Blanquita in Harlem: Color Me In
Color Me In by Natasha Diaz
Release Date: August 20, 2019
Random House Children’s Books
9780525578239
Summary: Neveah is caught between two worlds when her parents suddenly and dramatically split up the Summer before her Sophomore year. Her mother is a ghost of herself and her father would rather pretend that everything will just be fine if they all decide to just move on. The home she’s grown up in seems cold without her mother and downright hostile once her father’s girlfriend begins spending more time there. But in the small room she shares with her mother in rapidly gentrifying Harlem doesn’t feel that much better, given how ire she seems to draw from her cousin, Jordan, whom she has to share the space with. It seems like she doesn’t really belong anywhere, too black for her tony private school and too Jewish for Harlem, but she can’t escape either side and she’ll have to do the work to understand just how much of her there is to understand and present to the world.
I really enjoyed this book and read it in two days. Neveah’s a poet and there are bits of her poetry strewn throughout the book so we can get a really in depth look into who she really is. I was skeptical of the book at first glance because I feel like stories about black kids in their own spaces without a white best friend or boyfriend are hard to come by. It feels like the industry knows that they need to include the white readers in some way that has never been a concern when the shoe is on the other foot, but I’m glad I didn’t let that deter me because biracial stories matter. That split between the two worlds is real and deserves illumination, especially now that we’ve all collectively realized we are not in a post-racial society. Neveah doesn’t always say the right things or do the right things and she gives sermons on privilege and what it means to be an ally in the way she chooses or doesn’t choose to move in the world. It was a great read, an engaging one and definitely one to add to the bookshelf.
If you like this then try: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera. It’s also a love letter to NYC and follows a boy trying to figure himself and the world out after his father’s suicide.
This book is great for:
People who feel split down the middle
Anyone whose ever dealt with divorce or is currently dealing with divorce
People who like stories of the city
Discussion Questions:
Internalized racism or oppression refers to how marginalized people can begin to believe the stereotypes that are inflicted upon them. It can also be termed “self-hate”. How does Neveah’s Dad exhibit self-hate?
Why do you think Abby behaves like she does?
Discuss how Raymond coerced Corrinne. Was it or wasn’t it rape?
How are Corrinne and Abby’s mom similar?
Pritchard is an exclusive high school in a “safer” part of NY than the public school Jodan and Janae attend. In what ways is it less safe for Neveah because of its location and makeup.
Jesus likes to call Neveah “Lightskin”. How is this problematic?
Discuss how Jordan and Neveah both have privilege in separate ways.
Soundtrack:
Let us ruminate on the 90’s Queen of R&B, and New York Native, Mariah Carey, who also had to answer a lot of questions about her perceived racial ambiguity. Her debut album will do well, especially the single “Dreamlover”, which I’m dedicating to Jesus.
