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Raceless: In Search of Family, Identity, and the Truth about Where I Belong by Georgina Lawton
2 reviews
abbie_'s review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
If you’ve not heard about it, Georgina Lawton shares her story about growing up in a white family who steadfastly ignored her Black skin. When she was born, her parents decided their story would be that Georgina’s skin colour was due to a ‘throwback gene’, and for most of her childhood, teens and early 20s, refused to acknowledge her Blackness.
.
At 22, her father died and Lawton finally had enough with the erasure of her Blackness. She went in search of answers and in search of an identity which had long been denied her.
.
Honestly this book is so good! I loved the writing style, it’s super engaging and friendly and Lawton addresses complex topics such as DNA testing in an approachable as well as informative way. I’ve not read much about the world of DNA and ancestry, and like many things it is fraught with the consequences of white supremacy and capitalism, as well as providing Black and brown folks with the means of discovering lost heritage.
.
As Lawton spoke out more about her experiences, she was struck that there were others with similar ones, despite hers seeming incredibly unusual at first. Britain has a problem with talking about race, and it seems that erasing parts of folks’ identity is more common than it might initially seem.
.
Highly recommend this one!!
.
At 22, her father died and Lawton finally had enough with the erasure of her Blackness. She went in search of answers and in search of an identity which had long been denied her.
.
Honestly this book is so good! I loved the writing style, it’s super engaging and friendly and Lawton addresses complex topics such as DNA testing in an approachable as well as informative way. I’ve not read much about the world of DNA and ancestry, and like many things it is fraught with the consequences of white supremacy and capitalism, as well as providing Black and brown folks with the means of discovering lost heritage.
.
As Lawton spoke out more about her experiences, she was struck that there were others with similar ones, despite hers seeming incredibly unusual at first. Britain has a problem with talking about race, and it seems that erasing parts of folks’ identity is more common than it might initially seem.
.
Highly recommend this one!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Eating disorder, Racism, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
caseythereader's review
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Thanks Harper Perennial for the free copy of this book.
- RACELESS is part memoir and part close examination of how we construct race in the modern world.
- Lawton deftly pulls apart the various components of what makes race, from skin color to culture.
- Especially important in this book, I think, is the extended discussion of how doing things in a race-blind or color-blind way is actually deeply harmful to BIPOC individuals.
- I appreciate the space in this book that's given over to individual and family therapy sessions. Therapy for everyone!
- RACELESS is part memoir and part close examination of how we construct race in the modern world.
- Lawton deftly pulls apart the various components of what makes race, from skin color to culture.
- Especially important in this book, I think, is the extended discussion of how doing things in a race-blind or color-blind way is actually deeply harmful to BIPOC individuals.
- I appreciate the space in this book that's given over to individual and family therapy sessions. Therapy for everyone!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent