Image Credit: Beacon Press
You may remember that I posted a while back a call for people to be interviewed for a book about how skin color affects families. Well, that book is now out! Same Family, Different Colors (Amazon affiliate link) is Lori Tharps’ new book, subtitled “Confronting colorism in America’s Diverse Families”. This nonfiction book incorporating many interviews examines how families are impacted when siblings, children, parents, or spouses have varied shades of skin. This can be especially pertinent in mixed-race families, where husband and wife, mother and baby, or even brother and sister can present very differently, even sometimes appearing to be of different race or ethnicity. Even if they aren’t perceived as members of disparate groups, people recount in story after story how they may be treated very differently or have widely divergent views of the impact of race in society. Besides presenting an array of interviews, Tharps weaves in historical analysis of the political and social context.
The book is divided into four chapters, focusing on African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Mixed Race Americans, so at least two of the chapters will be personally relevant to hapa families. (You can find some of my comments in the section about Asian Americans.) Tharps’ own family makeup (she’s a Black woman married to a white Spanish man, with biracial children) is mixed and she blogs about her experiences at My American Meltingpot, so it’s not surprising that the chapter about colorism among mixed-race Americans feels the most fresh and compelling. In that chapter, she interviews well-known mixed race leaders including Heidi Durrow, Sharon Chang, and Soledad O’Brien — as well as lesser-known figures who give a peek into their own personal experiences growing up and for some, raising children.
Same Family, Different Colors Book Giveaway
I’m giving away a copy of Same Family, Different Colors, courtesy of Beacon Press. Enter below by one — or more — of the options below. Don’t forget you can tweet about it once a day for additional chances to win!
The contest is open to U.S. residents and ends at midnight on Nov. 30, 2016.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I think this would be an interesting read. Thanks for having a giveaway!
Sounds cool! It looks like a helpful book for kids (and adults).
I would enjoy this book. Sounds so interesting. Thanks for the giveaway!
I will enjoy this book. Sounds so interesting. Thanks for the giveaway!