Light-skinned-ed Girl

Holiday Blues in the form of Tree & a Weepy Cheery Greeting

It's been a hectic year--a wonderful year--but a hectic one.  I am finally able to see the top of my desk after a week of filing and organizing my office.

It's been so hectic that we didn't have the time (or energy) to get a Christmas tree.  We played our Christmas song collection about three times instead of every day for a month as usual.  And, we postponed sharing gifts with my family until I visit next month.

It's felt decidedly un-holiday-like around here except for our little blue tree--decorated by Niece & procured by sister-in-law who insisted that we must have some holiday cheer in the house.

And then there was a wonderful greeting from, Jessilynn, one of my favorite booksellers, who I would also like to count as a friend.  She invited me to her Michigan bookstore, McLean & Eakin, and it was one of the most amazing and magical trips I made all year for the book.  Jessilynn's greeting simply made me weep--in that very best of holiday ways.  So thank you Jessilynn!  The visit was one of the highlights of my year! xoxoxo

Remember Mixed Chicks Chat, the weekly podcast I co-host?

It's been a while since I've mentioned anything about Mixed Chicks Chat, the live weekly podcast about being racially and culturally mixed I co-host with the lovely Fanshen Cox--but I thought I'd mention that we are still going strong!  We've got almost 200 episodes that you can download free from itunes!  Can you believe it?  If you're interested check out this weeks' show with Ramona Ramirez.

We had a lively conversation with the engaging Ramona Ramirez, a mixed chick and an actor who identifies herself as biracial--Jewish and Chicana!  Listen in to what Ramona has to say about growing up mixed in Bellingham, WA & her advice to the youngsters growing up in the Mixed experience now. You can reach Ramona via twitter--@ramonaramirez.

Mulatto (the word) on the Rise

I love to try out (read procrastinate and waste time) playing with fun new web apps.  Google has added to its Google labs a new web app called, Ngram, that allows you to compare how many times words appear in books over the last two hundred years. 

For fun, I decided to compare the words "biracial" (blue) and "mulatto" (red)-- and guess what?  Mulatto is on the rise!  In fact, the word "mulatto" appears more often in our contemporary time (the information only goes up to 2008) than the word "biracial."  I thought for sure "mulatto" was on the wane--but no.  Weird, huh?

What's going on?

Books: Ideas for Gift-Giving

Give a book this holiday season. You can't give more enchantment for less.  The Fiction Writers Co-Op—five dozen authors of distinguished, award-winning, and best-selling fiction—recommend:

Dracula in Love by Karen Essex. "...the writing is so vivid, lusciously sexy and chillingly outrageous by turns..." - The Star Ledger http://tinyurl.com/2eyohd4  (I met Karen at the Beverly Hills Lit. Escape--she's lovely and smart!)

The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh. "This tender tale of sisterhood, self-discovery, and forgiveness will captivate fans of contemporary women’s fiction.”- Library Journal  http://theresewalsh.com/books.html

The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers. "A powerful portrait of sisters growing up in the shadow of violence . . . A thought-provoking, heart-tugging debut." Boston Magazine http://tinyurl.com/264efbn

The Day the Falls Stood Still  by Cathy Marie Buchanan. "A wonderful love story…Buchanan weaves Niagara Falls’ history and her storytelling together masterfully.” − Elle http://tinyurl.com/2wmccyv

By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan. "Remarkably learned and heartbreaking romantic novel... Despite its medieval setting, the story has contemporary echoes... Hard to put down, beautifully executed, highly recommended." Minneapolis Star Tribune http://bit.ly/fzZoET 

Simply From Scratch by Alicia Bessette. "Fans of Cecelia Ahern’s PS, I Love You will find a lot to like here ... strong, richly detailed ... with a truly lovable heroine ... the spins and turns the story takes along the way are well worth the ride." —Library Journal

