Jenniemae & James: A Memoir in Black and White

by Brooke Newman

In this touching, heartbreaking memoir, Newman brings to life the unique friendship that developed between an eccentric, aloof white mathematical genius and an illiterate, uneducated African-American housekeeper during the 1940s and 1950s.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307462994
• ISBN13: 9780307462992
• Release Date: March 2010
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Black and white come together...

Brooke Newman has written a charming memoir of growing up in a family filled with, shall we say, true eccentrics. Her father was the famous mathematician James Newman and her mother, Ruth, was a noted psychologist. James Newman, in addition to his scholarly endeavors, was also a ladies man who always had at least one mistress, and often two, who were fixtures in the family unit. Ruth put up with his affairs, while occasionally having her own. They lived in Washington DC in the years after WW2. But in addition to Brooke, her slightly-older brother, and her parents, the household also included a black cleaning lady, hired to look after both the house and the children. Jenniemae Harrington, obese, illiterate, but clever, fit right in to the other oddities in the family. Although opposites in almost every respect, Jenniemae and James Newman came to an "understanding" and regarded each other with affection and true respect. Both parents suffered bouts of crippling depression that brought household activities to a halt. Jenniemae, in her quiet, determined way, kept the family functioning. Jenniemae, although illiterate, was a numbers-whiz and renowned player of "policy", a numbers game - strictly illegal - and she won often. Her system of picking numbers was derived from dreams she had. James was fascinated by her mathematical abilities - genius at its basest element - and tried, unsuccessfully, to game her system. The relationship between James and Jenniemae, filled with the nuances that such a pairing must contain, is the basis of the memoir. Brooke also contrasts the family workings with what was going on in the outside world. The 1940's, '50's, and '60's were turbulent times. Postwar society was changing and the Newman family changed right along with it. Newman ends her memoir with her father's early death in the mid 1960's. Her book is a wonderfully personal memoir of an interesting time, made more interesting by her family.

A wonderful read

JENNIEMAE AND JAMES is a beautifully written memoir about the unlikely relationship between two very different people. The dialogue is wonderful and bring the story to life. I absolutely would recommend this book to friends.

"Cutting the ears off a mule will not make him a horse"

The story is about the relationship housekeeper Jenniemae Harrington had with rocket scientist James Newman. Newman's mind was an incredible and restless force. He did so much good for the world on the big scale, but his home-life was was a galaxy spinning out of control. Nuclear physics had nothing on the volatility contained in the Newman home. But this was a volatility that the mind of Jenniemae was equipped to handle. When Jenniemae Harrington began working for the Newman family it started a living American illustration of a "ying/yang" encounter. Two worlds met, but never overlapped or blended. They balanced and stayed side by side as long as the balancing was necessary and mutually beneficial. Even when worlds sometimes overlapped, the boundary lines never blurred or blended to create any permanently gray areas. It was fascinating to see how one woman balanced the weight of an entire family and it's deeply rooted dysfunction. James Newman and his wife Ruth had an open, yet precarious relationship. They were both very self-absorbed and found twisted satisfaction in their love-hate relationship. Their love wasn't driven by mutual respect. Instead it seemed to be driven by some deep and undefined insatiable need. It was love on heroin. James, Ruth, and Jenniemae were intriguing people. This fact, combined with Brooke Newman's voice, made it very hard to put this book down. As a child Newman developed the gift of invisibility, thus she is invisible throughout most of this tale. However, her invisibility gives an amazing depth to the stories of the three main characters. For though she is invisible, her voice is compelling and strong. It is hard to write about parents and be objective. Typically an author's characterizations will lean toward vilification or sanctification. Newman does neither. The reader is given a very fair picture of the complex people who brought her into this world. Newman's "creation" of Jenniemae's character is sheer magic. I love Jenniemae. I want to know her. I want her to give me some of her perspective & and gracious ability to respond to the ugliness of the world with dignity. Jenniemae was a private person, but I wish she were alive today so I could sound the depths of her wisdom. Yes, she was a simple and uneducated woman in contrast to the brilliant minds of the Newman's. But a brilliant mind is not always a wise mind. I'll take Jenniemae's wisdom over the Newman's brilliance any day! Better yet, find a way to combine the two. An excellent and thoroughly satisfying memoir. This is one that you'll pass on to a good friend so you can talk about it with someone. ***edited to correct spelling 4/30/10

Jenniemae & James: A Memoir in Black and White

I've just finished reading "Jenniemae and James." I found Brooke Newman's accounting of the relationship between her family and their maid as accurate and honest. No family is perfect - her's definitely was NO EXCEPTION. Ms. Newman focuses mainly on her Dad and the maid - effectively detailing their relationship during the time she worked for them. More importantly, how their relationship transcended their position(s) in the world. Without giving anything away, I will simply say, "Please read this for yourself and decide." I think this book is worthy of a good read. I'm giving the book a score of "5 Stars." Good job, Ms. Newman. Authors' usually find it difficult to detail their own family's history due to the personal pain that it often causes, but you did an admirable job in this effort. Your child's eye was obviously sharp, as you were able share many details of that time. I, for one, appreciate that! Congratulations! May your other efforts be on par with this book!

A breath of fresh air in a stultifying household

Jenniemae Harrington came to work as a housekeeper for the author's family in its posh Washington, D.C., home in the late 1940s. In this warped household of lies and evasions, a friendship blossoms in an atmosphere of honesty and good humor between Jenniemae and Brooke Newman's father, James, a well-known mathematician who hobnobs with the likes of Albert Einstein. The author ties the two together through their love of numbers -- James Newman's as a profession and Jenniemae's in her success with the lottery -- but the relationship is much deeper than that. At a time when most relationships between blacks and whites were fraught with antagonism and outright hatred, this one is based in mutual respect and genuine care for each other's well-being. This is truly an inexplicable bond, beautiful in and of itself. Yet it is also tragic, as the author aptly portrays her tumultuous family life in all its remoteness and loneliness. Her father is dictatorial, suffers debilitating bouts of depression and courts an endless parade of mistresses, even moving them into their home at times. Her mother is angry and withdrawn, suffers from night terrors and migraines, but also takes lovers of her own and befriends her husband's lovers. The young Brooke, almost entirely unparented, suffers from what is presumably anorexia and trichotillomania, yet it is never addressed. (After one visit to the doctor when Brooke has pulled out huge clumps of her hair, her father buys her a bracelet and a stuffed animal, and that's that.) Yet whenever tragedy strikes Jenniemae, he is there to comfort her and ease her way with his time, attention and money. Jenniemae is a refreshing and bracing presence in that household of stunted emotions. Brooke Newman has pitched her voice skillfully and invented entirely believable dialog, even though she wasn't privy to the interactions between her parents and Jenniemae. She hints in one sentence about the effect of her upbringing on her life. (She had to pawn that bracelet in her 30s. What brought her to that?) In the end, I loved the book, but felt sad for the author. She was generous in her depiction of a man who at his funeral was said to be grandiose, imperious, troubled, abrasive, arrogant, unkind, egocentric and impossible. He was also feted as someone who "gave himself ... with great generosity, great loyalty, and with unstinting affection." If only that had been so in regards to his family, not just those in his employ.