Illinois Authors

Ruby Berkley Goodwin

Born: October 17, 1903 in Du Quoin, Illinois
Died: May 31, 1961 in Los Angeles, California

Connection to Illinois: Goodwin lived in DuQuoin until she was a teenager when her family moved to California.

Biography: Ruby Berkley Goodwin was an author and an actress. She remained unpublished until 1937, when she wrote a series of literary sketches about Black life. Then she wrote poems and articles for newspapers and magazines. Her last and most well-known book is a memoir, It's Good to be Black (1953).

The first collection of Goodwin's poetry, From My Kitchen Window (1942). A Gold Star Mother Speaks (1944) is a narrative poem about the highly publicized World War II deaths of the five Sullivan brothers, who had served in the Navy until their ship was sunk during a battle in the South Pacific. Her poem reflects their mother's incredible sense of loss, for she never dreamed her sacrifice would be so great. But of course, it's a poignant expression of the kind of loss that impacted so many women during that great conflict.

Primary Literary Genre(s): Non-Fiction; Poetry

Primary Audience(s): Adult readers

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0329551/
Web: http://view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1600117
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Berkley_Goodwin

Selected Titles

It's Good to Be Black (Illinois Lives) ISBN: B000NYVFUC OCLC: DoubleDay 1953 “Is it good to be black? To Ruby Berkley Goodwin it was....The black she writes about has nothing to do with skin color, but it does have a great deal to do with self images, values, spiritual strength, and most of all love. Unlike the contradicting definitions of blackness we see reflected in today's crime statistics, movies, television, newspapers, political speeches, advertisements, and sociological reports, Ruby Berkley Goodwin's definition of blackness is simple and to the point: black is good. It's Good to be Black is more than the story (history) of a black family living in Du Quoin, Illinois, during the early 1900s; it is a reaffirmation for all of us who know in our hearts that there is still good in the world and that some of that good is black.”