Sweeter the Juice: A Family Memoir in Black and White

The Sweeter the Juice is a provocative memoir that goes to the heart of our American identity. Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, in an effort to reconcile the dissonance between her black persona and her undeniably multiracial heritage, started on a journey of discovery that took her over thousands of miles and hundreds of years. While searching for her mother's family, Haizlip confronted the deeply intertwined but often suppressed tensions between race and skin color. We are drawn in by the story of an African-American family. Some members chose to "cross over" and "pass" for white while others enjoyed a successful black life. Their stories weave a tale of tangled ancestry, mixed blood, and identity issues from the 17th century to the present. The Sweeter the Juice is a memoir, a social history, a biography, and an autobiography. Haizlip gives to us the quintessential American story, unveiling truths about race, about our society, and about the ways in which we all perceive and judge one another.

ISBN-13: 9780671899332

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Free Press

Publication Date: 01-01-1995

Pages: 272

Product Dimensions: 8.51h x 5.50w x 0.71d

Shirlee Taylor Haizlip is the author of three books, The Sweet the Juice, Finding Grace, and In the Garden of Our Dreams.