Review: It's Not All Black And White by St. Stephen's Community House

Through poems, interviews, and short essays, a group of young people describe being biracial, multiracial, or of mixed race. These poignant firsthand accounts reflect the unique and varied voices of the writers, whose backgrounds range from Caribbean, Vietnamese, and Latin American to Native American, Spanish, and Irish, among others.

With devastating honesty, these youth tell what it's been like to make their way in the world with their roots in many places and in many cultures. Themes include navigating mixed-race relationships, dealing with prejudice and the assumptions people make based on appearances, and working through identity confusion to arrive at a strong and positive sense of self. This resource will be of special value to youth who live in less diverse communities, where they have few or no mixed-race peers to share their experiences with.

Includes a section with suggestions for parents and caregivers who are raising children of mixed race.

Readers who share these experiences will find support, inspiration, and validation. Those less familiar with the issues will gain important insight and understanding.

-- Facts --

Name of book: It's Not All Black and White

Authors: St. Stephen's Community House

Publisher: Annick Press

Publication Date: September 1st 2012 (Expected)

Source: ARC, provided by the kind publisher...

-- My Thoughts --

     You might have noticed that I didn't rate this book, it's because this book is not actually the kind of books I usually rate. It's a collection of stories, interviews, and poems written by a group of people who are biracial or multiracial, talking about their experiences.
     This group of people are all victims of prejudice, bullying, and social differentiations. You get to really sympathise with them, as they describe the challenges they face living in a world that still puts boundaries between people because of skin color, eye color, hair color, etc...
     Although I have not been a victim of this kind of social prejudice, I can feel their pain. I had a friend who lived in Sydney, Australia. Last year, she came back to Iraq. She told me how people fired rude comments at her because she was Muslim, or wore a scarf, or had a darker skin color than them.
     I don't understand, we have come so far in this world, developed our way of living, invented what we thought was impossible to invent.  But we are still stuck at the same place when it comes to not judging people by the way the look, or the way they talk, or the way they dress. 
     We are different, but we need to understand that we deep inside, we are all human, we are all the same. We come from different races, but together, we are ONE, the human race.
     This book is recommended to everyone who has been a victim of social prejudice, or knows someone who has been a victim. Even if you have never been prejudiced or pushed away from the society because of your appearance, you should definitely read this book. It will make you feel what the biracial or multiracial feel, and it will amazingly enlighten your knowledge of the world around you.