Book Description
In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father—a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man—has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey—first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother’s family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father’s life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance.
Customer Reviews:
warning.......2007-10-09
great read, but once you're done there's no way you could look at this man the same way again.
"PT 109" for the 21st Century.......2007-10-08
As my readers will know, I am a tough critic, but I can find precious little about "Dreams from my Father" to criticize. Of course, the book will not appeal to those who don't care about race in America, or who have extremely fixed ideas about the subject. I like to think though that the majority of the reading public at least (if not the general public) are both engaged with and to some extent open-minded about our nation's central bugaboo/crisis/character flaw.
An editorial review mentioned that Obama's mother is almost absent from the book. To some extent he may have taken her somewhat for granted -- unlike his father or himself, he always had a good idea who she was and what she was about. In the preface to this edition, Obama mentions that she has died of cancer between the original publication and his nomination for U. S. Senate from Illinois, and that if he had known she would not be around to see that, he might have written a different book, spending more time hailing her for having stood by him. In the introduction to the first edition (written in 1995), he admits that he can't speak for everyone in the world. This is the most ironic part of the book, since it was only a year after that that he first ran for the Illinois state legislature. Thereafter, he has increasingly been compelled to try to do just that.
Although finding oneself has become a cliche, especially in the literary world, it was Barack Obama's mission for the first thirty years of his life. Defined as a black man, he sought to make his race more than a social construct, but something central and ineffable, and at the same time not cut off his ties to the rest of humanity, particularly his white mother and grandparents. He doesn't take his mother completely for granted -- he spends thirty to fifty pages talking about her background and that of her parents, who moved from Kansas to Hawaii, seeing it as the last frontier, when she was about to start college. Another one hundred pages or so explore his life with them in Hawaii (with a short stint in Indonesia, where his mother married a man who had studied in America and gave birth to Obama's half-sister Maya).
Readers of any race will be overwhelmed by the sheer power of Obama's writing. I choked up reading this several times. That is ultimately the best reason to read it, not the fact that Barack Obama has become a serious candidate for the presidency. This book also helps you figure out how he did that. The only thing he feels more keenly than his own hopes and fears are the hopes and fears of everyone around him. At the end of the book, having learned the whole story of his father's and grandfather's lives, he stands over their graves and weeps, feeling what they must have felt at each turning point of their lives. Although Obama is quintessentially American, I somehow would not be surprised, given the epiphany he had there, if he chose upon his death to be buried in Kenya alongside them. But perhaps my sympathy is making me romanticize the man.
This book leaves me with two regrets and one big hope. First, it is probably unfilmable. Second, there is one man running with even more vision and courage than Barack Obama, so I won't be able to vote for him in the primary election (although I will in the general if he is the candidate). My big hope is that Obama will write a third book in 2017, having waited eleven years between books as he did between his first and second, that will combine the autobiography he did with this book and the political manifesto he did with "The Audacity of Hope" (a phrase which you have to read "Dreams from my Father" to know Obama doesn't take credit for). Although I haven't finished the latter book, there is basically no way it could top this one. I give it my highest recommendation.
Moving, eloquent and inspirational..........2007-09-26
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama is a moving, eloquent and honest book that was originally published in 1995. This is an amazing story, and not just because he is a presidential candidate. Although autobiographical in scope, it is not intended to be a complete history of the author's life. Instead, it is "a boy's search for his father."
Barack Obama had a most unusual childhood. His mother was a white American living in Hawaii. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was a brilliant black Kenyan who received a college scholarship to the University of Hawaii. When Obama was two, his father graduated college and received a scholarship to obtain his PhD at Harvard. Unfortunately, the scholarship did not include living expenses for his family, and this proved the end of the marriage. After that, Obama only saw his father one more time before being killed in an auto accident when Obama was 21. Obama's mother subsequently married a man from Indoesia, where Obama lived for several years. But that marriage also ended and Obama returned to Hawaii to live with his grandparents. Dreams from My Father also includes Obama's college experiences, as well as the work he did as an organizer in Chicago.
The most moving part of Dreams from My Father involves his trip to Kenya for the first time several years after his father died. As a youth, he describes the reaction of others when they discover his background "Privately, they guess at my troubled heart, I supposed--the mixed blood, the divided soul, the ghostly image of a tragic mulatto trapped between two worlds." In Kenya, he meets his African family including grandparents, half-brothers and sisters, step-mothers, aunts, uncles and cousins. At the Kenyan airport, an airport employee recognizes his name and knew his father. "For the first time in my life, I felt the comfort, the firmness of identity that a name might provide, how it could carry an entire history in other people's memories...My name belonged and so I belonged." I was also moved by Obama's discovery of faith.
Even if Obama was not a presidential candidate for the 2008 election, Dreams is still an eloquent and inspirational story about his search for his father and his efforts to reconcile the histories of this white and black families.
