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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
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SURVIVING THE WHITE GAZE has been floating around my feed as an upcoming “must read”, and it includes a lot of my main interests: memoirs by women, race, & family tensions. Rebecca Carroll is a biracial writer who was adopted by a white family in New Hampshire, and she details the many challenges of growing up as the only Black person in such a white space.
Carroll’s life is fascinating for sure, but I never got as absorbed as I wanted to. The timeline is a little disjointed, and the prose would either be viscerally descriptive or totally flat. This could easily be a title that grows on me over time, or one that is better suited for reading in small chunks instead of over one weekend.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eARC in exchange for this review.
SURVIVING THE WHITE GAZE has been floating around my feed as an upcoming “must read”, and it includes a lot of my main interests: memoirs by women, race, & family tensions. Rebecca Carroll is a biracial writer who was adopted by a white family in New Hampshire, and she details the many challenges of growing up as the only Black person in such a white space.
Carroll’s life is fascinating for sure, but I never got as absorbed as I wanted to. The timeline is a little disjointed, and the prose would either be viscerally descriptive or totally flat. This could easily be a title that grows on me over time, or one that is better suited for reading in small chunks instead of over one weekend.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eARC in exchange for this review.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for my advanced readers copies of [b:Surviving the White Gaze: A Memoir|42198554|Surviving the White Gaze A Memoir|Rebecca Carroll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601137185l/42198554._SY75_.jpg|65807938] by [a:Rebecca Carroll|276671|Rebecca Carroll|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] in exchange for my honest review.
A powerful memoir recounting Rebecca’s experience as the only Black person in rural New Hampshire. Surviving the White Gaze examines racism and racial identity in America today, while highlighting Rebecca’s resilient story.
Another tough one, but another must-read memoir to add to your list. Carroll’s writing style is both easy-to-read and engaging. Without sharing the whole story, Carroll’s relationships and tough upbringing ultimately showcase the story of her resiliency and strength, as she heals with the support of her chosen Black family.
(potential spoilers ahead)
A lot of this memoir shares background stories of the relationships she shared with both her romantic partners and parents (adoptive and birth). As Carroll grows up and yearns to meet her birth parents, after her reunion with her birth mother, Tess, and time spent together, my heart aches for the toxicity and lack of support Carroll received from Tess. It was also tough to read about the lack of support and education her parents provided to learn about Black culture; as well as the microaggressions and racism she faced growing up as one of/the only Black people in her small town.
Content warning: shooting, suicide, child molestation allegation, self-harm, emotional abuse, manupulation, sexual assault and harrassment, depression, substance abuse, 9/11 mention, adoption, racism, body triggers
A powerful memoir recounting Rebecca’s experience as the only Black person in rural New Hampshire. Surviving the White Gaze examines racism and racial identity in America today, while highlighting Rebecca’s resilient story.
Another tough one, but another must-read memoir to add to your list. Carroll’s writing style is both easy-to-read and engaging. Without sharing the whole story, Carroll’s relationships and tough upbringing ultimately showcase the story of her resiliency and strength, as she heals with the support of her chosen Black family.
(potential spoilers ahead)
Spoiler
A lot of this memoir shares background stories of the relationships she shared with both her romantic partners and parents (adoptive and birth). As Carroll grows up and yearns to meet her birth parents, after her reunion with her birth mother, Tess, and time spent together, my heart aches for the toxicity and lack of support Carroll received from Tess. It was also tough to read about the lack of support and education her parents provided to learn about Black culture; as well as the microaggressions and racism she faced growing up as one of/the only Black people in her small town.
Content warning: shooting, suicide, child molestation allegation, self-harm, emotional abuse, manupulation, sexual assault and harrassment, depression, substance abuse, 9/11 mention, adoption, racism, body triggers
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
An interesting memoir re: being a Black biracial adoptee in rural, white New Hampshire. Reading her perspective, combined with the influence of her birth family continued to shape her, made for a compelling story that left me with a lot to think about.
This is a memoir written by a black writer who was adopted by a white family and raised in an entirely white and somewhat rural community. It is told in short chapters, and there is not a crazy arc or anything, but it is a great read and very informative and enlightening. Recommend.
Great book. Provocative adoption story. Making me think about race and racism in my own childhood experiences.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Most have read, watched, or heard something that Rebecca Carroll has written or produced. But, this is the story of her upbringing. A memoir starting from her adoption into a white family in a predominantly white community, where she was in school before she ever saw another living Black person. On to meeting her narcissistic and arguably abusive birth mother who co-opts Carroll's Blackness as her own, while at the same time denying it to Carroll.
Rebecca, however, continues to grow into a brave young woman searching for her true self, while learning how to embrace her Blackness after years of being drowned by whiteness.
Having grown up only a few hours from Carroll, it was all to easy for me to picture, having been to some of the same places, primarily in Boston. I'm thankful Carroll has allowed us the opportunity to imagine what it must have been like to survive the white gaze.
The story of Rebecca Carroll's life will give you all the feels. And most importantly, remind us all why it is so important to truly SEE colour, acknowledge it, appreciate it, love it.
So very highly recommended. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rebecca, however, continues to grow into a brave young woman searching for her true self, while learning how to embrace her Blackness after years of being drowned by whiteness.
Having grown up only a few hours from Carroll, it was all to easy for me to picture, having been to some of the same places, primarily in Boston. I'm thankful Carroll has allowed us the opportunity to imagine what it must have been like to survive the white gaze.
The story of Rebecca Carroll's life will give you all the feels. And most importantly, remind us all why it is so important to truly SEE colour, acknowledge it, appreciate it, love it.
So very highly recommended. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