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thatothernigeriangirl's review
4.0
Remarkable account of the author growing up mixed race in Britain in the 1950s and her experiences with feminism, politics, identity crisis, how Blackness and Mixed race identities are perceived in different countries.
I’m very happy I took my time listening to the audiobook because it felt like bonding with Goldsmith. I hope I get to meet her in person one day
The Audiobook was provided by Content Is Queen media communications in association with Audible Uk and Jacaranda Press.
The Space Between Black and White is part of the #twentyin20 initiative at Jacaranda Press
I’m very happy I took my time listening to the audiobook because it felt like bonding with Goldsmith. I hope I get to meet her in person one day
The Audiobook was provided by Content Is Queen media communications in association with Audible Uk and Jacaranda Press.
The Space Between Black and White is part of the #twentyin20 initiative at Jacaranda Press
nadia's review
emotional
informative
slow-paced
4.0
A great memoir about one woman’s experience of growing up mixed-race in 1950s England and then navigating the world as an adult beyond that.
Goldsmith’s story spans 6 decades, a multitude of countries, and themes of identity, racism, politics, feminism, family, belonging, acceptance, and more.
Something I particularly enjoyed was how Goldsmith’s narrative voice mirrored the age she was at each point of her story. For example, at the beginning, the book didn’t read as if it was a five-year old writing it or anything, but you’re in the mind of Esuantsiwa at five, having a sense of what she was thinking and feeling at each moment recounted to us, without the benefit of hindsight.
Tip: If you don’t want to have a sense of what happens to Goldsmith later on in her life, I recommend skipping the photo segment until the end. :-D
Goldsmith’s story spans 6 decades, a multitude of countries, and themes of identity, racism, politics, feminism, family, belonging, acceptance, and more.
Something I particularly enjoyed was how Goldsmith’s narrative voice mirrored the age she was at each point of her story. For example, at the beginning, the book didn’t read as if it was a five-year old writing it or anything, but you’re in the mind of Esuantsiwa at five, having a sense of what she was thinking and feeling at each moment recounted to us, without the benefit of hindsight.
Tip: If you don’t want to have a sense of what happens to Goldsmith later on in her life, I recommend skipping the photo segment until the end. :-D
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion
abbie_'s review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Esuantsiwa Jane Goldsmith has lived an incredibly rich life so far! I’m so glad she’s had the opportunity to share it with us through Jacaranda’s Twenty in 2020 publishing initiative; this memoir is definitely my favourite of the series so far!
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Born to a white British mother and a Ghanaian father, Esuantsiwa was brought up as Jane by her working-class disabled mother on a housing estate in London in the 50s with no other mixed-race or Black children around. This book traverses her life so far across six decades. Esuantsiwa has constantly grappled with her identity, never feeling Black enough or white enough, occupying that space in between and never quite seeming to fit in anywhere.
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I really enjoyed the style - each section is written as if she were writing at that age, totally inhabiting that mindset. This way we feel as if we are growing with the author, and it reads like a dream. I thought certain episodes felt rushed, but in her introduction she states that she doesn’t want to tell someone else’s story, so I respect that she needed to keep it to her own narrative. I’m also not a fan of accents being written out phonetically, whether it’s German or Irish or anything, but that’s a minor pet peeve.
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I particularly found her search for her father compelling, seeking the other side of her identity after being brought up in an all-white family. This memoir is full to the brim of moving episodes, wisdom, pain, love, frustration, humour, joy - just full of life!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: Miscarriage
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