A worthy memoir of Obama's complicated early life.......2007-09-06
Due to its multi-section arrangement, falling into three precise stages, this book feels like a well-paced coming-of-age novel, an impression buoyed by the fact that, to a degree that is unusual for politicians, Obama can actually write well. If you are looking for information on what policies Obama would support as a presidential candidate, you should look elsewhere. However, the book does give the impression that the writer is unusually forthright, both about himself and his beliefs.
Watching Obama's attitudes on race evolve is one of the key points of interest in the book, and the reader comes away with a picture of a man who is both reflective and self-critical. It is somewhat apparent that the author was not running for office at the time the book was written, and yes, it (very briefly) mentions his now infamous flirtation with cocaine use. However, if you want to read a portrait of the man, if not his political platform, and interested in the struggles of someone growing up in between two different cultures, this book is well worth reading.
just great.......2007-08-17
Obama wrote his memoirs of his growing up some years ago (and with his political career I expect he'll be writing them again in twenty or so years). It is an honest book about a remarkable man who had a remarkable life. Nothing political about it.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Read.......2007-08-04
This may be my favorite book. It's a beautiful, engaging story. Several friends and I read the book around the same time and all agreed that we hated to reach the end. If you just want to enjoy a great story, read this book.
A new point of view.......2007-07-28
This was a great book that told a story of a young boy who wanted to know why his mother didn't look like him. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I got an inside look at a bi-racial family.
A beautiful homage.......2007-07-16
I loved this book because it shows, in plain and clear terms, that a mother's love trascends everything. Even though the main focus of the book itself is on the mother's past and the circumstances that, for better or for worse, determined her life, and by extension the life of her children, what stuck with me the most is how very deeply loved this woman was by her children, which can only be a reflection of the devotion, love and sense of pride and purpose that she in turn instilled in them all while growing up, even in the face of bigotry.
Wonderful!.......2007-04-16
I loved this book, I could barely put it down until I finished. The story-telling is excellent and the vignettes are beautifully done. McBride's autobiography is just really good. His stories about his childhood and his mother's experiences crossing between cultures is a total page turner.
Find out what it was like as a mixed-race family growing up in 1960s New York. Find out what it was like living as a Jewish family in the 1930s Deep South. Enjoy!
The Color of Humanity.......2007-03-10
The book is beautifully written and has a lovely "message" which is not message-y or preachy at all. I am Jewish and maybe because I grew up in Washington DC in the 50's (which had a population predominantly African American) The Color of Water really spoke to me. In fact in many ways I felt he could have been describing my own mother for her beauty both physical and spiritual. However, I think this is a great story excellently told for anyone.
Book Description
Hailed as "compelling" by The Washington Post and "stunningly honest" by The San Francisco Chronicle, this memoir has hit bestseller lists and earned critical praise from coast to coast. Rebecca Walker was born in 1969 to author Alice Walker and lawyer Mel Leventhal, who met and married in the heyday of the Civil Rights movement. But after their divorce, Rebecca was a lonely only child ferrying between two worlds-and trying to figure out where she fit in.
"Masterfully illuminates differences between black and white America...a heartbreaking tale of self-creation." (People )
"Walker skillfully depicts her tangled upbringing, full of disappointment and privilege." (Time)
"Compelling." (The Dallas Morning News)
"A poignant, spare memoir." (Chicago Sun-Times)
"Powerful." (Danzy Senna, author of Caucasia)
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Memoir.......2007-05-30
I discovered how much I like Rebecca Walker's writing, voice and style after reading a forward she wrote for an anthology of mixed race writings. Then I heard her speak and I read "Black, White and Jewish" the next day. I didn't want to put the book down and I was sorry when her memoir ended because I wanted to keep on reading.
And no, at that point it had not yet occurred to me that she was Alice Walker's daughter. Besides, that would not have made any difference to me anyway. Both Alice and Rebecca are excellent authors, but the fact that they are related is not important to me. What matters is that Rebecca has written an excellent memoir.
Thank you Rebecca.
A story to share...........2007-05-07
What caught my eye at first was her last name...Walker. So I said to myself she must have inherited her Mom's way of putting into words her thoughts. Once I started to read the story, I could not put it down. The pain was felt through each chapter, each change of home every two years. What a way to grow up. But grow up she did into a very complex woman who can share her childhood with others who may also have the identity crisis of having not only parents from different racial backgrounds, but also of having the constant shift of "home". The book helped me understand what my daughters have gone through with their Mom being white, their Dad being African American and a military family with the moving every couple of years. Once I was done, I gave the book to my now 24 year old daughter, a mother now of half Honduran and the rest of her children. Thanks for opening her up to others being out there who may share her pain and to open our conversation up more than it already was.
Quick read, Had some insights........2007-02-26
ALthough I enjoyed the writing style and some of the portrayals of her family and multi-racial experiences, I expected this book to be more about the later and her coming of age rather than the attention given to her sexual experiences. This did not seem as important to the book as the themes on racism, black/Jewish relations, etc. I would have liked more of that. It seemed like she had a lot of rebellion against her dad and his wife, but they seemed more there for her than her mom. I found this book very interesting and I would like to read more by this author and on this topic.