 The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate. "Senate handles the hefty topics of loss and remembrances with lightness and respect and in so doing, redefines comfort food." --Publishers Weekly  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439107238

Seven Year Switch by Claire Cook. "Bestseller Cook [Must Love Dogs, Life's a Beach] charms again with this lively warm-hearted look at changing courses mid-life."-People Magazine http://ClaireCook.com/

The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri. "This hopeful, comforting novel is a testament to the power of taking chances and starting fresh, and a reminder that life can bring joy after sorrow."--Miami Herald

 All the Numbers by Judy Merrill Larsen.  "Larsen depicts a mother's year of grief and recovery with a sure and honest voice."--Booklist  http://www.judymerrilllarsen.com/buy.htm 

Spin by Catherine McKenzie. "The tag line is: ‘How far would you go to get what you always wanted?’ and Kate Sandford, protagonist of Catherine McKenzie's first novel, Spin, goes so far she makes you cringe. … Where A Million Little Pieces … was tortured and powerful, Spin is more about entertainment and fun. … Full of pop-culture allusions, some really funny ones. … Spin is a compelling, fast-paced read.” – The Globe and Mail  

The Truth About Delilah Blue by Tish Cohen. "Both of Cohen’s previous novels (Town House and Inside Out Girl) are in development as films, and The Truth About Delilah Blue is sure to follow. She is clearly familiar with the cinema’s propulsive rhythms, and has an almost Hitchcockian sense of how to uncoil audience guts and play double dutch with them." --The Globe and Mail 

The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen, forthcoming from Crown Publishers, April 12th. "A magical debut, original and poignant, lovely and moving. I absolutely loved The Bird Sisters and will carry Milly and Twiss with me as if in a locket for a long, long time." --Jenna Blum, Bestselling Author of  Those Who Save Us. Visit http://www.thebirdsisters.com/ 

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos.  "[W]hat happens when life throws us kinks and crumbles the plans we've so carefully laid out . . . There is poetry in her words and all around the world she has created."--Richmond Times-Dispatch  

Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin.  Diana Gabaldon says of this fictional biography of Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, "This is magic!  Childhood, sensuality, love, sorrow and wonder, all bright and complex as the shifting patterns in a kaleidoscope." http://melaniebenjamin.com/books.php#buy 

Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland. "Here's a warning: Mistress of the Sun is dangerously seductive. It's one of those books that will grab you and hold you captive till the last page is turned." —Calgary Herald  http://amzn.to/mistressofthesun  

Stay by Allie Larkin. "Larkin makes writing look easy. Stay has everything...humor, heart -and, endearingly, buckets of dog slobber." —The Miami Herald http://allielarkinwrites.com/  

Kings of the Earth by Jon Clinch. Robert Goolrick calls it "eloquent and moving, written with precision and clarity to stave off loss — the loss of history, of art, of humanity." O Magazine's lead pick for summer reading, and a Washington Post Best Novel of 2010.    http://www.jonclinch.com/ 

My Husband's Sweethearts by Bridget Asher. "... rendered with humor and heart." -- People "... a laugh-and-cry novel whose plot includes equal portions of heartache and hope." -- The Chicago Tribune    http://juliannabaggott.com/  

 The Confessions of Catherine de Medici  by C.W. GortnerPower. Passion. Poison: History's most notorious queen tells us her side of the story. "Fans of Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory will devour this!" - BookList. http://www.cwgortner.com/ 

Souvenir by Therese Fowler.  An IndieBound selection and book club favorite, this novel about family, fate, regret and redemption is "truly impossible to put down."--Booklist.  USA TODAY says it's "Compelling...the characters are likable, troubled, and human, and are well worth following on their journey." http://www.theresefowler.com/

After You by Julie Buxbaum.  Jodi Picoult says of this novel about love and friendship: "Buxbaum writes with honesty and grace about the things we know about our friends and the things we wish we didn't. After You highlights—beautifully and compellingly—the truth that sometimes we have to lose the people closest to us to find ourselves." http://www.juliebuxbaum.com/

Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice Jacquelyn Mitchard author,The Deep End of the Ocean, says of this novel about what really makes a family: "I was exhausted and singing the blues the hour I began Carleen Brice's new novel, Children of the Waters. Five hours later, I'd finished this fresh, free-rein novel about mothers' secrets and children's sorrows and was shouting 'Hurray!'" www.carleenbrice.com  (I adore this woman!)

Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell, the story of Claude Monet in his young struggling years which led to the birth of impressionism and his great love for his model and wife , the tragic Camille.  The Boston Globe said, "an enthralling story, beautifully told" and Bookpage added, "A vivid portrait of Monet's remarkable career." www.stephaniecowell.com

Remedies by Kate Ledger.  Remedies explores the complicated nature of pain, in the nerves of the body and the longing of the heart.... "an immediately gripping, expertly woven tale of pain and healing. Ledger is a brilliant writer; the book is dazzling, but more importantly, it is moving."--Elin Hilderbrand http://tiny.cc/ofni9

Shelter Me by Juliette Fay “What a gorgeous paradox of a book:  a deep, thoughtful exploration of a young mother’s first year of widowhood that is as much a page-turner as any thriller" says bestselling author Marisa de los Santos. Publishers Weekly deemed it "a wise and inspirational debut." http://juliettefay.com

Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum.  In the stirring tradition of The Secret Life of Bees and the Poisonwood Bible, Amaryllis in Blueberry is "spellbinding...A perfect melding of family saga, murder mystery and a meditation on faith, loyalty and love."--Susan Wiggs, New York Times Bestselling author www.christinameldrum.com

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman  - a New York Times bestseller. “Exemplifying Southern storytelling at its best…”  (Starred review) from Library Journal.

Biracial & Passing as Black Follow-up

I got a chance to read Dr. Nikki Khanna's complete article about biracial folks who choose to "pass as black."  And I think some of the heat in the response to her study is the study's use of the word "passing"--(and maybe because the writers and bloggers responding haven't read the entire article).

Let me explain: The study is clear that "passing as black" is limited to the situation in which  biracial (black-white) individuals who self-identify as biracial choose to "cover" or downplay or disguise their white background by changing their appearance--clothes or hair--or speech or through selective association.

Is that considered passing?  Passing--originally thought of in the circumstance of African-Americans passing as white--has a heavy history.  Passing was a means of getting beyond society's oppressive barriers, beyond unjust and humiliating Jim Crow laws, beyond laws that kept African-Americans oppressed.  In the situation of the study participants who are "passing as black" the consequences are much less dire.  So, maybe it is the choice of the word passing that has set-off so many commentators.  If we use the word "covering" will you go along with the idea?

I think the most interesting part of the study is the discussion of stigmatized whiteness.  Subjects who "passed as black" wanted to avoid the stigma associated with whiteness.  This is an idea that is frankly very difficult to talk about because we still live in a society based in white privilege--and yet, at the same time, I've been in situations where I thought it would be "better" to identify myself as black and light-skinned rather than biracial with a multiracial/multicultural family.  I chose to adhere to the one-drop rule.

The blogosphere continues to light up over this study.  What do you say?

Time magazine did a pretty straight-forward article about the study.

The Root has published a few articles on the study thus far including "Passing for Black."

We're talking about the study on the Dec. 28 Mixed Chick Chat.  Let us know what you think!

And NPR's The Takeaway did a piece you can hear here.

Passing as Black? A New Study About How Biracial Folks Identify

A new study published in the journal, Social Psychology Quarterly, is causing a bit of a ruckus because it posits that biracial (black/white) folks are "passing as black" when they self-identify as black. 

