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:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
Thoroughly Enjoyed:
I really enjoyed reading this book. Though I didn't have a lot of the same experiences growing up as Ms. Walker, except maybe that we were born the same year, I still found her story interesting. I'm white, with two Jewish parent's who are still married, but I found myself somehow relating to her story. I love her style of writing and look forward to reading many more books from her in the future.
Black White and Jewish:
Being biracial and the same age as Rebecca Walker, I was very interested in reading this book. I like Walker's writing, I feel she invites the reader in without pretense, but I felt the book was too disjointed. It did not flow. I was interested in reading about her early life, but it was so confusing to keep up with how old she was and where she was living. Maybe that was the point, but I felt the book could have been much better if it was more tightly put together.
Biracial means TWO backgrounds not ONE:
I am a biracial female and a proud one at that, so when I saw this book on display at Barns and Noble I bought it immediately. So I read a few chapters trying to find someone that I could relate to and gave up. After getting through most of the book it became clear to me that this was not someone who celebrated her multicultural backgrounds like Rain Pryor, but that this was someone who seemed ashamed or even angry that she was biracial. This confused me since she clamed te be a movement child. I could not... more info
I sing praises for this book:
Dirty Sally
I was introduced to Black White and Jewish by purchasing another book on Amazon.com, The secret daughter by June Cross which by the way was very good! Black White and Jewish was relatable to me. I wasn't too pleased with the way some of readers reviewed this book, but I think it's because they haven't walked in her shoes. It seems that Ms. Walker had a difficult time committing to either side, which is understandable. How does one decide which race to empower and which one to detach?... more info
