Swirling: How to Date, Mate, and Relate Mixing Race, Culture, and Creed [Paperback]

Christelyn D Karazin (Author), Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 15, 2012

The first handbook on navigating the exciting, tricky, and potentially disastrous terrain of interracial relationships, with testimony and expert tips on how to make the bumpy ride a bit smoother.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In Swirling, Christelyn Karazin and Janice Littlejohn perform a vital service. Their insightful discussion is both in your face and disarming. A much needed contribution to our national conversation about race and relationships. --Ralph Richard Banks, Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and the author of Is Marriage for White People? How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone

“Wisely written . . . . smart, conversational and honest.” --Mekeisha Madden Toby, The Detroit News

"What an important and timely topic! Karazin and Littlejohn's warm conversational style sets the perfect tone for women in interracial and intercultural relationships who are seeking practical advice and support." --Linda R. Young, PhD, psychologist and blogger for Psychology Today

“A welcome, heart-felt primer on what African-American women can and should do better prepare themselves for the challenges, frustrations as well as the possibilities and hopes in the turbulent world of relationships. It's a book whose time has more than come.” --Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Nationally syndicated columnist, author and social commentator

“Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn and Christelyn D. Karazin bring a refreshing perspective to this hotly debated and newsworthy topic -- they also have the journalistic mettle and personal experience and humor to pull off a book that is both entertaining and informational . . . . a must-read.” --Brian Lowry, Variety Chief Television Critic

“This surprising and oh-so-timely book should be considered essential reading for any woman who feels rudderless when it comes to finding a soul mate . . . . smartly researched and eye-opening.” --John Griffiths, Us Weekly Television Critic

“After nearly 20 years in an interracial marriage, the one thing I've learned is that black folks often have more hang-ups about these kinds of relationships than anyone else. And if anyone can help us all sort through the nonsense, problems and preconceptions, it is Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn, one of the smartest, most empathetic writers I know. I only hope she starts on a book for black men next!” --Eric Deggans, TV/Media Critic, St. Petersburg Times

“A breath of fresh air.” --Cherilyn “CW” Smith, popular blogger and author of Black Women Deserve Better

“Couldn’t come at a better time." --Lecia J. Brooks Director, Civil Rights Memorial Center, Southern Poverty Law Center

"This book is critically important in our time to help foster a more open dialogue about interracial dating & marriages. I enjoyed it thoroughly and I highly recommend it to everyone. What a great read!" —Sophia A. Nelson, award winning Author & columnist for NBC's theGrio.com & Essence Magazine

About the Author

Christelyn D. Karazin is a columnist for Madame Noir and a health, lifestyle, business, and education writer for such high-profile publications as Woman’s Day, Better Homes & Gardens, and many more. She lives in California and runs the popular blog BeyondBlackWhite.com.

Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn has had a diverse twenty-year career as a journalist, with writing appearing in several publications, including USA TODAY, Essence, and Vibe. She lives in Los Angeles.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books; Original edition (May 15, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451625855
• ISBN-13: 978-1451625851
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christelyn Denise Karazin is a health, lifestyle, business and education writer for such high-profile publications as Woman's Day, Better Homes & Gardens, Ebony/Jet.com, Pregnancy Magazine, Reuters News Service and many more.

Prior to magazine writing, she was a public relations professional who specialized in consumer and legal public relations, and represented such clients as Jenny McCarthy and Dr. Jay Gordon in their co-project regarding vaccinations, resulting in a prime placement on Larry King Live Show. Karazin has over ten years experience placing clients in television, radio, online and print publications, and has an uncanny talent for finding timely news angles to give her clients maximum exposure.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, cum laude, from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Karazin is an active member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and lives in Southern California. She is, most importantly, a mother of four children-three of them biracial-and has been married to her husband, Michael, (who just happens to be white) for (almost) ten happy, hectic years.

