I received a free copy of Real American: A Memoir in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Over the last few weeks of summer, I received the opportunity to read and review a book called Real American: A Memoir by Julie Lythcott-Haim. To be honest, I’m not usually one for non-fiction, but considering the times we are in, how racism and violent racist acts are becoming a norm and White Supremacy is a frightening trend, I figured it was important to expand my horizons and read something outside of my comfort zone. The subject of this book was perfect for what I was looking to find.
Author Julie Lythcott-Haim pens a book that describes her life growing up as the child of a black father and white mother. She talks in great, honest detail about the impact this had on her identity and self acceptance. She writes about her experiences in society and trying to became part of the black community surrounding her, despite how small it often was. Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, certainly didn’t help. Despite the success of her father, who was an accomplished physician and even an Assistant Surgeon General of the United States in 1977, she dealt with racism regularly, even from those she thought of as friends. The struggle for her identity while accepting and loving herself began in her early childhood and remained a challenge throughout her adult years.
I wanted to do this book justice after reading it. I almost was nervous about my review. This book was an important read for me and inspired me with my own writing and personal journey. Despite how reluctant I am about reading non-fiction in general, this book caught me immediately. I feel like this book wasn’t just insight into someone’s life and journey to self acceptance, but this was a mirror as well. When I read insensitive comments that were judging this woman by the color of her skin or the way her hair looked, I asked myself along the way, “Have I ever done this?” I think that’s why this book was important to me. It’s one I’ll go back to and share with others. The format of the book and how it was written was unique, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. It was in essay format, and each essay was sometimes a paragraph and others a few pages. Yet, it still told a story, each section connecting with the other. I think it would be easy to pick it up right now and just flip it to a random page and still gain something from it.
I’ve heard time and time again change starts with yourself. If you want to change the world, change you. Learning about how you think of the world around you and understanding the journey of others is a way to start. I recommend you read this book and share it with your family and start a discussion. Find out more information about Real American: A Memoir by Julie Lythcott-Haim by visiting this Publishers Weekly page.
Best of all, I have a giveaway for you to enter! Enter to receive one of 10 copies of the book Real American. Giveaway ends on September 29th.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Good review! Thanks for pointing this one out.
Amazing blog and very interesting stuff you got here! I definitely learned a lot from reading through some of your earlier posts as well and decided to drop a comment on this one!
the book now a day are getting better an then i love to read all and any
Breaks the silence on what it means to grow up mixed-race in America. Her spare but powerful prose has an emotional rawness that will profoundly resonate with all readers and help many feel a little less alone.