Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America [Hardcover]

Charisse Jones (Author), Kumea Shorter-Gooden (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0060090545 | ISBN-13: 978-0060090548 | Publication Date: September 2, 2003 | Edition: 1

Do you ever feel that you have to leave your true self at the door in order to placate White colleagues? Do you downplay your abilities for fear of outshining Black men? Do you speak one way in the office, another way to your girlfriends? Is it sometimes a struggle to feel good about how you look -- your skin color, your hair, your body size and shape?

In this arresting and groundbreaking work, authors Charisse Jones and Kumea Shorter-Gooden, Ph.D., articulate with deep understanding what it is really like to be Black and female in America today.

Based on the African American Women's Voices Project, an interview and questionnaire study with four hundred women across the United States and from many walks of life, Shifting reveals that a large number of Black women feel pressure to compromise their true selves in order to fit in to American society. From one moment to the next, they report changing inwardly and outwardly -- Shifting "White," then Shifting "Black" again, Shifting "corporate," Shifting "cool" -- a coping and survival skill that often diminishes the joys of living an authentic life.

Shifting can have a devastating effect on a woman's body and soul. In a culture that is both racist and sexist, Black women are suffering. They are susceptible to an array of psychological problems, including anxiety, low self-esteem, disordered eating, depression, and even outright self-hatred. They may make others feel comfortable, but too often they are left feeling conflicted, weary, and alone.

Yet their revealing voices are utterly cathartic. As Black women talk openly about their lives -- contending with the workplace, mothering, coming to terms with their beauty, forging relationships with men, living their spirituality -- they describe what it takes to "make it" despite everything, and bring to light how essential it is to explode the myths and stereotypes still in place.

With this deeper perspective, Black women will find the path back to their true selves and come to understand how important it is to be aware of Shifting in their own lives. And readers of all genders and ethnicities will gain a heightened sensitivity to the continued damage wrought by bias and prejudice, and an increased awareness of what we can all do to make a difference.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

USA Today correspondent Jones and psychologist Shorter-Gooden initiated the African American Women's Voices Project and recorded the experiences of 333 survey respondents and 71 interviewees. The results are here compiled to form an urgent narrative, doggedly chasing the hypothesis of the book's title: that the twin bigotries of race and gender force black women to constantly "shift" between identities in order to accommodate the expectations thrust upon them by black men and white America. "From one moment to the next, they change their outward behavior, attitude, or tone, shifting `white,' then shifting `Black' again, shifting `corporate,' shifting `cool.' " The authors argue that the contemporary survival tactic of shifting is rooted in slavery, but history does not figure strongly, with the bulk of the book composed of quoted testimonies from the research subjects, tracking their shifting experiences in the realms of communication, mental health, beauty standards, romance, child-rearing and religion. Compelling and educational tribulations are piled on, but the authors rarely pause to reflect on the contradictions or solutions the stories present. Yet the book makes a real contribution, as men and women of all races will find it an illuminating if sometimes shocking record of life between two "isms."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Jones, national correspondent for USA Today , and Shorter-Gooden, a psychologist, team up to examine how black women cope with racism, sexism, and the myths--from the image of hypersexuality to long-suffering strength--that govern their lives. Based on research garnered from the African American Women's Voices Project, the largest study to date of black women, the authors detail these women's survival strategy of "shifting" as needed into different roles, personas, and even language appropriate to corporate America or black communities. Drawing on surveys of a cross section of black women, the authors cite troubling statistics on dissatisfaction with their image and their treatment. The authors intersperse the statistics with excerpts from interviews that illustrate how individual women are coping. The poignant individual portraits provide a glimpse into the lives of black women in the church, in their families, at work, in personal relationships, as the women behind the statistics speak with their own voices about the personal cost of the need for "shifting." Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1 edition (September 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060090545
• ISBN-13: 978-0060090548
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,278,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shifting: Excellent Work, May 15, 2006

By 

Mercy Morganfield (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America (Hardcover)