Contact Christelyn via email at ckarazin AT gmail DOT COM.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Time to dive in. May 15, 2012

By Bobby Smith

Format:Paperback

I loved this book as it was a fantastic step-by-step guide to the pain, pleasures and pitfalls of interracial relationships. Written in an accessible style, the authors weave in their own life experiences to add the human element to its pages, as they demonstrate that love can conquer all. Make no mistake; this is not a dry, academic self-help book. No, this is a warm, witty and positive book that shows black women how to look elsewhere to find lovers, partners and husbands - whatever society or the propagandists might say. Crucially it stresses that other races do desire black women as wives and long-term partners, rather than just `exotic' experiments - a point of view that I agree with one hundred per cent. Of course, at this point I should confess to being one of the `converted' to the nature of `swirling', as I am a white Englishman happily married to a black Nigerian woman (see my comment), but I am genuinely pleased that a book of this nature has been published. Women of all races deserve equality and freedom of choice, when it comes to finding personal happiness, and for those wishing to step outside the `norm' this book is a perfect guide. Doubtless the usual suspects will form an orderly queue to denigrate the authors for `selling-out', but they are wrong, for this book is about empowering black women to make decisions over their own lives, rather than have them dictated to by others. Essential reading for those men and women who prefer power and joy over oppression.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just might be the definitive IRR handbook... May 17, 2012

By Toni M.

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really mean it.

I've read books that discussed the ups and downs of interracial relationships and what to expect as a black woman interested in crossing the racial boundaries of romance. But I think this really is the first time I've read a book that covered all the bases. For example, I was really impressed that it didn't go on and on about black/white relationships only. MANY people are under the impression that black women only swirl with white men and that minority interracial relationships don't happen or "don't count". It's really nice getting some background on interracial and intercultural relationships involving black women and Asian (East and South), Latino, and Middle-Eastern men, as well as different ethnic groups of white men.

In addition to heart-felt stories and informative interviews, there were actual step-by-step guides for the most awkward of situations, and you could really tell that the authors had been there before themselves and were authentically reassuring you with the advice they were offering.

Also, since I had the e-book, I was able to better navigate to read and re-read information with ease. At the same time, the book flowed very cohesively, drifting from one part to the next, allowing you to move from understanding the reluctance of interracial dating, to preparing to do it, to navigating through the stages of the relationship. If a black woman wanted to use this book, she could read it and process it slowly, moving forward to the next chapters and parts when she was ready to address those areas as they related to her IRR dating situation.

Overall, I would say that this is an absolute MUST HAVE for anyone seriously planning to date interracially, but most especially for black women. Too often, black women are fed all sorts of stereotypes, half-truths, and out-right lies by persons who selfishly want to keep them from exploring their dating options. Your life is your own, and so is your choice to date and partner with whoever. This book is good for breaking down the whys of black women's reluctance to swirl, shutting down the more ridiculous excuses and stereotypes, and because someone else was good enough to do the leg work in terms of research and interviews (the book has useful links and mentions other books you should check out), that saves you quite a bit of trouble in terms of researching interracial relationships.

A wonderful product and I highly recommend it.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Written by a white supremacist in blackface February 28, 2013

By Brandon Scott Pilcher

Format:Paperback

First off, I'm a white guy who REALLY likes black women. Especially dark-skinned black women with natural hair. You would think I would endorse books like this wholeheartedly, and I definitely would like a long-term relationship with a beautiful black woman, but in truth it is precisely because I want to advocate for black people in general that I am disgusted by the author and her ideological ilk. They may pose as supporters of "black female empowerment", but they waste a LOT of energy ranting about the moral and cultural inferiority of African-American people. Very recently the author posted on her blog a stereotype-saturated, anecdotal rant about "ghetto" black girls at her daughter's high school, which shows just how little she genuinely cares about African-American women and girls writ large. The possibility that the very stereotypes she endorses are precisely what scares most white people away from ever associating with black people, and thus that she is messing up her own cause, has apparently eluded her.

Even statistical data contradicting her beliefs does not stop her. In response to one of her articles whinging about the "moral decline of the black ghettos", I posted statistics showing that violent crime among African-Americans has actually DECREASED over the decades. She and her disciples would not even acknowledge those statistics, instead favoring their own anecdotal, dubious claims about how they have seen black communities fall apart morally. Needless to say, there's also barely any discussion on her blog of how America's long and ongoing legacy of institutional racism has led to the racial inequality we see today, and the very racial inequality that underlies many of the social problems she whines about.

In all honesty I am really sick of how discussions of interracial dating nowadays are dominated by black men and women who have internalized anti-black racism and propagate stereotypes that have wrought hell on their own people. If these so-called "swirlers" really cared about black people having relationships with white people, they would challenge the anti-black stereotypes they instead perpetuate. They may brandish the rhetoric of interracial harmony, but in reality they are yet another obstacle to genuine anti-racism. These blackfaced racists make me sick!