Mixed: My Life in Black and White

Start by marking “Mixed: My Life in Black and White” as Want to Read: Despite the fact that a blurb on the cover suggests the author is a female version of David Sedaris, Mixed isn’t really a humorous book. Angela Nissel is author of the national best-selling comedic memoirs.
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Then later, "Ever since the first argument about my father c-h-e-a-t-i-n-g with w-h-o-r-e-s, my mother had started working a lot The thing about this book is that the comedic moments are also sad ones.

Mixed People Who Look White

And this is Nissel's strength: She makes you laugh, but she also makes you think. Comments from people about her looks teach her that there is "good" hair and an "ugly" nose. The features people consider pretty are from her white father.

She went to all-black schools, all-white schools, public, private, schools associated with different religions-yet she never fit in. She was never white enough or black enough, so she was the target of merciless teasing. She immediately follows with humor: She notices that of six black male coworkers at a production company, "five had white wives and one was dating an Asian girl. The book is filled with Nissel's struggles, but she doesn't want you to feel sorry for her; she is explaining how her experiences good or bad made her who she is. She makes you care about the people in her life, particularly her mother, who let her daughter change schools and religions-almost as often as she changed her clothes-in an attempt to find herself.

This book was cool for sharing the mixed-raced experience and some of its nuances, but it also sorta reinforced what they say about us I understand Angela is a decade or so older than me and has a different experience for that reason, but I would like to have seen her develop a healthy perspective on race by the end of the story.

Guess that's a memoir for you, though, eh? I really really loved this book so much. I really wish i could have been Angela's friend. She was honest and funny in a heart breaking way. What a great read. I highly recommend it. We are about the same age give or take a few years and so when she was talking about things i remember where I was when she spoke about them. This memoir receives a 5 stars, instead of 4, simply because it is a baring of soul like no other.

Mixed: My Life in Black and White

She holds back nothing, revealing the depth of her weakness and cowardice growing up in such a way you're almost disgusted. But, each personal account deserves an ear. Nissel shares her multiracial perspective with such humor and honesty, that it can only be applauded. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations.

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View or edit your browsing history. Get to Know Us. I told her to go to sleep, but she ignored me. Soon after they brought her in, her electric hospital bed started folding up, with her and her baby in it. That lady looked like she wished the bed would eat her back up again.

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Then one of the big doctors at the hospital comes in to see me. We had both volunteered at the Human Rights Committee together. Her whole world changed that day. So later, a nurse came in while I was holding you and asked your name. I named you after I saw your face. You looked just like an angel, and I knew there was no other name I could give you. The beep seemed to jolt her out of reminiscing. Hearing the disappointment in my voice, she perked up.

Book Review - Mixed - My Life in Black and White

I get weighed in tomorrow. After I hung up, I wondered if there was a Black Panther alumni newsletter and if my mother had recently sent in an update. Though she no longer actively participates in the revolution, she is happy to announce that the divorce from the white man finally went through and she is now engaged to a black Baptist preacher. Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player.

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