Summary | About the Author | Ordering Information
Land Mines | A Christian Woman's Journal to Weight Loss | The Elevator Group

Chasing the 400 Sheilah Vance Secure Transaction or call toll free 1(800)247-6553 Price: $15.95 Shipping & Handling Rates Shipping and Handling Rates ------------------- Standard - $4.50 + $1.00/item Ground - $6.00 + $1.00/item 2nd Day - $14.00 + $5.00/item 1st Day - $35.00 + $10.00/item INTL. FC - $17.00 per item INTL. PM - $34.00 per item Paperback | 232 pages ISBN: 978-0-9786854-0-9

Summary

Chasing the 400 is the story of two African American siblings from a working class neighborhood on Philadelphia's Main Line who try to make their dreams of a better life come true in the 1950s, despite the obstacles that Philadelphia's black bourgeoisie throw in their way. The back cover copy sums it up: The oldest of ten plumber's children, sassy and sexy Vera Marshall wants to leave her working class Main Line neighborhood and secure a place in "the 400"--1950s Philadelphia's black bourgeoisie. When hired as a department store model, Vera thinks she's on her way. Her brother, Bobby, a hardworking, smart, all-around nice guy, dreams of college and a life different than his father's. But will Ned Daniels, the snobby son of their town's only Negro doctor, ruin their plans? Join the Marshalls and a cast of characters as they chase "the 400" all over Philadelphia and the Main Line, hoping that the game is worth the chase. Chasing the 400 provides a fresh and entertaining look into the small, thriving, working class and close knit African American neighborhoods of the 1950s and into the exclusive world of the Black bourgeoisie. Author Sheilah Vance said that she wrote Chasing the 400 with short, fast-paced chapters to appeal to readers like herself--hard-working and busy people who collapse in bed at the end of the day, eager to read an upbeat book about characters they can root for, and equally eager to feel that they've accomplished something for themselves by reading at least one chapter.

About the Author

Sheilah Vance lives in Paoli, Pennsylvania and maintains a law practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chasing the 400, her first novel, was the first selection of the African American Museum of Philadelphia Book Club. Vance has a B.A. in Communications from Howard University, where she majored in journalism, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. She also works as Executive Director of the Institute for Educational Equity and Opportunity in Washington, DC, a nonprofit that focuses on public school finance research, education and training issues. Vance teaches Education Law at Villanova University Law School, where she previously was Assistant Dean for Academic Support and a legal writing professor. Vance had a successful career as a journalist and editor before graduating from law school. Her next novel, Land Mines, has a January 2009 publication date. The publishing company she runs, The Elevator Group, will also publish two new authors in 2009.