Turning White: A Memoir of Change (Hardcover)

by Lee Thomas (Author) "YOU HAVE A DISEASE CALLED VITILIGO," the doctor aaid with a straight, no-chaser delivery that made the words sting even more brutally..." (more)
Key Phrases: medical mystery tour, Turning White, New York, Public Face (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In his thought-provoking memoir, Turning White, Emmy Award-winning TV broadcaster Lee Thomas shares the physical and mental battle he is waging with vitiligo a skin disorder that is literally turning him white.

At age 25, Thomas had a dream job in a dream city as a feature/entertainment reporter for the ABC networks flagship TV station in New York. Then he discovered a few white spots on his scalp, the small beginnings of a disease that has spread to half his face -- a fact he covers with makeup when on camera.

As someone in the very public eye, vitiligo has transformed not only Thomas' color, but his life. "Even people who have known me for years avoid eye contact when they see my face without makeup for the first time," he writes.

Recently, Thomas turned the spotlight on himself during a special report for WJBK FOX 2 Detroit, where he is currently an entertainment reporter.

In Turning White, Thomas shares his journey to help people understand vitiligo, and to help others cope with the psychological war that comes from this life-changing disease.

About the Author
Lee Thomas is a playwright, journalist, and four-time Emmy Award-winning television broadcaster. The son of a military officer and a nurse assistant, Thomas got zest for life and love for people from his strong family and their many travels. Currently residing in Detroit, he is an anchor/entertainment reporter and regularly goes to Hollywood to chat with the stars. While dealing with the rich and famous he never thought the toughest story to tell would happen by turning the spotlight on himself, revealing a secret that was in plain sight. Lee Thomas, an African-American broadcaster, is turning white. In 1996 he was diagnosed with the pigment disorder, vitiligo.

Thomas has a B.A. in Speech Communications from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. As a broadcast journalist he has worked for the national television show "Channel One"; WABC 7 Eyewitness News in New York City; and WJBK Fox 2 News in Detroit. He can be seen daily on Fox 2 morning in Detroit.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Momentum Books; illustrated edition edition (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879094819
• ISBN-13: 978-1879094819
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #168,104 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vitiligo: A visual symptom of Autoimmune Disease, November 24, 2007

By	J. Breslin (Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lee Thomas' account of pursuing his "dream" career in TV is an easy and interesting read. His story is mostly about how he has dealt with the cosmetic and emotional aspects of discovering he has an autoimmune disease -- VITILIGO -- being a man-of-color (African American), and pursuing a career in a visual media -- TV.

What I most liked about his story was his realization about how the culmination of his poor diet / nutrition and hectic / stressful lifestyle were probably centrally involved -- and at the very least -- the contributing factors that provided the "environmental trigger" (my words) for vitiligo to present itself. He describes that after years of seeing traditional doctors and trying all the latest treatments it was with the help of a naturopath and nutritionist guiding him that he is now eating a mostly vegetarian diet that includes lean fish and organic eggs. He attributes this holistic approach to improving his overall health and perhaps even some pigment returning. He does take supplements but did not identify which ones.

Mr. Thomas explains that there are a theories about vitiligo perhaps being a genetic disease - that some believe it is and that others don't. He may not have known about recent vitiligo research when his book went to publication, but researchers from the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC) have discovered a connection between a NALP1 gene and vitiligo. The NALP1 gene is involved in controlling part of the immune system that monitors viral and bacterial attacks and is the key gene that predisposes someone to vitiligo and other autoimmune diseases. "This part of the immune system may respond to triggers coming from the environment, like bacteria or viruses, and there are indications that you can turn it off. So, we're very, very hopeful that there may be drugs that allow us to do that," said the study's senior author, Dr. Richard A. Spritz

Mr. Thomas explains that he doesn't know why he has vitiligo since no one else in his family has it. Because of the NALP1 discovery we now know that we are born with a genetic predisposition to AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE and some type of "trigger" -- a virus, bacterial infection....stress?? -- allows vitiligo to present itself. He mentions that the doctor that diagnosed his vitiligo mentioned that stress could be a trigger for vitiligo and the way he describes his early years in the TV industry...well I'm pretty sure that "stress" MUST have been his trigger.

