Leaving Nirvana: an account of love and oppression - race, gender, honor in Bloomington, MN

It's 1915. Bias thrives in Idlewild, a black resort village in northwest Michigan, and a small town, white woman learns the power of honor and the impact of subjugation in all its forms. Abby and her Irish father run a hotel in Idlewild, Michigan, a small-town resort for middle class Negros. Through fire, KKK painted crosses, the rape and beating of her black friend, and marriage to a local man, she learns the destructive power of oppression in all its forms and the value of honor. Over 30,000 people vacationed in Idlewild every summer from 1915 to 1964 when the Civil Rights Act made the resort unnecessary. Della Reese, Sammy Davis Jr., BB King and other famous black entertainers played there and made it the most notable resort in the nation. This account imagines what happens when honor confronts bias.