Yesterday’s Book Signing, at the Detroit Main Library, with author Bridgett M. Davis provided an exclusive insight on Mrs. Davis’s childhood. The event is apart of the Detroit Public Library’s Author Series. Mrs. Davis shared some of her personal experiences growing up in Detroit, Michigan. As an author and filmmaker, she recalled the experiences that shaped her future as a child. She shared a memory of her and her sister, Rita, catching the Hamilton bus to the Sherwood Forest library in Detroit. The beautiful building inspired Mrs. Davis to read more. She stated, “Any place that beautiful that houses books meant that books were special”. It was her mother that inspired her to be an author. She talked about her mother, a number runner, Purchasing, for her, a new diary and a book entitled Daddy Was A Number Runner. It was that moment, she had decided on her future. She was going to be a writer. Her mother had secretly influenced this in her. She never said “you should be a writer” but she sure did support her daughter. Bridgett loved her mother very much. At the event, she read an excerpt from her new book The World According To Fannie Davis.
The book tells the story of her mother’s life in the Detroit numbers. Her mother trusted her at a very young age with a secret that could possibly destroy her family's livelihood if it got out. She kept this secret dear to her, never sharing it with anyone outside of her family. As a result, her mother was able to discreetly run a successful numbers business. Her family was well-off. Being one of three children she was able to have a dozen pair of shoes from some of the nicest upscale stores in Detroit. She remembered feeling ashamed of her nice things because they drew attention to her. Making it hard to keep her mother’s secret. Davis not only kept her mother secret but the secret had a strong impact on key features of her personality. When asked the question, “how did the secret effect your personality?” Mrs. Davis responded and said “my natural state is to hold it in. I have siblings; we talked within each other... not outside the family”. She concluded the event with the signing of her new book. Bridgett M. Davis is a novelist, essayist, teacher, filmmaker and curator. She wrote and directed the film, Naked Acts (Released 1998). Her work has been featured in newspapers and magazines such as The Washington Post, Essence, O, The Oprah Magazine, TheRoot.com, Salon, and Writers Digest. If you’re interested in reading her new book and memoir, The World According To Fannie Davis , it can be found online at www.Amazon.com or if you are in the Detroit area, you can purchase the book at Source Booksellers.