Under Her Skin: How Girls Experience Race in America (Live Girls) [Paperback]

Pooja Makhijani (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Live Girls | Publication Date: November 2, 2004

Not since Scout relayed her innocent, yet stark, fictional awakening to racial injustice in To Kill a Mockingbird has the influence of race on the world of children been painted with such delicate clarity as in this collection. Including the perspectives of women of color, white women, and those caught in between, Under Her Skin traces themes related to double lives, fear, envy, lineage, and family, broadening our understanding of the often-painful subject of racial difference. Essays include the reflections of a woman whose girlhood is spent deciphering levels of oppression—from her Jewish family's internment in the camps to her own treatment of their African-American maids; a radical parallel forged between a half-Nigerian narrator and three generations of Finnish male immigrants whom she claims as kin; and the startling connection of a white fourteen year old to Emmett Till through the photograph found on his lifeless body. The first book of its kind to include the impact of racial awareness on women of all colors, Under Her Skin is a diverse exploration of how race shapes, and sometimes shatters, lives. It embodies a vital and unique contribution to the national discussion on race.

Product Details

• Paperback: 302 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (November 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580051170
• ISBN-13: 978-1580051170
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, compelling, December 7, 2004

By 

Mike (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under Her Skin: How Girls Experience Race in America (Live Girls) (Paperback)

The essays in this book make the textures of America's racial problem palpable by a careful buildup of detail, observed by about 20 female writers before they were writers at all. The results are rich -- you get a sense of what's been gained in the last few decades, of what's been lost, and of what's still missing.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars These stories got under my skin, December 10, 2004

By 

Vijaya Bodach "Children's Writer" (Redmond, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Under Her Skin: How Girls Experience Race in America (Live Girls) (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading these stories, some of which reflected my thoughts and feelings about race and color. They were not simple recountings of events, rather each author dug deep into her heart and returned with a pearl of understanding. It takes courage to write honestly about these topics.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting into our experiences, July 1, 2006

By 

Kimberly Pauley "YA Author" (Grayslake, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Under Her Skin: How Girls Experience Race in America (Live Girls) (Paperback)

Pooja Makhijani's Under Her Skin is an excellent non-fiction look at the complex way girls experience race in America. With short essays from women from all walks of life and all different races, this is a stunning and thought-provoking book.

I don't know if I could think of a better book to keep in a classroom, especially in today's high schools. Race is a card often played, rarely understood, and hotly contested. The raw truth and honesty in the stories in Under Her Skin will get to just about anyone and everyone - no matter what race they consider themselves to be - will find something to identify with.

After all, we've all felt left out, right? We've all had moments of doubt, of disbelief, of confusion.

For me, the stories from Asians were particularly poignant - being half-Chinese and having lived for a brief time in Mississippi (where our family was the only remotely ethnic family for three counties), I can definitely relate. Perhaps those middle states in the U.S. are the places where this book would be most useful.

Recommended for readers of all ages, especially women, but also anyone searching for a little truth in their life. Definitely recommended for classroom use--use the stories together or singly.

Kimberly Pauley, The YA Books Goddess @ YoungAdultBooksCentral.com