The Arithmetic of ColorThe Arithmetic of Color is the biography of Tom Johnson, a man of mixed race who lived from 1871 to 1929. Based on a true story meticulously researched, it is written as a novel because of its dramatic character. Johnsons life is at the center of the American experience. A tri racial man of spirit and talent, Johnson knew poverty, middle class success, and the near promise of extreme wealth; he also knew redemption, returning to the woman he loved