Customer Reviews

Racially Mixed People in America

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found Root's anthology fairly balanced. Though this book now seems like a dinosaur (published first in the early 1990s), it started the discourse on rethinking race and racial categories. These authors are not left-wingers, but social scientists engaging in thoughtful, conscientious, and empirical research. Yes, the work at the time they were engaged in their studies now seems a bit outdated or even elementary. Nevertheless, they started the discussion. I think this book deserves to be recognized for what it is: introducing the realities of mixed-race people and their identities to the world of social science and to the public (to a lesser extent). Anyone interested in racial identity (and mixed-racial identity) has to start here!

If you want a book that contains a large bibliography for later research and study, then this is the book to buy. If not, do not bother.

This book does not represent all of us who happened to be mixed in America. In fact, many of the participants used in the various studies throughout the book do not seem to make up a representative sample for all multiracial people. Furthermore, the editor of the book was not even accepted, or respected, by the many multiracial Asian Pacific American students at her own university (ultimately leading to her departure from the Ethnic Studies department at the school).

Again, if you like a good bibliography, get this book. It may be cheaper just to check it out from the local library.

The best thing about Root's book is because of her intro and her chapter "The Bill of rights for Racially Mixed People". However, the book is marred by left-wing authors who promote the hypodescent, white purity myth and "people of color" nonsense. The biggest flaw in the book, is that there is no chapter on the mixed race euro-american (or mixed race white) experience. Mixed race and Euro-american are NOT mutually exclusive.