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July 16, 2010

Virtual Book Tour: Color Blind Review & *Giveaway*


A mother decided she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, raise a child. She wasn’t struggling to make ends meet. She wasn’t a student trying to obtain a degree. In fact, she was a Nigerian princess. Yet one September day in 1971, she dropped her daughter off in a basket on a white woman’s doorstep.

Private fostering is supposed to be temporary; yet, nothing about Precious Anita Williams life is traditional. Her case is a little different. She lives in a small English town called Woodview with a white sixty-year-old foster mother, Nanny, and her invalid husband, Gramps. Their doormat may say welcome, but they discourage visitors. They rarely even want to welcome Precious’ birth mother, Lizzy.

Over the years, Precious’ family and friends consist of a close-knit bond of just Nanny, Gramps, Aunt Wendy, and Uncle Mick. Other foster children come and go, but their stay is short-lived. Lizzy visits occasionally, interrupting their comfortable home routine. Her random visits usually end with her telling Nanny how to run her household, threatening to take Precious away for good, and believing that material things and money are all that a parent has to provide. Through it all, Precious still manages to realize at a young age that the African rich world she is from isn’t for her. Yet, she doesn’t quite fit into the white world either.

Imagine wanting to learn your roots. Wondering about your rich family history and how you belong. What would it be like to live in Africa? What about the character that Nanny claims is a “living spit” of Precious? What is Topsy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin really like? One day Precious gets the answer to all of these questions, leaving her even more isolated.

Its no wonder when Precious has her own daughter that she is unsure of what a mother’s role should be. “Having babies is something African women can do, but – from what I’ve seen in my life so far – it’s only white women who can be truly maternal.”

Precious finally manages to find the answer and her role in life. This memoir tells her story. It will give you insight into private fostering, issues of race, identity, struggles of color and class, and even a lesson on motherhood.

While reading, there were passages that touched my heart, and others that disturbed me. I still cannot determine whether Nanny was a good influence, or if Lizzy was capable of doing more for Precious. I definitely enjoyed this memoir and recommend to others. In fact, I encourage you to participate in the giveaway below. Add this book to your collection!


Rating: ♥♥♥♥




ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Precious Williams was first published aged eight when her poem took first prize in a poetry competition (she won £2).

Since then she has been a Contributing Editor at Elle, Cosmopolitan and the Mail on Sunday. Precious' work has also been published in The Times, The Daily Telegraph, the Financial Times, Glamour, Korean Vogue, New York magazine, Wallpaper and several other publications. Her journalism focuses on health and lifestyle features and celebrity interviews. Notable interviewees include Nina Simone, Yoko Ono, Jon Bon Jovi, P Diddy, Bryan Ferry, Lenny Kravitz and Naomi Campbell.

Born in the UK, Precious is of Sierra Leonean and Nigerian descent and she has lived in London and in New York. She studied Periodical Journalism at the London College of Printing and English Language & Literature at Oxford.

Her first book, Precious: A True Story is a memoir about her childhood in foster care. The book is titled Color Blind in the US. Both editions will be published by Bloomsbury in August 2010.


GIVEAWAY

Win a free copy of Color Blind by answering the following question in the comment section below. What are your thoughts on a black child being raised by white parents? Please submit your entries by 11:59 p.m. EST Wednesday, July 21, 2010. The winner will be announced by Friday, July 23, 2010. 


Contestants may also follow this blog, share this post via Twitter or Facebook, subscribe via e-mail, Google Friend Connect, and/or RSS feed to be eligible.


Disclosure: This book was supplied by the publisher. This virtual book tour is sponsored by Books And… (www.booksand.net)


10 comments:

  1. Great question, I honestly believe that if a black child is being raised by a white person, the adopted parent should make effort to research,learn and teach that child about their heritage. However, I do believe that love has no color and if that parent can properly care for and love that child, I'm all for it. Tayon Thomas

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  2. I agree about the love. I'm honestly kind of iffy about it. I think kids have enough to worry about in this tough world and then add not being able to connect to the parents culturally. It's def something to think about.

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  3. I'm not in a position to adopt a child right now. Maybe in the future I would consider it. So I will not judge those who are willing to open up their hearts and home to a child no matter what color.

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  4. White parents raising Black children is perfectly fine to me. It is wonderful when people look pass skin color and race to open their home and hearts to a child in need. I do believe that they have a responsibility to educate them and expose them to their own culture as much as possible. I have an Aunt who just recently adopted a white child. She'd been living with her under foster care for about 3 years and definitely has become a permanent family member who we love and care for.

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  5. I strongly believe White parents who are willing to adopt Black children should learn african american culture as part of the criteria in the adoption stage.
    As a sidenote, Please learn how to groom their hair.

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  6. Thanks for the wonderful comments and participating in the giveaway!

    Gabby, I also believe learning the child's culture is important. It is a great idea to make that a requirement of the adoption.

    Favor, education and exposing the child to their own culture is equally important. It provides the child with a chance to know their background. In the memoir, Color Blind, Precious is exposed to her own culture and gets a chance to meet her biological family in Africa. I won't spoil Nanny's reaction or what happened after her visit to Africa. It's good to hear that your family has opened your hearts and homes to an adopted member of your family.

    Jamerican, I am not in a position to adopt a child right now either. Thank goodness for those that are!

    Ms. Spinks, it is definitely something to think about. Reading this memoir sparked a lot of emotions and thoughts about parenting, the definition of a mother, and our culture.

    Ms. Publisher, I agree that love has no color. What matters is the adoptive parents are knowledgeable about the child's culture so they can properly educate him/her and answer questions or issues that may come up.

    Great comments everyone!

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  7. Congrats to Favor for winning the Color Blind giveaway! Hope you enjoy the book.

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  8. Hey Marie
    Thanks for the great, thought-provoking interview questions. FavorisntFair - I hope you enjoy the book.
    Best wishes, Precious

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  9. @Precious Williams Thank you, I can't wait to read it. I look forward to delving into Color Blind as soon as I receive it.

    @Literary Marie I appreciate the opportunity to participate in the giveaway.

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  10. Hey Precious,

    Thanks for the opportunity to read and review your memoir. Also, thanks for the great interview.

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