An article in The Root says: "What is surprising is that the researchers refer to this decision as 'passing for black.' As if not mentioning your white ancestry when asked to identify yourself is somehow akin to light-skinned blacks of the past having to completely reject -- sometimes forever -- their heritage and families in order to blend in to white society . . . Narrowing your complicated racial makeup down to 'black' when you're of mixed ancestry is not passing, any more than self-identifying as biracial is a rejection of your blackness . . .in America, you can't pass for something you already are."

A mixed writer and blogger rails against the study: "What i am sick of, however, is having the same batch of stereotyped projections being projected on myself-of me being benighted by my genealogy, all "whites" being beacons of liberal tolerance, all "blacks" ready and willin to throw me out the tribe and cook my momma in a pot, and the only thing for me to do is embrace my benightedness and prove that I am tolerant and post racial by...disowning and being intolerant of my "black" ancestry, ignoring the fluidity of human experience, and putting myself in a "black" free box that says "biracial". Forgive me if that box, like all boxes, seems like a prison."

NPR's The Takeaway is asking listeners to weigh in on the study's premise.

Me, I haven't read the study, but I think it's so interesting to see how impassioned the voices against the study are.  And I would so much like to understand how the study relates to a Harvard study (published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology) released last week that shows that Americans "still tend to see biracials not as equal members of both parent groups, but as belonging more to their minority parent group."

Are biracial people "passing for black" or just making other folks more comfortable with what they see?

The Harvard study's lead author, Arthur Ho says: “Our work challenges the interpretation of our first biracial president, and the growing number of mixed-race people in general, as signaling a color-blind America.”

If the young biracial people believed we lived in a color-blind society would they still identify as black?  If others saw them as a product of two racial backgrounds rather than through the lens of the one-drop rule, would they be more likely to identify as biracial?  Which comes first here with this chicken and egg scenario? 

Me, I have no answers right now.  Just wondering.

BTW: We interviewed Nikki Khanna, one of the study's authors on our award-winning weekly podcast, Mixed Chicks Chat.  Listen in to what she has to say about her work.  (You can also download the episode for free on itunes.)

 

Some Ordinary Days

There was a lovely light dusting of snow on the ground this morning when l left the city --and it was still dark so all the holiday lights and decorations were still lit on a quiet Tuesday morning.

I'm headed back to the wondrous sun of the West Coast for the holidays and I have the next two weeks to unwind from the excitement of this year and gear up for the next several months I'll  be spending on the road again.  I've been so high on all of the going and doing I hadn't realized how much I need (and now crave) these upcoming ordinary days.  Yes, there's some holiday shopping to be done, and that dreaded essay due on Saturday, and some manuscripts I've promised to read through, but all-in-all the days will be restful.  I hope these days don't go by too quickly.

Book Giveaway: Goodreads Choice Awards

I'm doing a book giveaway in celebration of my nomination for the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Debut Author.  Join the fun--oh, and be sure to vote too!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

by Heidi Durrow

Giveaway ends December 31, 2010.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

 

Washington Post Names The Girl Who Fell From the Sky to Best Novels of 2010 List

Hooray! The Girl Who Fell From the Sky makes the Washington Post's Best Novels of 2010 List! It was the Washington Post that called The Girl . . "an auspicious debut." It's very nice to get this accolade too! Happy happy day! Thank you Washington Post.

Books That Start Relationships

Ever fallen in love or become fast friends with someone because they love the same obscure book you love?  I definitely have.  I feel an instant spark of affection for anyone who loves Keri Hulme's The Bone People as much as I do, or Nella Larsen's work.  The more obscure the book--the greater my affection for the new acquaintance--fellow lover of literature, purveyor of good taste, all-around good person who loves the same words that I love.

I thought about this again today when I got a Google alert for "The Girl Who Fell From the Sky."  It turns out someone has listed my book in his/her (hoping to protect the person's anonymity) profile as an all-time favorite.  It gave me this wonderful tickly feeling--what if The Girl Who Fell From the Sky is the book that sparks a new relationship for him/her?  Oh, that would be wonderful.  That would be a good story!