Rebecca Walker is a Schlemiel and a Putz........2007-01-26
What do Lenny Kravitz, Craig David, Derek Jeter, Hale Berry, Barak Obama, Rain Pryor, Keanu Reeves, and The Rock all have in common? They're successfull bi-racial Americans of politics, arts, and athletics. Unfortunately, Rebecca Walker Leventhal doesn't measure up. She feels sorry for herself because she's half-white, and she's angry at her father for making her half-Jewish. Poor thing.
Leventhal's life is nowhere near as bad as she wants us to believe. Her father cared about her very much, and her stepmom sounds okay to me, but she writes about her father like he was neglectful. She's angry at him for moving the family to a suburb, but was that such a bad thing? What's wrong with wanting to live in a good area with great schools? She felt alienated from her white Jewish friends, but that was self-imposed. All these Jewish people WANTED to be her friend, but the suburbs just weren't good enough for her.
Her next complaint is her teen years. She acts like it was all pain and guilt, but from what I read, she had a great time. She had lots of interesting boyfriends, and spent a summer on the set of "The Color Purple." She graduated from high school, went to an Ivy League college, and that doesn't sound bad.
Walker's problem is her MOTHER. Alice Walker was a terrible parent. What kind of mother refuses to take her daugher to meet her principal? What kind of mother refuses to be involved in her daughter's life. I think the reason she complains so much is that she's realy angry at her mother, but seems guilty accusing her. After all, Alice Walker is black, and she can't accuse her black mother of anything. Her Jewish father is an easier target.
Leventhal (or Walker, whatever she calls herself) should stop thinking of herself as a victim and a mutant, and start thinking of herself as the product of two wonderful things. Lenny Kravitz was another Black Jewish American, and he had his lumps, including his parents' divorce. But being Black and Jewish didn't hold him back, it kept him going. Rain Pryor was a Black jew, and her dad was a cokehead, but she writes about her life with strength and humor.
At first I didn't think Rebecca had the wisdom commonly associated with American Jews. But then I realized she's one of us. How do I know? Her whining! Read "Born to Kvetch" and you'll learn why Jews are stereotyped as whiners. We're very vocal about things, including our problems. It's one of the ways that we avoid stress and anger, which in other cultures leads to drunkness, temper flashes and wife-beating. But we do other things besides complain, and that's all she does. Complain.
Thank You Rebecca !.......2006-11-30
While I believe you were more privileged than I was, thank you for telling the Jewish community what it needed to hear as opposed to what it wanted to hear.
As a fellow multiracial Jew, your assertions about the Jewish community were unfortunately more accurate than many would like to admit. Rebecca distanced herself from a community that didn't accept her. While I still express my Judaism at home and attend synagogue on the HHD, I don't attend schul due to racism myself. I got tired of being mistaken for the janitor, maid, or nanny. I deserve more respect than that, I'm a human being. She's getting a lot of criticism from people who want to believe in the "Jews never have race problems" crowd. Sorry guys, but its an issue.
The intercallary style of the book may annoy certain readers, but I felt they were a welcome literary device to evoke her deepest emotions. I believe she may be a bit self-indulgent at times, but I think she does display how many mixed people (and mixed Jews for that matter) feel about their communities. However, Rebecca's downward spiral into self destructive behaviors is more of a symptom of bad parenting than a community that rejects her.
I honestly don't think Rebecca is ashamed of her Jewish heritage. What Rebecca IS ashamed of how she was treated by her family and others. How would you feel about a community that doesn't consider you Jewish enough? Even worse, the same people tell you that you're not taking enough pride in your heritage, although it rejects you.
Guess what guys, the problem is mostly you, not Rebecca.
Book Description
A powerful memoir about the complicated but ultimately loving relationship between a black daughter and her white mother
Secret Daughter is a deftly drawn and moving portrait of a childhood spent in two very different worlds: one white, one black. In 1957, when June Cross was four years old, she was sent by her white mother to live with a black family in Atlantic City. Her mother, Norma, had left June's abusive father, a comic in the well-known black vaudeville duo Stump and Stumpy, and gave June up when it became clear that her dark-skinned, kinky-haired child could no longer "pass." Within her adopted family, June struggled with her identity as the black radicalism of the times collided head on with her family's more traditional ideals. Summer vacations were spent with her mother, now in Hollywood and married to F Troop TV actor Larry Storch. For many years, Norma, afraid that Larry's career would suffer if anyone discovered the truth about her illegitimate daughter, told friends and reporters that June was adopted. Secret Daughter, which grew out of Cross's Emmy Award-winning documentary, traces this thorny story with poignancy and skill. It is both a vivid snapshot of race relations in America and an inspiring journey of understanding between a mother and daughter.
