Elizabeth M. reviewed A bit condescending I thought... on 2/2/2009

Helpful Score: 1

I thought it started out fine...who wouldn't question the parentage of a child born looking as though her heritage didn't match the parents? I didn't mind the search for where the child's ancestry came from. This was an interesting plot. What I did NOT like was the fact that both people felt they had to be different once they thought their ancestry wasn't exactly what they thought it was. Why on earth would a lawyer suddenly feel he should look for shades of racism in his current cases because he learned his grandfather was black? Shouldn't he have done that to begin with? WHY would someone begin to feel inferior? WHY would someone feel guilty? And WHY would that person suddenly start calling themselves 'African American' and begin claiming a right to outrage at predudices he has never faced? Shouldn't a decent person be outraged about prejudice without having African ancestry? In this situation, it would be the knowledge of the infidelity of my grandmother that would have been more significant to me...it would have made me rethink my impressions of HER, not myself or my family.

Just a year or so ago, we learned that a family member is 10% Sub-Saharan African. We were surprised because we expected something different, but there was NONE of this baloney of trying to figure out who he was all the sudden. Just "Gee. That's interesting." He didn't feel the need to run around to everyone he knew letting them know he has African blood so he wouldn't feel like he was trying to 'pass'. If genetics comes up, he's proud to mention it, otherwise, who cares?

Seemed to me as though Barbara Delinsky was trying to prove her own lack of prejudice and some kind of understanding of what African Americans face. I just didn't like it, and I usually DO like her work.

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