The One Who Loves You: A Memoir of Growing Up Biracial in a Black and White World by Shannon Luders-Manuel

4.42 AVERAGE

leechspit's profile picture

leechspit's review

5.0
dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
diasia's profile picture

diasia's review

4.0
emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Shannon’s writing and story are gripping and thought-provoking. She takes us on a journey through finding her identity as a biracial woman in a world that doesn’t allow for complexity or validation of her identity. It was inspiring to see how her talents as a writer helped her navigate many of her life’s challenges and relationships.

juicygreenmom's review

4.25
emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
This memoir takes us through Shannon's life as a child of a Black father and white mother, being separated from her father, finding solace in Christianity, living through an abusive relationship, and eventually becoming her father’s caretaker when he is on his deathbed. She explores themes of finding identity, the difficulties of being mixed-race, relating to parents who cannot understand her experience, and how that uncertain sense of self can lead to becoming taken in by systems and people who ultimately abused her. Shannon’s lyrical writing grounded me in the places she lived, and I felt the emotions of her journey so keenly through her descriptions.