Customer Reviews:
My Secret Daughter.......2007-10-09
I enjoyed this book. At times it was hard to keep up with the people. I felt sorry for the Mother because she didn't have the backbone to stand up for her child. Children of biracial parents have a hard time on both sides of the family. This book did a good job of dealing with all the problems of a biracial child. I am a grandparent of biracial and bicultural grandsons. We are doing our best to give them the best of both worlds.
Behaviour is Truth.......2007-01-17
Throughout this story, Norma (the mother) always told her daughter how much she loved her. But her behaviour towards June (and her 2 other children) told a vastly different story. In other words, talk is cheap and actions speak very loudly.
Not to let her father off the hook for abandoning her; he could have kept in touch with her and brought June into his family also.
Fortunately, June had Peggy who instilled good values and disipline in her and her big brother Lary who obviously loved her. I believe that it was because of them (and the Gregory influence) that June became the success that she is.
I applaud her for rising above it all and creating a healthy life for herself.
Great Book.
Life in Atlantic City in the 50's and 60's.......2007-01-02
I was a young married white woman living in the Atlantic City area, working in the Unemployment office, when June Cross came to live
there. She paints a very accurate picture of the racial attitudes of the times. In this day and age, it is hard to believe how we formed our ideas and thought that things were okay just because that was the way it was.
It caused a sensation when my fathers best friend, a well known hotel manager hired a bright young black man to work at the front desk of his hotel.
I recognized many of the characters in the book and would have loved to speak to June Cross further on the influence these people I knew had on her life.
Complex mother.......2006-12-26
June Cross first told her story in a PBS series tracing her black father's history. In this book, we get a more in depth look at the white mother who gave her away.
Truthfully, Norma, June's mother, didn't come off well in the television special. In the book, she comes across as more complex though the reader can't help but sometimes be annoyed by June's loyalty to her especially when she denies June is her daughter to rich and upper class friends in her famous husband's circles. This is compounded by June's failure to truly appreciate Peggy the woman who raised her. But Norma's decision to give away her daughter is almost understandable considering the racial attitudes towards interracial relationships in the 1950s.
The situation is further complicated when we learn Norma had two other white children who she neglected just as much as June. No matter how much the daughter tries, Norma is obviously self involved and an example that not every woman who gives birth is meant to be a mother.
The book is interesting reading and shows even famous people have complex family relationships.
Not What We Expected.......2006-11-26
Although everyone empathized with June, we couldn't understand her loyalty. We wished she had been as loyal to Aunt Peggy. There were some readers that didn't finish because they felt the story was going nowhwere. Then you had those that finished only to be relieved that it was over. We hope that June has sought some type of professional counseling behind this, because this was not something that you just "get over". Having been rejected by her mother and knowing that it wasn't just her (but her white brother and sister too) should have made the blow a little easier. It's evident that June placed a barrier around herself to shield her feelings as an adult. She is a successful lady despite her past and that matters most.
Amazon.com
Order this book ... and please don't be put off by its pallid subtitle, A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, which doesn't begin to do justice to the utterly unique and moving story contained within. The Color of Water tells the remarkable story of Ruth McBride Jordan, the two good men she married, and the 12 good children she raised. Jordan, born Rachel Shilsky, a Polish Jew, immigrated to America soon after birth; as an adult she moved to New York City, leaving her family and faith behind in Virginia. Jordan met and married a black man, making her isolation even more profound. The book is a success story, a testament to one woman's true heart, solid values, and indomitable will. Ruth Jordan battled not only racism but also poverty to raise her children and, despite being sorely tested, never wavered. In telling her story--along with her son's--The Color of Water addresses racial identity with compassion, insight, and realism. It is, in a word, inspiring, and you will finish it with unalloyed admiration for a flawed but remarkable individual. And, perhaps, a little more faith in us all.
Book Description
A powerful portrait of growing up, a meditation on race and identity and a poignant, beautifully crafted hymn from a son to his mother.
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining, Yes...Informative, No...........2007-10-15
The Color of Water chronicles the childhood of James McBride, an inter-racial kid born of a Jewish mother and a Black father. The book describes James' mom's philosophy of raising her kids as "colorless," with undeniably good principles such as education, respect, and family unity. James is one of the youngest of many kids, and thus is relegated to menial chores and destined to ignorance in his early years, because his mother refuses to answer any of his questions.
At first, the book is actually quite interesting as you learn of the fiber of the Jordan/McBride family. The older kids are generally more rebellious and usually argue with each other about race and politics. The younger kids look up at the older kids but they reserve their ultimate respect and admiration for mommy. As the book progresses, however, the story gets extremely redundant and stereo-typical as other reviewers have mentioned. Apparently, mommy failed to instill the notion that skin color doesn't matter to their kids as they each begin to turn to racial groups and rebel against the "white man."
This book can be a page turner if you focus on only reading the book for the sake of it's story. If you attempt to read this book to gain knowledge on how to raise your kids or any other ultimate motive, I am sad to report that you will likely be dissapointed, as was I.
