Briamonte J. R. - One day shell darken: the mysterious beginnings of Fauna Hodel

One Day

Shell Darken

The Mysterious Beginnings of Fauna Hodel

Fauna Hodel

with J.R. Briamonte

Outskirts Press, Inc.

Denver, Colorado

The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author represents and warrants that s/he either owns or has the legal right to publish all material in this book.

One Day She ll Darken

The Mysterious Beginnings of Fauna

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright 2008 Fauna Hodel with J.R. Briamonte

V3 .0 R1.1

Second Edition, November 2011

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Outskirts Press, Inc.

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ISBN: 978-1-4327-1656-1 Paperback

ISBN: 978-1-4327-1036-1 Hardback

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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ENDORSEMENTS

Fauna Hodel has a haunting, poignant and heart-wrenching story that somehow resonates with the story of America, its race struggles and search for identity. As a human being, she radiates an enlightenment that I would assume reverberates on the page as much as in person. Since her life story is the stuff of which movies are made, I would foresee the same material being compelling in book form. And she is a tireless campaigner for her projects, so once she is onboard, she will tub-thump every city in the nation, if not globe, to promote her work.

-Cliff Rothman, Contributor,

Vanity Fair and The New York Times

Everybodys got a Momma. Some of us are lucky or cursed enough to have two! Fauna Hodels true tale filled with laughter, sass, spirit and tears leaves the readers awash in hope.

-Alfre Woodard, Actor

Los Angeles, California

Fauna is a living example for us all proving that ones love is more powerful than ones past. She makes each period better than the one that was before.

-Sondra Ray,

Founder of the Loving Relationships Training

Author, Healing and Holiness, Loving Relationships,

Inner Communion, Peles Wish

I was telling a friend recently about the most remarkable, one-of-a-kind story, that Ive ever heard in Hollywood. Its about the life (so far) of my friend Fauna Hodel. The tale she lays out in her book One Day Shell Darken is like nothing you will ever read. Given away under mysterious circumstances as a newborn, the book goes on to explore family in its darkest recesses and in its brightest glow. Its about race and class in modern America. Its about our common desire to know who we are, where we are from and where we belong. Added to that is the creepy mystery of L.A.s greatest unsolved murder case and the role that Faunas grandfather might have played in it. But more than anything, One Day Shell Darken is about a resilient woman, one who was dealt a cruel hand but who refused to let that be her life. A woman who is determined to show the world that what has happened to her can make a difference in the lives of others.

- George Larrimore , Managing Editor

Access Hollywoo d

FOREWORD

This book is about a woman named Fauna. When you have read it, and understand more than the story, when you have sensed the profound spirit that unfolds deep in her heart, the question to ponder is what will you call her?

Fauna Hodel is a woman who has experienced the depths of life in ways few of us have ever had to face. Abandoned as an infant, she found love and hope among people who helped her transcend her abrupt and near tragic entry into life. Growing up, she had to face many doubts, many fears. She had to respond to many questions for which there were no easy answers and many times no answers at all. The questions came from others that had no understanding of her inner turmoil. The questions oftentimes came from within as she sought to gain an understanding of why she was thrust into such unusual circumstances and forced to cope with very confusing realities.

She had to struggle against a world that wanted her to fit into some convenient category or description that would permit simplistic interpretations of what she would ultimately become. That world wanted her to be a race, a color, a person defined by physical characteristics. She had to resist such cookie-cutter approaches. Hers was a very complex young life wherein she quickly learned how to survive disappointments and transcend bitterness. She learned to resist doubts, fears, questions and incredible youthful insecurities as she journeyed toward her fulfillment.

This book is about an incredibly complex and painful journey from infancy through childhood, seeking answers to an incomprehensible riddle, an irresolvable dilemma. For most of us it would have been a road too difficult to travel.

Fauna Hodel did not have an ordinary life, and Fauna Hodel is not an ordinary person. Fauna Hodel is an extraordinary person. Her life experiences have given her a deep and profoundly intuitive understanding of what it means to be the other, to be a stranger even within ones own family and community. In developing her own sense of self, she developed an unusual ability to sense the feelings and deeper sensitivities of others around her regardless of who they were. As a result, she has an unusual ability to feel the hopes and dreams of otherseven when they have not articulated or expressed them. This is a very special gift she brings to every encounter with another. As you get to know her you will realize how profound a gift she brings to all of us.

Fauna Hodel chose not to become embittered by the challenges life presented to her. Instead, she transformed challenge into opportunity, and grew into a profoundly loving human being with respect for all others. If we would learn the lessons of her life, we could offer a new hope for human relations.

They called her Fauna. After you know and understand her story, what will you call her? We should all rejoice in her life.

J. Herman Blake, Ames, Iowa

Dr. Blake is a highly accomplished and experienced academic administrator, having served as the founding Provost of Oakes College at the University of California - Santa Cruz, the Director of African American Studies at Iowa State University, Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education at Indiana University Purdue University - Indianapolis, and President of Tougaloo College in Mississippi. He has a substantial record of academic achievement, having served as full Professor of Sociology at the University of California - Santa Cruz, Indiana University Purdue University - Indianapolis, and Iowa State University. He served for two years as the Eugene M. Lang Visiting Professor of Social Change at Swarthmore College and was designated as Master Teacher in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University.

Among his many honors, he was selected as the Iowa Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education; he has served as a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow (twice), Ford Foundation Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Fellow, John Hay Whitney Fellow, Population Council Fellow, Kent Fellow from the Danforth Foundation, and as the Mina Shaughnessy Fellow from the Fund for Improvement of Post-Secondary Education. Dr. Blake has served on numerous national task forces, advisory committees and councils. He served on the Board of Trustees for the Council for the Assessment of Experiential Learning, the Board of Directors for the Fielding Institute, the Board of Directors for the United Negro College Fund, the Board of Trustees for the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and the Boards of Trustees of Earlham College, Berea College, and Gettysburg College. Dr. Blake has been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Wisconsin - Parkside, Indiana University Purdue University - Indianapolis, the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, Manchester College of Indiana, St. Lawrence University of New York, and the Professional School of Psychology in California.