With Ifs, You Can Put Paris in a Bottle With Ifs, You Can Put Paris in a Bottle recounts the early and middle adulthood of author Edmonia Guerin. As a naïve freshman at a historically Black college, she is date-raped by a Black upperclassman at the height of the Black Power Movement. She conceals the attack and fails to get counseling. This leads to other poor choices as she tries to cope with diminished self-esteem and a changed view of the world. After failed relationships with Black men, she marries a gifted White French architect and embarks on a quest to make him famous. With hard work and the help of African Americans, he succeeds. Near the pinnacle of his career, Edmonia's husband must choose between his Black wife and the demands of a racist world. Guerin discovers the challenges facing all wives and mothers and gains insight into the degradation, shame and helplessness experienced by her enslaved female ancestors. A memoir, With Ifs, You Can Put Paris in a Bottle calls attention to a host of topics, such as racism, misogyny, interracial and intercultural marriage, abortion, adultery, rape and resulting health problems.
