Adult Book Listing 

DISCLAIMER: The reviews contained in these listings were compiled from various electronic and print sources and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of 4C or it's members.  They are presented here as a resource guide for those interested in further exploring related subject  matter.
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Mixed Matches: How to Create Successful Interracial, Interethnic, and Interfaith Relationships.
by Crohn, Joel Ph.D.                                                      
Fawcett Books, February 1995

As the title informs us, this book is for those whose marriage crosses the boundaries of ethnicity, race, or religion; but the book can also operate as a primer for people contemplating such a relationship. The information is needed, Crohn argues, because these "inter" relationships can be strained by a "double dose" of very real differences: the inherent difficulties between genders, with the added strain of different (if not conflicting) cultures.  Major topics include how to understand
the differing points of view between cultures; how a culture shapes and defines its individual members; ways to combine two cultures into a single family unit; raising children in this environment; and managing the demands of family and friends. Illuminating vignettes throughout.
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Milk in My Coffee
by Dickey, Eric Jerome

Dickey's third novel takes on the personal politics associated with interracial romance. Jordan Greene, a young black urban professional, and Kimberly Chavers, a white painter meet by chance in a Manhattan taxi. Jordon finds himself reluctantly crossing the color barrier to date a white artist--and confronting long-hidden issues with friends and family who disagree with his choice. Milk in My Coffee is a story about two people coming to terms with the attitudes that shape their identities, where hearts and minds learn painful lessons about getting beyond what the eye can see.
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Cross-Cultural Marriages and the Church : Living the Global Neighborhood.
by Driskill, Lawrence J                                                    
Hope Publishing House, January 1995

As the number of cross-cultural and interracial marriages in our society grows, our faith communities find they are welcoming into their midst an increasing number of those who are marrying across the traditional barriers of race, language and ethnicity.  Such couples inevitably face unique hurdles as they try to forge family systems that function even though they come from disparate backgrounds, and in many cases, have dissimilar expectations of what marriage and family should be.  Lawrence Driskill has done a masterful job interviewing and writing up the case histories of 20 cross-cultural couples with church connections.  He candidly observes where the largest obstacles have been found and then points out what the church can do to help these families resolve conflicts and establish happy homes.  The success stories included highlights of what has worked (concretely) for the various  ones whose stories are told here.  Specific guidelines are spelled out for those who would minister to the cross-cultural marriages in their own church.
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Black, White, Other : Biracial Americans Talk About Race and Identity.
by Funderburg, Lise.                                           
Quill, September 1995

As we prepare to enter a new millennium, for the United States race remains the issue, woven into the fabric of almost every American life.  Yet, few Americans confront the ambiguities of race as regularly as those of biracial descent.  In Black, White, Other journalist Lise Funderburg questions 46 biracial Americans about family and love, work and religion, and the mythology surrounding the "tragic mulatto".  Her book reveals a great deal about life on both sides of the color line -- and exposes just how artificial, how socially constructed, our concept of race is to begin with.  -- This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Of Many Colors : Portraits of  Multiracial Families.
by Gillespie Peggy, Kaeser Gigi (Contributor), Valentine Glenda.   
Univ of Mass. Pr, November 1997

Based on an award-winning photo exhibit, this book documents the feelings and experiences of Americans who live in multiracial families. Contradicting stereotypes, members of 39 families have much to say about the most intimate form of integration, familial love, and this love is made visible in the superb photographs by Gigi Kaeser. OF MANY COLORS tells the stories of 39 families who have bridged the racial divide through interracial marriage or adoption. The interviews are moving examples of how mixed-race families contradict stereotypes, challenge racism, and demonstrate that people of different races can indeed live together in harmony.  Family members have much to say about the most intimate form of integration: familial love. "...Useful to teachers exploring issues of race and identity...to parents who want to show the variety of family life to their children....Recommended for all public libraries." - Library Journal
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Multiracial Couples : Black & White Voices  (Understanding Families, No 1).
by Karis, Terri A., Powell, Richard D., Rosenblatt, Paul C.,           
Sage Publishing, June 1995.

THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE.  The publisher is out of stock.  The book addresses the following:

    1. Racial Bias and Interracial Relationships
    2. How the Research Was Done
    3. Feeling Ordinary in a Relationship Other See as Unusual
    4. In the Beginning
    5. The White Partner's Family
    6. The African American Partner's Family
    7. Societal Racism
    8. Defending Against Racism
    9. Identity
    10. Children
    11. Learning From Each Other
    12. Race in the Couple Relationship
    13. The Special Blessings
    14. Finding Support
    15. No More Racism!
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The Construction of Racial Identity in Children of Mixed Parentage : Mixed Metaphors.
by Katz, Ilan.                                                          
Jessica Kingsley Publishing, July 1996

For several decades, the issues of race, identity, and child development have been of major concern to policy makers and practitioners in social services. This book is a major contribution to this literature, and offers a radically new way of looking at some of these issues.  Based on intensive research on inter-racial families with young children, the book reviews the previous literature relating to racial identity development, especially relating to children of mixed parentage, and shows much of it to be based on flawed assumptions. Using intensive observations and in-depth interviews with parents of children of mixed parentage the author shows the author shows the many ways in which inter-racial families deal with issues of identity and difference.  He concludes with a discussion of alternative conceptions of identity, race, and development which will provide both practitioners and policy makers with new ways to think about these issues.