If you like stereotypes..........2007-09-27
If you like reinforcing stereotypes, then James McBride's book is for you. Jews have big noses, they only care about money, and of course, his converted mother only finds love through Jesus. But let's move past that. A great mother? Perhaps her children would not have had to eat sugar as a meal or wake up at 3 am (when she came home from work with free food from her employer) to eat-- else they went hungry if she had the number of children that she and her could support. Perhaps living in a house where the dog's feces is kicked under the radiator is not an indication of a strong mother. How about when she pays one fare for the subway and puts herself and the twelve children through on that one fare. These are not virtues. The writing was weak; the message was weaker.
A Jewish Mother.......2007-09-24
Legal History of the Color Line: The Rise And Triumph of the One-drop Rule
A better title for this book would be: A Dark Mulatto's Tribute to His Jewish Mother. The word "black" denies the European Jewish ancestry of the author and his siblings and the word "white" denies his mother's ethnic heritage. Mrs. McBride's Jewish ethnic values were far more important to her children's success than being "white."
Parenthood Pride -- A Mother Must Whimper.......2007-08-13
"Times were different then." Something espoused by the author's mother -- a Polish Jew who grew up in the Jim Crow south before World War II, and then raced away from her self-described purgatory to New York -- where she embraced mixed union, poverty and Jesus Christ.
How people of mixed races could live without constant clamour and request for surrender is not known to the 21st century people -- I grew up with bussing and other issues, but never saw a segregated movie theater, water fountain, or seating area. We really don't know how far we have come. And, we don't know how hard the struggle of others has been.
And, to help us understand that path, we have James McBride's autobiography/biography -- in pica print is his tale and in italic (every other chapter) is his mother's biography written by her son or her autobiography as transcribed from her taped sittings with her son.
Some things which she lived with will astound you -- I refer not to the biracial issues, but to the classic violations of Judeo-Christian ethics by the author's grandfather. As a rabbi and devout conservative Jew, the author's grandfather, we learn, abused his spouse emotionally (if not physically), abused his daughter sexually, and abused the black man in the south for personal financial gain. Interestingly, all had the same achilles heel -- each was a weakened victim. The wife a victim of polio and contract marriage, the daughter a victim of youth, and the black people victims of unadulterated 1930's racism.
Emerging from this broiling escapade by the father came the flight of a young woman to New York (the author's mother) who raised 12 bi-racial children whose faces and hair told most strangers they were anything other than children of a conservative Jew who emigrated from Poland.
In the even-numbered paragraphs (those autobiographical passages of the author), I had laugh-out-loud episodes when he recited events of his naive youth when he asked questions about his race, about his mother's race and more. Like Frank McCourt, he delivers the lines in such accurate manner that you feel as though you are sitting back and watching kids in action doing their thing which we, as adults, can not well remember nor well imitate.
This was solid fun reading based upon an extremely unique factual content.
Very disappointing..........2007-07-18
I was very disappointed with this book, especially given so many positive reviews. Though I certainly admired McBride and his siblings' ability to achieve so much given so little, I was appalled and even morally offended by the sheer stupidity and negligence of his mother as she is described (apparently in her own words) throughout the book.
I think we the readers are so overwhelmed with empathy and admiration for 12 children rising out of poverty despite obstacles of racism, poor education, no support from extended family, etc., that we forget to ask the obvious question: why would any person raise 12 children in poverty in the first place?? How is this a good decision? A mother has no job and no discernable skills, and is married to what seems like a great man - wouldn't she think after the 4th kid that "maybe I should make sure I can provide for my first 4 children before I have a 5th..or a 12th?"! To me, this is morally reprehensible! And if that's not enough, the book is littered with negligent decision making while raising her 12 kids. For example, when she drives a car without a license, she seriously risks jail time (and bankrupcy/legal problems if she hits something/someone). What would happen to her kids then? I guarantee if this same woman with no license and 12 children ran into your car, you'd be thinking much different thoughts, the nicest being "what a complete moron"! She obviously must have been a good, strong, moral woman, but she was also lucky. For every 12 child family success story, there are probably 100 other abject failures.
If I went into the woods with no water and no food and no sense of direction, and I made it out alive after 10 days of on-the-verge-of-death adventure, you might be inspired by the luck/perseverence/moral fortitude...or you might just think "why did that moron go into the woods with no water, food, or sense of direction"? That's the way I felt about this book.
Book Description
A psychologically wise guide to helping multiracial children of all ages develop confidence and a healthy understanding of their uniqueness.
"Am I black or white or am I American?" "Why don't my eyes look like yours?" "Why do people always call attention to my 'different' hair?" Helping a child understand his mixed racial background can be daunting, especially when, whether out of honest appreciation or mean-spiritedness, peers and strangers alike perceive their features to be "other." Drawing on psychological research and input from over fifty multiracial families, Does Anybody Else Look Like Me? addresses the special questions and concerns facing these families, explaining how we can best prepare multiracial children of all ages to make their way confidently in our color-conscious world. From the books and toys to use in play with young children, to advice on guiding older children toward an unflappable sense of self, Does Anybody Else Look Like Me? is the first book to outline for parents how, exactly, to deflect the objectifying attention multiracial children receive. Full of powerful stories and counsel, it is sure to become the book adoptive and birth parents of different races alike will look to for understanding as they strive to raise their children in a changing world.
