11/23/2020
Journalist Lawton explores questions of belonging, racial identity, and family secrets in her shattering debut. Throughout grade school and her teen years, her friends questioned why she, the daughter of white parents, had brown skin and kinky hair, yet her mother refused to discuss the truth about her paternity. Following her father’s death, Lawton bought a DNA test, the results of which led her to uncover her mother’s infidelity with a Black man, which she revealed in a shocking confession and caused a falling-out between them. The heart of the book chronicles the aftermath, as Lawton, with the help of friends and therapists, blossoms emotionally and professionally despite her psychological struggles, in time becoming a Guardian columnist and traveling across the world. Lawton builds a strong story around her attainment of emotional balance and her quest for identity and belonging. At turns revelatory and profound, this memoir sings. (Feb.)
Lawton’s discussion of racial passing, transracial adoption, mixed-race identity and the health implications of being misidentified are freshly fascinating. She is a particularly astute observer of the psychological dislocation caused by growing up mixed race in a white family who never acknowledged her racial identity, and she writes beautifully about questions of identity and belonging, so central to each of us in finding our particular place in the world.” — New York Times Book Review
“Eloquent.... Lawton writes about her journey with passion, erudition and more than a touch of sass. Most of all, she writes with searing honesty—about herself, her family and our society… Beautifully and movingly written, Raceless is an important book about the cost of deception and the value of identity.” — BookPage , starred review
"Incredibly moving.... Raceless is a gripping and poignant examination of love, family, race, identity, and grief framed by this era of racial awakening we find ourselves in... Lawton writes a love-letter to imperfect parents, a ballad to supportive friends and she paints for us so vividly the vitality of knowing who you really are and where you want to fit in in the world" — Clever-ish
"A candid, engrossing and important exploration into identity, family, race and how we understand the formation and evolution of our selves throughout our lives." — Ms. Magazine
“Journalist Lawton explores questions of belonging, racial identity, and family secrets in her shattering debut…. revelatory and profound, this memoir sings” — Publishers Weekly
“Raceless is sure to resonate with those who have had to negotiate their existence in the ‘in-between’ or who possess identities that defy old-fashioned, traditional norms… A timely, engaging exploration of family and racial belonging featuring many valuable lessons.” — Kirkus
“A Black woman raised in a white family, Lawton embarks on a journey to discover her identity, and in doing so confronts centuries-old systems of global white supremacy and oppression… A frank examination of one woman’s search for identity that will satisfy readers of personal narratives and Black history alike.” — Library Journal
“Lawton’s examination of identity and family is a compelling account that will resonate with many readers.” — Booklist
Lawton’s discussion of racial passing, transracial adoption, mixed-race identity and the health implications of being misidentified are freshly fascinating. She is a particularly astute observer of the psychological dislocation caused by growing up mixed race in a white family who never acknowledged her racial identity, and she writes beautifully about questions of identity and belonging, so central to each of us in finding our particular place in the world.
New York Times Book Review
Lawton’s examination of identity and family is a compelling account that will resonate with many readers.
Eloquent.... Lawton writes about her journey with passion, erudition and more than a touch of sass. Most of all, she writes with searing honesty—about herself, her family and our society… Beautifully and movingly written, Raceless is an important book about the cost of deception and the value of identity.”
"Incredibly moving.... Raceless is a gripping and poignant examination of love, family, race, identity, and grief framed by this era of racial awakening we find ourselves in... Lawton writes a love-letter to imperfect parents, a ballad to supportive friends and she paints for us so vividly the vitality of knowing who you really are and where you want to fit in in the world"
"A candid, engrossing and important exploration into identity, family, race and how we understand the formation and evolution of our selves throughout our lives."
Lawton’s examination of identity and family is a compelling account that will resonate with many readers.
08/01/2021
Lawton, raised as a white Briton by white parents, never wondered why she looked different than them. After taking a DNA test, she exposes a family secret that compels her to grapple with her Blackness and identity.
Author Georgina Lawton gives a powerful narration of her stirring memoir about family secrets, the insidious racism inherent in colorblindness, and the power of self-determination. Lawton grew up in suburban England with white parents who offered no explanation for her Blackness. It wasn't until her father died and she decided to get a DNA test that she finally learned the truth about her parentage. Lawton’s smooth lilt is a pleasure to listen to. Her narration is measured and relaxed, though her story is dizzying. Her steady voice has a grounding effect, especially when she’s writing about trauma and loss. This exploration of how identities are shaped and how bewildering it can be to reclaim one that’s been stolen is a moving and insightful listen. L.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Author Georgina Lawton gives a powerful narration of her stirring memoir about family secrets, the insidious racism inherent in colorblindness, and the power of self-determination. Lawton grew up in suburban England with white parents who offered no explanation for her Blackness. It wasn't until her father died and she decided to get a DNA test that she finally learned the truth about her parentage. Lawton’s smooth lilt is a pleasure to listen to. Her narration is measured and relaxed, though her story is dizzying. Her steady voice has a grounding effect, especially when she’s writing about trauma and loss. This exploration of how identities are shaped and how bewildering it can be to reclaim one that’s been stolen is a moving and insightful listen. L.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
2020-11-27
In her debut memoir, Guardian columnist Lawton offers a unique perspective on identity and family in an era of racial awakening. The author guides readers through her childhood as a mixed-race girl raised by two White parents who insisted that her darker skin was the product of a so-called “throwback gene.” After the death of her father, Lawton took a DNA test that forced her to confront why her Blackness was always treated as a burden instead of a self-evident truth. “I was an inquisitive child with an anti-authoritarian streak that would rear its head at inopportune times, but which was probably linked to the fact that my very existence was contradictory and nonsensical,” she writes. “I was looking to find my place in the world around me.” As she tells her personal story, the author weaves in discussions of such relevant concepts as transracial identity, Afro-futurism and the importance of Black hair, without assuming that readers are familiar with any of them. She helpfully situates her epiphanies about identity within the robust canon of contemporary Black thinkers, from bell hooks to Zora Neale Hurston to Solange. But the book isn’t just a passive examination of race. Lawton uprooted her life in search of community, traveling to Cuba, Nicaragua, Morocco, and Vietnam. The book is sure to resonate with those who have had to negotiate their existence in the “in-between” or who possess identities that defy old-fashioned, traditional norms. Lawton gives herself, and others, permission to contain multitudes. “Being yourself,” she writes, “is easier once you free yourself from the baggage of other people’s expectations, when you look in the mirror and accept that the person staring back at you is a culmination of everything you have always wanted to be.”
A timely, engaging exploration of family and racial belonging featuring many valuable lessons.