    Table of Contents
    1. Introduction
    2. The Inter-Racial Debate
    3. Racial Attitudes and Marginality
    4. Theories of Identity Development
    5. Methodology
    6. The A Family
    7. The B Family
    8. The First Set of Interviews
    9. Second Set of Interviews
    10. Conclusions
    11. Revisiting the Theory
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Significant Others.
by Kitt, Sandra                                                      
Thorndike Printing, January 1997

Kitt has become one of America's best-loved African-American writers by creating powerful, romantic novels that consistently challenge the reader.  Significant Others, her strongest offering to date, is the story of an African-American man and woman coming to grips with society's stereotypes, while struggling for success and love in New York City.
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From Black to Biracial: Transforming Racial Identity Among Americans
by Korgen, Kathleen Odell

Is a person with both a white and African American parent black? Thirty years ago in American society the answer would have been yes.  Today, the answer most likely depends on whom you ask. This book describes the transformation and explains why it has occurred and how it has come about. Through extensive research and dozens of interviews, Korgen describes how the transformation has its roots in the historical and cultural transitions in U.S. society since the Civil Rights era. A ground breaking book, From Black to Biracial will help all Americans understand the societal implications of the increasingly multiracial nature of our population.
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Beyond the Whiteness of Whiteness: Memoir of a White Mother of lack Sons.
by Lazarre, Jane.                                
Duke Univ Pr (Trd), September 1996

A heartfelt exploration of ethnicity and its implications in America  "An important affirmation of a white woman's love of her black sons, Jane Lazarre, warrior mom, has crossed over."  --Alice Walker.  This personal account by a Jewish woman, mother of two black sons, is an incisive account of how perceptions of racial difference lie at the heart of the history and culture of America.
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A Stranger In My Bed.
by Luttery, Kevin.                                                   
Bryant & Dillon.

Warning: The following contains language some might find objectionable.

A STRANGER IN MY BED is a narrative nonfiction book that examines the social and psychological elements, which influenced Mr. Luttery's perception of, and subsequent detachment from, an interracial relationship in which he was involved.  This personal experience forced the author to take a close look at the woman he thought was destined to be his wife and the mother of his child.  It prompted revealing self-analysis during which Mr. Luttery came to the disturbing realization that not only was his White mate a "stranger" to him but that in an almost sacrificial manner, he had become a stranger to himself. His subsequent acknowledgement of feelings and beliefs initially suppressed made it clear to the author why it is necessary that he have a Black woman in his arms, in his bed, and in his life.  Mr. Luttery notes that although the book is outwardly structured around romantic relationship, the focus of STRANGER inherently lies with the mores of our society; the attitudes and beliefs we hold that paradoxically bind just as readily as they divide.
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The Color of Water : A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother.
by McBride, James                                 
Riverhead Books, February 1997

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.
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Freedom's Child - The Life of a Confederate General's Black Daughter
by McCray, Carrie Allen

Hailed as an essential work by The Washington Post Magazine, Carrie Allen McCray's Freedom's Child is part historical narrative, part family memoir, and a totally absorbing journey through which the author comes to terms with her unique heritage. "Mama never talked about her father," she writes. "The hush-hush of the times covered the truth like a shroud." Yet McCray lifts that shroud, revealing a detailed portrait of her beloved mother, Mary, who was born in the aftermath of the Civil War to a retired Confederate brigadier general and his servant, a freed slave.

Freedom's Child tells how Mary's father, at the cost of his reputation, publicly acknowledged her as his daughter, and ensured she received a good education. Mary went on to become a college graduate and a colleague of Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Du Bois, and James Weldon Johnson.
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Coping With Interracial Dating
by Nash, Renea D.

In a conversational tone, the text offers sound advice to teenagers. The author prompts readers to think about their motives for dating across racial or ethnic lines, then warns them of the difficulties involved, and, finally encourages those who judge themselves ready to pursue or continue with an interracial relationship.
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Half & Half: Writers on Growing up Biracial and Bicultural
by O'Hearn, Claudine C.

