Customer Reviews

Interracial Intimacy: The Regulation of Race and Romance

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Miss Moran gives a portrait of interracial relationships by giving us a history of laws that affected blacks, Asians, Latinos, and Native Americans who have married whites in past decades (and past centuries). She also gives a portrait of how blacks, Asians, Latinos, and Native Americans 'assimilate' into white culture (primarily white-American culture) if a man or woman of color takes a white partner.

She very, very briefly (on page 182-183) touches on that some individuals in non-white cultures (Asian, Latino, Native American) who take on black partners believe that they doom themselves from assimilating into white culture. She doesn't touch upon it after that.

The last chapters of her book deal with blacks being somewhat separate from everyone else due to history, their skin color, etc. (She just offers observations, not solutions. Moreover, much of that is information people have already known).

Interestingly, she doesn't say anything about black/Latino relationships, black/Asian, Asian/Latino, etc. The book is primarily about non-white races and their assimilation into white culture.

Being in the Bay Area, I've seen quite a few Latino/Asian relationships; too, I'm an African-American who hangs around primarily Asian-Americans. (And yes, you can say I'm attracted to Asian-American girls).

I wish Moran would have went a bit deeper than `who is more accepted because they take on a white partner.' In 2009, there are a lot of mixed race couples out there that do not involve a white partner.

Moran is a biracial Latina law professor examining the issue of interracial relations in the United States. She starts by suggesting that analyzing race separatism must not end with segregation in schools and housing; we must look at the personal choices of marriage and adoption as well. She gives a history of race-mixing and prohibitions against it, the Loving decision which made such marriages legal in this country, and the modern continuance of most people's choosing same-race coupling. This book was more historical and statistical, rather than legal. Moran does an excellent job of looking at Blacks, Latinos, Asians, and Natives equally. The book is neither as pessimistic as "Jungle Fever" or as optimistic as "Fools Rush In". This book will validate and challenge readers of all racial backgrounds. My only criticism is that the book is disturbingly heterosexist. Moran's refusal to look at interracial relationships among gay men and lesbians borders on homophobia. Otherwise, this was a decent book.