文章基本信息

标题：Golden, Marita. Don't play in the sun; one woman's journey through the color complex
作者：KaaVonia Hinton
期刊名称：Kliatt
印刷版ISSN：1065-8602
出版年度：2005
卷号：May 2005
出版社：Kliatt

Golden, Marita. Don't play in the sun; one woman's journey through the color complex

KaaVonia Hinton

GOLDEN, Marita. Don't play in the sun; one woman's journey through the color complex. Random House, Anchor. 195p. c2004. 1-4000-7736-2. $13.00. SA

"My friend's beautiful, brown-skinned, five-year-old daughter clutches her baby picture, beams with pride and boasts that she was born white, I cringe." "My husband chides me for allowing our son, who is much lighter than us, to play in the summer sun. I ignore him when he complains that our son is getting dark."

This book is not one woman's journey. Golden pokes and prods, exposing parts of this reader that have been kept silent and secret, making it difficult to review this book in an objective manner. The personal stories she shares are not unique to her. She speaks the truth as many people of color have known it, forcing colorism underneath a microscope and examining all of its parts. Through interviews and conversations with psychologists, television producers, photographers, friends, and numerous others, she reveals that colorism still exists, despite the recent claims that racism doesn't. News clippings and media criticism offer further insight into this issue, urging YA readers to look at music videos, movies, and sports personalities critically. Young readers might also find the final section, "Letter to a Young Black Girl I Know." compelling. At times the views shared seem redundant, but really only point to the magnitude of the problem in the US, countries in Africa, and other places.

Black women writers often write about beauty standards and the destructive nature of hair and skin politics on women's lives. Golden has joined the conversation, making it painfully clear that African Americans have internalized intraracism and used it to psychologically maim each other and ourselves. KaaVonia Hinton, Ph.D., Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA

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