Customer Reviews:
Very interesting and well written resource!.......2007-03-14
I have been in an interracial relationship in the past but am currently single and sometimes dating. Sometimes I think about the possibility of marrying out of my race (I am a black-african woman) because of (and in spite of) my previous failed relationship (I guess I'm hard-headed). Over the years I have realized that multiracial situations are filled with unspoken conflicts and tensions and anxieties because this world is economically racist and exploitative... Where people live, how people live, what they do for a living all has to do with their race or ethnicity. It's really deep.
This book doesn't sugar-coat or minimize the experiences of mixed families and peoples. With these relationships the conflicts and tensions do come out in the form of hurtful, mean words, sentiments, and actions. It was so shocking to read about some of these experiences. Someone actually yelled "Eeeww!" out of a car at a mixed black (woman) white (man) family. Another child made negative comments about northern asian eyes that traumatized the author's more Japanese-looking son. There's a real lack of ACCEPTANCE with mixed peoples and couples. It's surreal!!! I think maybe people have a mental block about it or something. People are so focused on their own frame of reference.
The book is good because her writing is really honest and intelligent. She has wonderfully organized chapters including one on improving the education curriculum to be more accepting of multiracial families. I am getting my teacher certification in the next year so this book gave me info that will help me understand the backgrounds of some of my future students. There is a lot of good info on the little things I never knew about like how some very young mixed kids identify race with gender. The chapter on Adolescence delves into the STEPS TO IDENTITY-FORMATION, dating, and more. I recommend it!
Highly recommend.......2006-05-16
As the mother of 4 beautiful biracial children, I was delighted to find this intelligent, realistic book. My children are often asked "What are you?" and attempts are made to label them as Arabic, Latin, Greek,Black, Italian, etc, etc. This makes it difficult for them when they are at ages where all of us were trying to "find ourselves". My daughter has also had a difficult time, often meeting women who instantly dislike her based on her appearance alone. This book was refreshing and helped me to realize others go thru the same. I was amazed at the amount of research and fact finding this author included. The everyday anecdotes was also most truthful, speaking from personal experience. great find for anyone who knows, loves, interacts with those of more than 1 race!!
Well Written and Informative Guide.......2006-03-21
Being a member of a multi-ethnic family myself, I purchased this book to help teach some people in my life what it is like to grow up in such a family.
This book has been an excellent resource because it touches on the many topics involved including terminology, answering the "What are you? question, dating, etc...
The author of the book did alot of research including interviewing members of many different multi-racial and bi-racial families.
This book focuses on empowering members of multi-racial and bi-racial families to be proud of who they are and gives advice about how to handle in a positive light some of the negative situations they may encounter. The book particularly focuses on helping to raise multi-racial and bi-racial children who are happy, well adjusted, and have high self-esteem.
I highly recommend this book.
excellent book for parents.......2003-11-30
Thank goodness this isn't another academic tome dealing with racial tensions and ethnicity in the U.S. Finally, we have a book geared for parents that is intelligent, informed and useful. The scripts alone--Ms. Nakazawa's suggestions for what to say to children in response to (or in anticipation of) challenging situations--are worth the price of the book. I know of at least one school that is giving away free copies of this book to all the parents of multiracial and transracially adoptive children in their school. I hope, for the sake of our children, that more schools will get the word out about this book.
Interesting.......2003-10-04
This book was very well-intentioned. For the most part, I found it interesting and informative, but I wouldn't say that this book fully teased out the implications of what it means to have a multi-racial child. I didn't give this book five stars because I found it seemed to lack direction. This book was quite anecdotal, and lacked sophisticated nuance and understanding in ethnic identity. This book was obviously written from the point of a parent versus an academic who might interrogate and investigate race and ethnicity on a different level.
Book Description
An extraordinary young writer's search for authenticity among the various communities of identity-black, Latino, techno-utopian, Ivy League, activist-competing for her allegiance, each with its distinct allures and perils.
California saved Caille Millner's parents, or at least saved them from lives of poverty and oppression as black Americans growing up in racially benighted backwaters. It provided them with a free education and opportunities for advancement into the solid middle class and even beyond. But it did its damage too, and to the young Caille Millner as well, growing up in a Latino neighborhood in San Jose, relocating to more affluent but quietly hostile white-bread Silicon Valley suburbs being transformed out of all recognition by boom times, and then fleeing to a succession of utopian communities that in the end proved to be no less messy than the places she left behind. The Golden Road is Caille Millner's frankly wonderful memoir of coming of age in a world in which the need for a stable identity and the need to embrace radical change all too often collide, with consequences at times hilarious and at times devastating.