A lively collection of essays on the theme of being biracial and bicultural in contemporary American society. Editor O'Hearn, herself born in Hong Kong and raised in Asia and Europe, has assembled a passionate medley of writings by 18 authors who share a bicultural or biracial identity. Despite vast differences in their social, economic, and racial backgrounds, a number of subtopics emerge. Among these is the sense of alienation experienced by them as children. The need to belong was in many cases intensified by prejudice as a pressure all too frequently encountered. Meri Nana-Ama Dunquah, a native of Ghana who grew up in Washington, D.C., faced her cruelest hostility from black American kids who taunted her with shouts of "You-you-you African! Go back to Africa!'' Journalist Danzy Senna, the daughter of a WASP mother and a black-Mexican father, identifies herself as black, but passes for white often enough to hear whites including well-meaning white liberals--speak in ``smug disdain'' about blacks. Through the lens of personal experience, these essays offer a broader spectrum of meaning for race and culture. And in the process, they map a new ethnic terrain that transcends racial and cultural division.
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Are Those Kids Yours? : American Families With Children Adopted from Other Countries
by Register, Cherie

Cherie Register draws on her experience as the mother of two Korean-born daughters and interviews with adoptive families to illustrated the special challenges multicultural families' face.
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Intercultural Marriage
by Romano, Dugan

In this insightful book author Dugan Romano examines the impact of cultural differences on marriage and offers practical guidelines on how to deal with the complexities and problems involved. Romano suggest that the joys of an intercultural marriage often result as much from overcoming the obstacles and confronting the challenges as from the adventure of crossing cultures.
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Lady Moses.
by Roy, Lucinda              
HarperCollins, February 1998

Born in South London to a black African writer and a white English former actress, Jacinta Louise Buttercup Moses enjoys an idyllic childhood that is cut tragically short by her father's death.  The ensuing years find Jacinta struggling against crippling poverty, escaping from the loathsome Beadycap twins downstairs, and fighting against her mother's encroaching madness.  Maurice Beadycap sexually assaults Jacinta, her mother is institutionalized, she goes to live in a foster home,  her best friend gets run over by a bus--all this in the first 100 pages of Lady Moses, in which the plot's potential melodrama is staved off by Roy's keen eye for detail and the strength of Jacinta's quirky, indomitable narrative voice.
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Caucasia.
by Senna, Danzy.                          
Putnam Publishing Group, February 1998.

A young girl learns some difficult lessons in Danzy Senna's debut novel Caucasia. Growing up in a biracial family in 1970s Boston, Birdie has seen her family disintegrate due to the increasing racial tensions.  Her father and older sister move to Brazil, where they hope to find true racial equality, while Birdie and her mother drift through the country, eventually adopting new identities (Sheila and Jesse Goldman) and settling in a small New Hampshire town.  Birdie/Jesse tries to find her niche in this New World of eye shadow and gossip and boys, but she also wants to remain true to herself and find a common ground between her white and black heritage.  She sets out to find her sister and reconnect with that part of her that has been lost for so long; the search takes her far from the settled, safe life she had in New Hampshire to a far more ambiguous, and unsettled, existence, one in which her own definitions of herself become muddled, and her search for her sister leads ultimately to a search for her own true identity.
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Black Male White Female.
by Wilkinson, Doris (Editor).                      
Schenkman Books,  June 1975

This collection of both scholarly and popular essays is a provocative and sophisticated social science treatment of interracial contact.  In its analysis of interracial marriage and dating patterns, this unique study examines racial relations from the perspective of the sex variable.
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The Wedding.
by West, Dorothy.                         
Anchor, July 1996

Eighty-seven-year-old West was active in the Harlem Renaissance movement as a teenager. This, her first novel in 45 years, is set on Martha's Vineyard during the 1950s and focuses on the black bourgeois community known as the Oval. Dr. Clark Coles and his wife, Corinne, highly respected Ovalites, are preparing for the wedding of their youngest daughter, Shelby, who, much to their consternation, is marrying a white jazz musician.  Lute McNeil, a compulsive womanizer who has recently made a fortune in the furniture business, is determined to stop Shelby's wedding; he is   confident that he can convince Shelby to marry him, which would bring him the social acceptance he has always craved.  More compelling than the main story are the subplots woven throughout, which echo and expand on West's themes about the restrictions of race and class.  In particular, her portrait of Shelby's bitter great-grandmother is as memorable as it is disturbing.
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Secret Thoughts of an Adoptive Mother
by Wolff, Jana
Riverhead

In this engrossing tale, two sisters growing up in Boston are so close that they share a secret language, Elemeno, named after their favorite letters of the alphabet. But they don’t share the same skin color or hair texture, and so when their parents’ interracial marriage breaks up, Birdie, the light one, goes with their white mother; Cole, the older, darker sister, goes with their Black father. Senna finds the perfect-pitch voice for Birdie that blends innocence, wry humor and straight-out pain.
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If You Come Softly
by Woodwon, Jacqueline

A thoughtful interracial love story somewhat overshadowed by a violent, wrenching climax. It involves an appealing pair of teenagers, Jeremiah and Elisha, at a Manhattan prep school. He's the only child of black celebrity parents; she's the youngest by ten years in a large white family. Not only sharply sensitive to the reactions of those around them, they discover depths and complexities in their own intense feelings that connect clearly to their experiences, their social environment, and their own characters. In quiet conversations and encounters, Woodson perceptively explores varieties of love, trust, and friendship, as she develops well-articulated histories for both families.
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