Mixed: My Life in Black and White by Angela Nissel
Mixed: My Life in Black and White by Angela Nissel
There
are some books that manage to wrap you into the narrative very quickly and the
next thing you know, you feel like your best friends with the author and you
guys are having a private chat about life while drinking wine. This is exactly
that kind of book. Nissel dives into the story of her life so freely and
honestly that you are almost taken back. The way she easily tackles the nuances
of her life, her identity and the balancing act she was part of early in life
makes you reflect on your upbringing and how easily you can relate to some of
the statements being made. (My personal favorites were the sayings shared at
the salon, where I now know the same conversations take place no matter which
coast you live on.) Every coming of age story is unique but so many of the
experiences are similar because of the common thread of race and how it’s
depicted and how we are treated based on the color of our skin.
What
Nissel does with this memoir is tackle the preconceived notions she had to deal
with growing up bi-racial, having a Black mother and a white father. The
lightness of her skin and the texture of her hair had her straddling two
separate worlds: one filled with blackness, the other whiteness. Where does she
belong when white people see her as Black and Black people see her as white?
Who hates her because of the blood that runs through her body and the parents
she didn’t choose? It’s very interesting to see her grappling with these
different and layered issues because it says so much about society that we continue
to judge people based off decisions they didn’t make and had no control over,
including their race and heritage.
I’m
recommending this book. Memoirs like this, that honestly depict and discuss
personal experiences revolving around race, will forever be necessary but this
one was really fun to read. I laughed, I sighed, I reflected on life, my own
personal experiences and the experiences of those around me. This is well
written, thought provoking as well as entertaining. I give this 4 out of 5 stars.
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