Mixed: My Life in Black and White [Paperback]

Angela Nissel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2006

“Tell anyone who asks that you’re half-black and half-white, just like David Hasselhoff from Knight Rider.”–Angela’s mother

“Love has no color,” insist Angela Nissel’s parents, but does it have a clue? In this candid, funny, and poignant memoir, Angela recounts growing up biracial in Philadelphia–moving back and forth between black inner-city schools and white prep schools–where her racial ambiguity and doomed attempts to blend in dog her teen years. Once in college, Angela experiments with black activism (hoping to find clarity in extremism), capitalizes on her “exotic” look at a strip club, and ends up with a major case of the blues (aka, a racial identity problem). Yet Angela is never down for the count. After moving to Los Angeles, she discovers that being multiracial is anything but simple, especially in terms of dating and romance.
By turns a comedy of errors and a moving coming-of-age chronicle, Mixed traces one woman’s unforgettable journey to self-acceptance and belonging.

Praise for Mixed

“I love Angela Nissel's writing. Reading Mixed was like getting a letter from a best friend I forgot I had. How ironic that a book written by someone who felt like no one "got" her will surely be one of those rare books everyone gets- black, white, both, neither. Hilarious, sweet, and honest, Mixed is the perfect read if you've ever felt like the one standing on the outside-- and let's face it, who hasn't? - -Jill Soloway, author of Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants

“Nissel is humorous, poignant, and proud yet also empathetic and generous as she recounts her constant struggle to answer the perennial question persons of mixed race seem required to ask of themselves in our society–where do I fit in?.... All readers stand to learn from her account.” — Booklist

“Colorful anecdotes, marvelous dialogue and a thoughtful narrative make this memoir a delight.”–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"If David Sedaris was a straight biracial female, this is the book he'd write. This book is so funny I've already started telling people I helped Angela write it." -- Bill Lawrence, creator of Scrubs

"Growing up black and white, I always felt I had the best of both worlds. I feel the same way about Mixed. It's the perfect blend of hilarious comedy and sometimes tragic reality." -- Yvette Lee Bowser, creator of Living Single and executive producer of Half and Half
"Mixed is a hilarious must-read for anyone searching for the enchanting path to self-discovery. Angela Nissel's precise account of living the mixed race experience not only hit home with me, but the journey is deliciously enlightening and heart-rending at the same time. It's a journey well worth taking." --Halle Berry

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Are you black or white?" That question has plagued Nissel, a light-skinned child born to a white father and black mother, since birth; she tackles it with honesty and aplomb in this witty memoir about the years she spent in West Philadelphia during the 1970s and '80s. Whether recalling an oral report on fellow "mulatto" David Hasselhoff that she gave in the third grade ("He's half black because my mother said he is!") or the way she "act[ed] like a 'tard" to escape bullies or her descent into depression (and stay at a psych ward) during her first year at U. Penn, Nissel—a former staff writer for the NBC sitcom Scrubs—infuses her coming-of-age tale with humor and pathos. Nissel's accounts of her college interlude at the "crazy spa" and her attempt at exotic dancing—where she can "play up the cultural thing"—are particularly illuminating. While the former episode helps conquer her fear of outside judgment (with the help of three dementia-stricken old white ladies, no less), the latter smacks her back down, reminding her that maintaining one's own sense of personal identity—free from societal and racial molds—is a daily struggle. Though she often presents herself as less fortunate than she really was, Nissel's writing is very funny and very sharp. (Mar. 21)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–As a light-skinned child born to a black mother and a white father, Nissel has constantly grappled with the question of racial identity. Growing up in West Philadelphia during the 1970s and '80s, she came of age trying to figure out who she was and where she fit. She encountered bullies and interesting friends and teachers, and experienced the turmoil of race-conscious dating. She had a bout of depression while in college, and took on a variety of odd jobs, including one night as an exotic dancer. Through all of this she struggled to maintain her own sense of self in spite of societal views. Nissel is insightful, funny, and a person with whom many readers will identify.–Shannon Seglin, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Villard (January 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345481143
• ISBN-13: 978-0345481146
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't read in public!, May 17, 2006

By 

Shamontiel L. Vaughn "Message from Montie" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mixed: My Life in Black and White (Paperback)

I am not a polite laugher. When I was younger, kids hated playing the make-me-laugh game with me (unless they could tickle me) because I could hold it in. But I couldn't last ONE PAGE without breaking out laughing at this author. She is hysterical. For someone to be able to tell such a sad story of a woman so overwhelmed by being biracial that she was a stripper, in a psychiatric ward, bullied, beaten up, lied to, cheated on, almost fatherless, self-conscious, with low self-esteem, and STILL make you laugh like it was all good, is a TALENT. This story was so funny...but so heavy at the same time. It makes people aware of how stressful it is to be biracial. I remember debating with a bi-racial (Mexican and Black) girl about why she kept referring to herself as black, and that's who I kept thinking about while I was reading this story. I never really considered how annoying it must be for someone to ask for your nationality...but after reading this book, I can totally sympathize. My mother, who is not a reader, recognized this woman immediately from the Tyra Banks show and demanded that I let her borrow this book after I was done...so I guess her personality was so outstanding on the show that people are flying to the book. As they should, because this was a great read!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Charming and Funny Voice, April 13, 2006

By 

Bart King (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mixed: My Life in Black and White (Paperback)

This could be a forgettable book. The well-educated and attractive daughter of a bi-racial couple who now works for a successful sitcom (SCRUBS) tells us how rough and interesting her life has been? Please!

But this book is actually quite good. Why? Because it's funny and energetically written! Nissel is a witty and charming guide to the more amusing episodes of her life as a girl wondering what the heck it is to be a "mulatto." For instance, Nissel's mother was a member of the Black Panther Party who married her father because she thought he was half-black. (Even though he was a redhead, she was thrown off by his black stepfather.) This is the same mother who tried to persuade Angela that David Hasselhoff was half-black so that she would have a good role-model to look up to.

And this isn't all fun and games. Nissel writes revealingly about being treated for depression, and how culturally difficult it is for a black woman to claim to BE depressed. (She was afraid that her Black Pass would be revoked if word of this got out.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful insight into the minds of us mixed folk., January 17, 2007

By 

Danae Howe (los angeles, ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mixed: My Life in Black and White (Paperback)

I am so glad Ms. Nissel wrote this book. Being mixed Black and White myself, I have had similar experiences. So many people fought and cried against our very existence. Shoot, a hundred years of Jim Crow laws went into preventing it.But here we are - mixed and proud - maybe a little difficult to understand - but we're workin' on it. Not all mixed people are alike, but one by one - as we tell our stories, we are beginning to come into ourselves as members of our own group.

Angela does a great job of representing both herself and the rest of us in a responsible, balanced, respectful and humorous way. You will soooo laugh. She has a knack for comedic timing and writing - and boy can she weave a story! Her Broke Diaries book is hilarious as well. Please pick these up when you get a chance. I need to get a couple more copies myself, as all of my family members keep passing them around.