Black Baby White Hands: A View from the Crib [Paperback]

Jaiya John (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0971330816 | ISBN-13: 978-0971330818 | Publication Date: April 21, 2005 | Edition: 2nd

July 15, 1968. It is only three months following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the nation is burning. Black and White America are locked in the tense grip of massive change. Into this inferno steps an unsuspecting young White couple. Neither had truly known even a single African American person while growing up. Now, a child will change all of that forever. In this fateful moment, a Black baby becomes perhaps the first in the history of New Mexico to be adopted by a White family. Here is a brazenly honest glimpse into the mind and heart of that child, a true story for the ages that flows like a soulful river-separated from his mother at birth, placed into foster care, adopted, and finally reunited with his biological family in adulthood-an astounding journey of personal discovery. Jaiya John has opened the floodgates on his own childhood with this piercing memoir. Black Baby White Hands, a waterfall of jazz splashing over the rocks of love, pain and the honoring of family. Magically, this book finds a way to sing as it cries, and to exude compassion even as it dispels well-entrenched myths. Destined to become a classic, this stirring account is sure to find itself well worn, stained by tears, and brushed by laughter in the lap of parents, adolescents, educators, students, and professionals. Here comes the rain and the sunshine, all at once.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A pot of gold. Priceless for anyone who cares to voyage into the wonderland that is a child's heart." -- Sydney Duncan, MSW, Founding Executive, Homes for Black Children, March 2002

"An astounding memoir of self discovery through the eyes of a Black child adopted by a White family. Revelatory. Transformative." -- Soul Water Rising, June 2005

"Our concept of civil rights and spiritual responsibility has been peeled back afresh and rendered deeper with this book." -- James M. Jones, Ph.D., author of Prejudice and Racism, February 2002

"Powerful. This book is not only beautifully written, it also deserves a wide audience." -- Writer's Digest, April 2003

From the Author

No matter how many books I write, this one will stand alone as my most personally meaningful. I make no claims that this sojourn represents THE authoritative voice on such childhood experiences. But in that my truth has now been told, it has the opportunity to wed itself to other testimonies, so that we might together creative a collective authoritative voice of those who have walked this certain path. Through honesty do we honor, therefore my story is not nearly a complaint but rather, by virtue of its honesty, a celebration of one child's life.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Soul Water Rising; 2nd edition (April 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971330816
• ISBN-13: 978-0971330818
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A positive, hopeful, revealing story, July 18, 2006

By 

Asha (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Baby White Hands: A View from the Crib (Paperback)

As someone who works with adoptive families, I can say that this book is just the kind of truthful, balanced story adoptive families need to be exposed to. The review dated July 3, 2006 must be from a person who did not truly read this book, at least not with an open spirit. There is absolutely no bitterness or negativity in this book. The author is piercingly honest about what he felt and thought AS A CHILD. This should not be confused with his adult perspective. The entire book is a loving testimony to the devoted love of his adoptive family and the very human fragility we all carry within our relationships. Jaiya John absolutely does not conclude anything negative from his experience. Just the opposite, he finds a higher meaning in the purpose and circumstance of his life and his belonging within his family. Anyone who has heard this author speak publically understands that he exudes an incredible level of peace, compassion, and open-heartedness and that he and his adoptive family are close. This book is devoted to sharing one child's truth in a way that should open us all to the truth within every child, including the child within us. Well written, insightful, and full of humor, appreciation, and a hopeful message for families.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Changing, April 4, 2006

By 

Cashia J. (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Baby White Hands: A View from the Crib (Paperback)

I laugh. I shake my head and feel kinship. I cry and take long walks. I sigh and realize my parents didn't know how to protect me-it wasn't malice. I get why I am the way I am. 36 years of baggage is disappearing. I am so thankful that Jaiya John wrote his story and that I was lead to it. I marvel at the similarities in our circumstances that I thought only I owned. I have a new level of understanding about why I do the things I do to this day.

It is such a relief to me that after all these years there is proof that I wasn't making up stories about feeling lost and alone. This book have given me a self-assurance I never had before and because of it I walk in the world differently because I know I deserve to. Conversations about my life are being spoken. I got an apology from my biological father...and felt peace. People have no idea how much this book has changed my life.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Truth Can Not Be Denied By White Parents, January 4, 2007

By 

Karen Wood (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Baby White Hands: A View from the Crib (Paperback)

As a white sister of an African American boy adopted in 1970,a mother of two Ethiopian children and a soical woker creating multiracially families I have to say this is the most true,painful and amazing book I have read. I painfully made my way through the book for the first time truly understanding the depth of my brother's experience. Wanting to deny what Jaiya was sharing but knowing he was right. Remembering too many painful moments for my brother. However,celebrating the progress we have made and the changes I have made as a mother of black children but also agonizing over the changes we have not made.... It is now required reading for all of my families wanting to adopt across the racial lines.