The Girl in the Yellow Poncho
Duke University Press (Verlag)
978-1-4780-1719-6 (ISBN)
At five years old, Kristal Brent Zook sat on the steps of a Venice Beach, California, motel trying to make sense of her white father’s abandonment, which left her feeling unworthy of a man’s love and of white protection. Raised by her working-class African American mother and grandmother, Zook was taught not to count on anyone, especially men. Men leave. Men disappoint. In adulthood she became a feminist, activist, and “race woman” journalist in New York City. Despite her professional success, something was missing. Coming to terms with her identity was a constant challenge.
The Girl in the Yellow Poncho is Zook’s coming-of-age tale about what it means to be biracial in America. Throughout, she grapples with in-betweenness while also facing childhood sexual assault, economic insecurity, and multigenerational alcoholism and substance abuse on both the Black and white sides of her family. Her story is one of strong Black women—herself, her cousin, her mother, and her grandmother—and the generational cycles of oppression and survival that seemingly defined their lives.
Setting out on an inner journey that takes her across oceans and continents, Zook tells the story of a little girl who never gives up on love, even long after it seems to have been destroyed. In the end she triumphs, reconciling with her father and mother to create the family of her dreams through forgiveness and sheer force of will. A testament to the power of settling into one’s authentic identity, this book tells a story of a daughter’s lifelong yearning, a mother’s rediscovery of lost love, and the profound power of atonement and faith to heal a broken family.
Kristal Brent Zook is Professor of Journalism at Hofstra University and author of Color by Fox: The Fox Network and the Revolution in Black Television, Black Women’s Lives: Stories of Pain and Power, and I See Black People: The Rise and Fall of African American-Owned Television and Radio. Zook’s entertainment, cultural, and social justice journalism has appeared in Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, Life, Entertainment Weekly, the New York Times Book Review, Essence, the Washington Post, and elsewhere. She lives in Miami and New York.
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
1. Kansas Avenue 1
2. Uncle Mervin 7
3. Noches 13
4. Laurel Canyon 17
5. Dra 23
6. Hollywood Boulevard 27
7. Rockin’ Out 33
8. College Bound 41
9. Activist 47
10. Light-Skinned 55
11. Taking a Chance 63
12. Dad 69
13. ABD 79
14. Detour 87
15. Writer 95
16. Pain 105
17. Australia 111
18. Hiding 119
19. An Adventure 127
20. Alfonso 133
21. A New Life 141
22. Multiracial 149
23. Forgiving 155
24. Memories 159
25. Vashon Island 163
26. Thanksgiving 171
27. Lisa 177
28. Rekindled 183
29. Rage 189
30. A Birthday 195
31. Mothers 199
32. Transformation 207
Erscheinungsdatum | 03.08.2023 |
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Zusatzinfo | 16 illustrations |
Verlagsort | North Carolina |
Sprache | englisch |
Maße | 152 x 229 mm |
Gewicht | 517 g |
Themenwelt | Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte |
Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie ► Gender Studies | |
ISBN-10 | 1-4780-1719-8 / 1478017198 |
ISBN-13 | 978-1-4780-1719-6 / 9781478017196 |
Zustand | Neuware |
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