Caille Millner is equally familiar with the high-stress world of teenage strivers' gaming the system, obsessed with college choice, and the world-nearby geographically but impossibly far away by any other measure-of kids trapped in an entrenched underclass who don't have the first idea what that game even is or how one gets on the playing field. Throughout The Golden Road, Millner navigates from one world to the other with breathtaking ease, always the outsider but always genuinely struggling for empathy and connection. The result is a book that tours the landscapes of possibility carved by race, class, and culture for young Americans, and reckons with the prevailing fantasies and realities of internal immigration and gentrification, through the prism of her own experiences, with electrifying freshness and lucidity. This is that rare thing, a memoir that transcends its author's personal experiences to say something important and new about the broader culture without losing traction with the human story that gives it its astonishing power.
Customer Reviews:
Complete waste of my time..........2007-07-30
This was my book club's choice and in the beginning I was lured into the book by the beautiful quality of its author's use of words. She certainly writes poetically. Unfortunately, she has nothing to say. The entire piece seems like a creative writing exercise. This book rambles all over the place and not one person in my book club--all black women of a wide range of ages, educational backgrounds, and national origins--could discern anything that we could take away from these ramblings that made any sense to any of us. I frankly don't see how this entire project progressed through all the phases of editorial production without someone recognizing that there was no "there" there. I had to write this to warn all future readers to be cautious about the praise given by other reviewers. Yes; it is beautifully written and if you want to read beautiful prose that takes you on a journey to nowhere, this book is for you. If you want coherence and some semblance of insightful analysis, look elsewhere.
Well Written Notes.......2007-05-13
I am currently reading Notes on My Gentrification and I am impressed with the writer's style.I am most intriqued with the manner in which she weaves her thoughts.Thank you Ms. Millner for sharing your thoughts with me.
gorgeous, deeply reflective . . ........2007-03-11
Caille Millner's memoir, The Golden Road; Notes on My Gentrification is the sort of book you sit down with, read a few paragraphs, and then decide you need to hole up without interruption until you have devoured every page. It hooked me on several levels. The first element that drew me in was her writing -- it is just plain gorgeous. Many times I sat with the book in my lap after reading a passage, recalling the sheer beauty of her words. The next thing that drew me in was the story itself. She tells of her experiences growing up in suburban California as a black child in first a working class Latino neighborhood and then an upper class primarily white neighborhood. The reader follows her through childhood into adolescence and on to her college years at Harvard and then, as a young woman, out in the world. So, the writing and the story itself were both engaging. But thing that I find most striking about this book is Ms. Millner's deeply observant and reflective nature. She seems to go through life in a heightened state of awareness which allows her to illuminate her experiences and by extension, the reader's experiences. One cannot read this book without better understanding oneself and our modern world. Perhaps this is the true measure of her genius, that she can take us along with her and we see all she sees and feels and understands as she does through her exceptional ability to reveal the inner workings of race and class and self. This book is sometimes painful to read, but always, always a thing of beauty. What a gift Ms. Millner is to the world.
A new Joan Didion in the making? .......2007-03-06
Much like Joan Didion did before her, Caille Millner uses autobiography to explore larger social issues with keen insight and startling accessibility.
This is a moving and beautifully written book. A must-read from a great new writer.
The Golden Road:Notes on My Gentrification.......2007-03-05
Golden Road by Caille Millner an exceptionally crafted piece of literature that informed me of the trails and tribulations of our youth-especially those of color. I was enthralled and moved by the events in her life. There were places in the book, I wanted to cry and others where I sadly chuckled. Her writing does more than paint a picture of the times; her vivid descriptions jump out at me and remain with me while I reflect and connect with her words.
My connections are not only with my own life or lives of friends, but with other great literary works. When she described the scene where Santiago made his speech at a Harvard rally it touched me in the same way as similar scenes in The invisible Man. I couldn't help but think of Azar Nafisi and her work Reading Lolita in Tehran. Both are accounts of coming of age with the authors feeling like outsiders.
I recommend this book especially to book clubs. It will lend itself to deep discussions and new enlightenment. My only regret is that after I read this book, I had no one to discuss it with.
Book Description
Originally a derogatory label derived from the Hawaiian word for half, Hapa is now being embraced as a term of pride by many people of Asian or Pacific Rim mixed-race heritage. Award-winning film producer and artist Kip Fulbeck has created a forum in word and image for Hapas to answer the question they're nearly always asked: "What are you?" Fulbeck's frank, head-on portraits are paired with the sitters' own statements of identity. A work of intimacy, beauty, and powerful self-expression, Part Asian, 100% Hapa is the book Fulbeck says he wishes he had growing up. An introduction to the rest of the world and an affirmation for Hapas themselves who now number in the millions it offers a new perspective on a rapidly growing population.
Customer Reviews:
Simple yet profound........2007-07-14
My wife and I discovered this book in a cafe during our visit to the Big Island, Hawaii and immediately fell in love with the book. A wonderful portrait of mixed races with simple photographic portraits.
No longer half, but whole.......2007-06-09
Kip Fulbeck has created a community for those of us who identify ourselves as wholly members of our communities, but who are often not perceived by others as fully included. We are the exotic, the other, the mixed -- the products of the melting pot. We are as different from one another, as alike, as complex, as unique, as are other people of other backgrounds -- which is to say, as much as is true for anyone (of any ethnic heritage), we hapa can not be defined by our ethnic heritage, nor can we dismiss the great influence our varied heritage has exerted on our personal identities. It is lovely to have these truths acknowledged. Thank you, Kip Fulbeck. This work of art has been carefully crafted, and is deeply meaningful. While some of the references -- visual and otherwise -- may not be fully understood by those who have not experienced life as a hapa, or as a hapa of a particular generation, nevertheless I think that everyone will discover something new and beautiful within these pages. This is a rare gem. Not to be missed!
Americans All.......2007-05-20
A perfect example of one picture being worth a thousand words but the few words of copy are also very good.
I am Hapa and so are my Kids... we are Hapa HAWAIIAN.......2007-05-15
I am 100% Hapa, i was born and raised in Hawaii and i am very familar with the term and pleased to see it making its way into mainstream culture. I bought this book as a fathers day gift for my husband who is always asking why our first son looks nothings like him (he is Irish) and i am Hawaiian-Irish-Portugese.
I only wish that the title of the book was more inclusive of Hawaiian and Pacific islanders who are also Hapa and originated the term.
Wonderful Author, Great Idea.......2007-05-12
I heard Kip speak in 2003 at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. At the time he was selling his book, Paper Bullets, which I highly recommend. I value my autographed copy. Today he was on CNN promoting this book and it's truly worth the money. My only wish was that CNN had discussed his credentials or even allowed him to read a bit from one of his books. Kip is intelligent, engaging, real, and a person who illuminates a room. I'm marrying an Asian American man and our children will be Hapa. I'm forever thankful to Kip for his books.
This is a must read, as is Paper Bullets.
Average customer rating:
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Indigenous Mestizos: The Politics of Race and Culture in Cuzco, Peru, 1919-1991 (Latin America Otherwise)
Marisol de la Cadena , and
Marisol de la Cadena
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Peru
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Similar Items:
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Trials of Nation Making: Liberalism, Race, and Ethnicity in the Andes, 18101910
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The Idea of Race in Latin America: 1870-1940 (ILAS Critical Reflections on Latin America Series)
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Muddied Waters: Race, Region, and Local History in Colombia, 1846-1948 (Latin America Otherwise)
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From Subjects to Citizens: Honor, Gender, and Politics in Arequipa, Peru, 1780-1854
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"The Hour of Eugenics": Race, Gender, and Nation in Latin America
ASIN: 0822323850 |
Book Description
In the early twentieth century, Peruvian intellectuals, unlike their European counterparts, rejected biological categories of race as a basis for discrimination. But this did not eliminate social hierarchies; instead, it redefined racial categories as cultural differences, such as differences in education or manners. In Indigenous Mestizos Marisol de la Cadena traces the history of the notion of race from this turn-of-the-century definition to a hegemony of racism in Peru.
De la Cadena’s ethnographically and historically rich study examines how indigenous citizens of the city of Cuzco have been conceived by others as well as how they have viewed themselves and places these conceptions within the struggle for political identity and representation. Demonstrating that the terms Indian and mestizo are complex, ambivalent, and influenced by social, legal, and political changes, she provides close readings of everyday concepts such as marketplace identity, religious ritual, grassroots dance, and popular culture, as well as of such common terms as respect, decency, and education. She shows how Indian has come to mean an indigenous person without economic and educational means—one who is illiterate, impoverished, and rural. Mestizo, on the other hand, has come to refer to an urban, usually literate, and economically successful person claiming indigenous heritage and participating in indigenous cultural practices. De la Cadena argues that this version of de-Indianization—which, rather than assimilation, is a complex political negotiation for a dignified identity—does not cancel the economic and political equalities of racism in Peru, although it has made room for some people to reclaim a decolonized Andean cultural heritage.
This highly original synthesis of diverse theoretical arguments brought to bear on a series of case studies will be of interest to scholars of cultural anthropology, postcolonialism, race and ethnicity, gender studies, and history, in addition to Latin Americanists.
Books:
- Economic Sociology: State, Market, and Society in Modern Capitalism
- Eisenhower
- Epicenter: Why Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future
- Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World
- Giants in Their Tall Black Hats: Essays on the Iron Brigade (Great Lakes Connections: The Civil War)
- Global Strategy (with World Map and InfoTrac )
- Global Strategy (with World Map and InfoTrac )
- Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization
- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
- Hartmann Schedel: Nuremberg Chronicle (Taschen Jumbo Series)
Books Index
Books Home
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Great Speeches by African Americans: Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama, and Others (Thrift Edition)
Barack Obama: Working to Make a Difference (Gateway Biographies)
The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
The Pursuit of Happyness
