Mixed: My Life in Black and White (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: seclusion room, Angela Nissel, Sister Mary, Miss Marlo (more...)

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)
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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: 240 pages
• Publisher: Villard (January 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345481143
• ISBN-13: 978-0345481146
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,050 in Books (See Bestsellers 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 "Web Editor, Author, Rev... (Chicago) - See all my reviews

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 10 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 (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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)

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.