Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America

Today's post is on Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America by Nefertiti Austin. It is  304 pages long and is published by Sourcebooks. The cover is white with a black mother and her child on the bottom left corner. The intended reader is someone who is interested in adoption, race, equality, and feminism in America. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- In America, Mother = White
That's what Nefertiti, a single African American woman, discovered when she decided she wanted to adopt a Black baby boy out of the foster care system. Eager to finally join the motherhood ranks, Nefertiti was shocked when people started asking her why she wanted to adopt a "crack baby" or said that she would never be able to raise a Black son on her own. She realized that American society saw motherhood through a white lens, and that there would be no easy understanding or acceptance of the kind of family she hoped to build.
Motherhood So White is the story of Nefertiti's fight to create the family she always knew she was meant to have and the story of motherhood that all American families need now. In this unflinching account of her parenting journey, Nefertiti examines the history of adoption in the African American community, faces off against stereotypes of single, Black motherhood, and confronts the reality of raising children of color in racially charged, modern-day America.
Honest, vulnerable, and uplifting, Motherhood So White reveals what Nefertiti knew all along―that the only requirement for a successful family is one raised with love.

Review- I really enjoyed this memoir. I found it moving, interesting, thought-provoking, well-written, and engaging with difficult topics excellently. I really cannot praise this book enough. Austin invites the reader into her life from her grandparents, parents, and her childhood then her adult life and then her children's. Austin is an excellent writer and she is very passionate about her topic. The chapters are short and that works well as I felt that Austin could talk about one thing like her parents or when she starting taking classes to be a foster parent and finish the thought per chapter as she builds a greater narrative of her life. Austin engages with race, gender, and personal expectations with grace and honesty that was refreshing and moving. If you like memoirs or are a fan of her other works then I highly recommend this memoir.

I give this memoir a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I was given a copy of this book by a friend.