Mixed: My Life in Black and White by Angela Nissel

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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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