I often refer to Autoimmune Disease as an umbrella term over many autoimmune symptoms that manifest into different disease categories -- like vitiligo, Crohn's, psoriasis...etc. I was disappointed that he did not emphasize that vitiligo is just one (visual) symptom of AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE -- but he and his doctors may not think of vitiligo in this way.

Mr. Thomas does relate how, because of a persistent back ache, he discovered he also has Crohn's disease -- another member of the AUTOIMMUNE FAMILY. He wasn't sure if the two are connected, but my understanding is that they are. If you are predisposed, someone can have multiple autoimmune diseases and it looks like Mr. Thomas has two - vitiligo and Crohn's. (Someone needs to tell him about how "Low Dose Naltrexone" -- LDN therapy is helping Crohn's patients. And it may help his vitiligo too. )

When I finished the book I just had the sense that Mr. Thomas doesn't see the "big picture" the way I do -- that vitiligo is just one symptom in AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE -- but maybe that was intentional on his part. --??-- I think he wanted people to know that if you have vitiligo, that you will be OK...that there are worse things. I really hope that anyone who reads this book doesn't finish it thinking that vitiligo is just a cosmetic disease -- for which there is no cure, just treatments -- and that is not a terminal disease. And this is all true -- if the PROGRESSION of the autoimmune disease stops at vitiligo.

All-in-all...I REALLY enjoyed this book. This book wasn't meant to be specifically about vitiligo or autoimmune disease -- it's Lee Thomas' story on how vitiligo has affected his life....the worries and the blessings. It's about how when we reach out to someone...how it can change their lives. Like the young boy with vitiligo who asked Lee to tell his story because then people might treat him differently if they understood what vitiligo was. This young boy described an even younger boy who has vitiligo on his face and wears a mask to hide it. It's about how some people seem just naturally generous and kind...his retelling of an interview that he had with the actor Dustin Hoffman really had my heart swelling. (Read the book and you'll see why.) It's about developing and maintaining positivity around yourself even though you have an incurable disease.

I have autoimmune disease -- and one of my symptoms is vitiligo... I have others. And just like Lee Thomas -- I am the only member of my family to have vitiligo.
For current vitiligo research information and support visit: [...]

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking, December 17, 2007

By	Lisa Little "lv2read" - See all my reviews

As a resident of Detroit, I see Lee Thomas on TV all the time. He has a sparkling presence in front of the camera. I already understood what was happening to him, as I have 2 family members who have gone through this struggle. I read his book to get a glimpse of how he, being a public personality, has dealt with vitiligo. I am very impressed with his writing and I am equally impressed that he has the courage to share this most intimate part of his life with the world. I recommend this book to those who really want to understand how someone with this condition is feeling on the inside. Maybe we'll see more compassion if more people read this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Turning White: An unforgettable MUST READ Memoir!, December 11, 2007

By	Alicia Dean (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is amazing. Thomas' account of his struggles with Vitiligo is powerfully poignant. Once you pick up this book you will find that you will not be able to put it down. Thomas' storytelling is brilliantly simple, artful. With remarkable honesty, he opens up his heart and soul in this book. You find yourself experiencing the raw emotions on the pages: fear, sadness, heartbreak, love, triumph, joy. The images of Thomas documenting his progressive pigment loss are compelling and beautiful. While Turning White teaches us about the disease vitiligo, it also serves as a lesson plan for living your best life in spite of your challenges, and that true beauty is way beyond skin deep. Thomas says he decided to share his story because a little boy with vitiligo asked him to do so. Anyone who reads this book owes a debt of gratitude to that child. You will be better for having read this memoir. You will be uplifted and inspired.