This book was one of my references for my Master's Thesis. This topic and the research was so relevant and so compelling and true. I am an African-American woman and I have worked inside Corporate America for the past 23 years and yes I shift. I also find myself shifting with Black men, shifting with middle and upper class blacks, and shifting with members of my family who live in the worst parts of the inner city. It is an emotionally and psychologically grueling process--and most of the world doesn't have a clue about the nature of it all. During the process of writing my thesis, my college advisors, who are White feminists, couldn't understand why I wouldn't jump on their bandwagon and give race the obligatory mention that they did. They wanted all women to unite and fight White, male hegemony--never recognizing the White, female hegemony that exists inside Women's Studies Departments. They couldn't understand that the sexism that I experience is totally different from the sexism that they experience because my sexism always has that element of race--even if it's a Black man dealing it. Black women are accustomed to shifting, it's almost a cellular memory for us now. We continue to strive and grow, although we are the most maligned segment of society. African American Studies departments are dominated by African American males and Women's Studies departments are dominated by White females, usually feminists. I found my ability to study topics relevant to Black women severely hampered by the censorship of White female academics--Shifting was a real gem for me. Books like this have a hard time passing academic muster because the academicians giving or withholding approval have no frame of reference for the experience--so of course they dismiss it as inconsequential. Isn't it amazing that in this day and age there are no African American Women's Studies departments in any university anywhere in the U.S. If that doesn't demonstrate our position in society--what does? Where is our unique and distinct voice? This wonderful book is a start. Hats off to a great piece of work.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Beat Goes On..., January 17, 2004

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America (Hardcover)

In SHIFTING, noted psychologist Kumea Shorter-Gooden and newspaper correspondent Charisse Jones take a sobering look at what they hypothesize is a uniquely African-American phenomenon. "Shifting" is the terminology they use to label behaviors they classify as a coping strategy, developed by women of color, to deal with race and gender bias in a largely white, male dominated culture.

The authors use research, interviews and surveys to show how African American women are forced to lead double lives in their efforts to assimilate into a society that tends to marginalize and stereotype them and their abilities. This book does a remarkable job of raising awareness on how the lives of these women are impacted in their communities, the workplace, and other areas such as child rearing, religion, personal grooming, and even amorous relationships.

SHIFTING is an outstanding collaboration between two noteworthy women that deals with a mostly unaddressed but nonetheless troubling issue from the perspective of the victims. The book makes for a very interesting read and imparts a wealth of information regarding the ongoing plight of people of color in a society deeply scarred by racism and sexism.

Reviewed by Autumn
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Time For Tha Sistahs!, February 7, 2005

By 

James Ellis III (Waldorf, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America (Paperback)

Race scholar W.E.B. DuBois presented his veil of double consciousness theory in The Souls of Black Folk. Literary genius Ralph Ellison presented a heart-wrenching story of socioeconomic injustice with Invisible Man. Now, it's time for the sistahs to be heard. And, be heard they will! With Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America (HarperCollins, $13.95), Charisse Jones and Kumea Shorter-Gooden present a unique critique of African American social agenda reform, as it relates to the eclectic character and resilience of African American women.

Together Jones, an accomplished national correspondent for USA Today, and Shorter-Gooden, a licensed psychologist and professor at Alliant University, cleverly discuss the inspirational swagger and inherent splendor that embodies the essence of African American women. Shifting, based on the African American Women's Voices Project, takes the reader on a much-needed journey of spiritual, economic, political, and social importance. Absolute brilliance most accurately describes the excellent scholarly writing, which combined with commentary, interviews, and shocking statistics is sure to keep readers engaged. The stories of insight, pain, joy, and confusion by and about African American women of diverse backgrounds and experiences are eye-opening and jaw-dropping, to say the least.

On a daily basis African American women are forced to deal with a multitude of catch-22s, including, but not limited to, sexual exploitation and expectation, gender discrimination, and pseudo-creative representation in the entertainment field. Yet, they seem to effortlessly rise about the conditions of their oppressors. How tough is it for African American women to find their true identity in a society that historically relegates their worth to that of second-class citizenship? Many of us have no clue. Shifting provides crucial insight into these women's obstacles. Legendary jazz vocalist Lena Horne once said, "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." Jones and Shorter-Gooden discuss the origins and inherited responsibilities of the load that Black women in America carry; in addition to suggesting healthier techniques that can be used to lighten the burden of the load, while improving one's overall quality of life.

With thought-provoking chapters, such as "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall": Black Women and Beauty, "Can I Get a Witness?" - Black Women and the Church, and Doing Double Duty: Black Women in the World of Work, this critical assessment is sure to challenge, educate, and help influence views about the strength and endurance that are needed for Black women in America not only to exist, but succeed. Shifting is a powerful book indeed. It certainly will spark long awaited rap sessions and debates amongst the sexes, as a means of changing the ways African Americans interact with and perceive one another.

In addressing the state of relationships between African American males and females, notable scholar Manning Marable stated that "the black man will only reach his full potential when he learns to draw upon the strengths and insights of the black woman." Shifting is a step in the right direction towards dismantling the matrix of racism and injustice that have plagued Black women in America for so long.