In 1994, Barricade Books published Reaches of the Heart: A Loving Look at the Artist Charles White, written by Frances Barrett White with Ann Scott. This was a personal account of the 29-year marriage between Charles White and Frances Barrett White, his white, social worker wife, and of their family life with two adopted children.
From the book's flyleaf: "Charles White was one of the most distinguished and best known artists of the twentieth century. In 1950 he fell in love and married Frances Barrett, the daughter of a Catholic priest. they had no honeymoon because they were not, under the laws of the state of Michigan, allowed to share a hotel room. Charlie was black and Fran was white. Reaches of the Heart is a very personal story of a marriage between two people of different races who loved each other enough to fave a world not quite ready for such a union. In another sense, it is a record of those decades in america that affected not only Charles and Frances, but all people, black and white, who fought for dignity and progress in the crucible of contemporary life. And it is also the story of an accomplished artist whose work is collected by museums and notable private collectors like Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte. Reaches of the Heart is a moving account of a marriage and a career, but it is also an invaluable record of the times and of lessons learned that must not be forgotten."
Reaches of the Heart: A Loving Look at the Artist Charles White contains a fascinating selection of photographs. The cover featured White's Wanted Poster Series #17, 1971.
Frances Barrett White was born September 30, 1926, and passed away September 25, 2000.