'm enjoying the series "I Am the Night" so much. I knew the series was "inspired" by the life of Fauna Hodel, meaning that it wasn't going to be a documentary. However, I just found the book to be very rambling and a bit hard to follow. I'm glad to have read it because the series made me wonder about the person behind it, but the writing could have REALLY been tightened up.

This well-written and absoring book reveals considerable insight into the experience of one caught between two worlds, not fully accepted by either. I noticed this book was tied in to a recent thriller TV miniseries inspired by it's contents. I read it before the series so I could then compare. The book relates a gripping story of growing up with a biracial identity whilst adopted into a Black American family at the end of the segregation era. Social pressures, cultural rejection and societal changes in the 1960s lead the author to explore her birth origins. And that's where the weirdness begins! As the author unravels the bizarre origins of her birth and adoption, she stumbles upon her link to a notorious family of wealth and privilege. The author's reconciliation of her identity leads her to embrace a spiritually unique mission for her life. This book is worth your time.

I hope Tamar Hodel, Fauna's birth mother, gets to write her own book. For anybody who has read about Dr George Hill Hodel, you will know he was a prime suspect in Los Angeles most famous unsolved case, the murder and dismemberment of Elizabeth Ann Short also known as the Black Dahlia. This book is about his granddaughter's life adopted by an African American woman in Nevada and her husband in the 1950s. Fauna's teenage birth mom Tamar had to give her away after a one night stand.Fauna also known as Patty was raised in the African American culture and communities. When she searches her birth family, she makes startling discoveries especially about her paternal grandfather who was a suspected serial killer and her birth mother Tamar.I sympathize with Tamar who had experiences so much in her troubled life. Fauna writes honestly and candidly about her life. She is grateful to both mothers and her families.I wish nothing but the best for the author and her families. This book shows another side of the Hodel family that isn't dark and grim.

If you enjoy true crime stories, you might enjoy this one. It was pretty well written and so very disturbing to read about this particular family dynamic. It has led me to read Steve Hodel's book, Black Dahlia Avenger, and I intend on reading the other books he has written as well.

While this story is fascinating, this book was not well-written. It was repetitive - it could have been told in a more direct and concise way. This would have actually heightened the emotional impact. The erratic timeline and restated events were a distraction. Considering that the author collaborated with another writer, and I assume a proofreader and editor, someone should have been able to correct spelling and grammar. I am not talking about the dialog meant to convey colloquialisms or regional dialects, but throughout the book including narrative.

SUch an interesting back story to "I am the night" on Tv

Not worth the read! I found this book to be misleading in it's review. It paints the character Jimmie Lee as a drunken, needy, selfish, whore. Fauna was not the reason for the book as I see it.

It’s a book, what else would I use it for but to read. Really?

A great read. Heavy subject.