Synopsis
Throughout the world, arbitrary racial notions are used to define who is “black” and who is “white,” but the lines become blurred with people of mixed racial heritage. Joy Zarembka and her brother Tommy – who are featured on the front cover of the book – share the same parents and have striking physical similarities, yet were labeled at birth with very different racial designations; Joy was described as “black” and her brother as “white.”
After extensive research in Britain, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Jamaica, Zarembka explores the vastly divergent interpretations of racial identity in these countries and her native United States. By combining vivid anecdotes of her travels, historical background, and oral histories from mixed-race families, she leads us to a new understanding of racial identity.
