SOUL WATER RISING PROUDLY PRESENTS A LANDMARK MEMOIR
July 15, 1968. It is only three months following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the nation is burning. Black and White America are locked in the tense grip of massive change. Into this inferno steps an unsuspecting young White couple. Neither significantly knew even a single African American person while growing up. Now, a child will change all of that forever. In this fateful moment, a Black baby becomes perhaps the first in the history of New Mexico to be adopted by a White family. Here is a brazenly honest glimpse into the mind and heart of that child, a true story for the ages.
Jaiya John has opened the floodgates on his own childhood. Black Baby White Hands, a waterfall of jazz splashing over the rocks of pain, love and the honoring of family. Magically, this book finds a way to sing as it cries, and to exude compassion even as it dispels well-entrenched myths. This classic is sure to find itself well worn, stained by tears, and brushed by laughter in the lap of parents, adolescents, educators, students and professionals. Here comes the rain and the sunshine, all at once.
"Penetrating. John’s is a truly fresh voice emergent from an insightful American childhood." —Terrie Williams, author of The Personal Touch and Stay Strong:Simple Life Lessons for Teens. Founder, The Stay Strong Foundation
“One of the few books to examine transracial adoption from a balanced perspective and to make a strong case for considering culture in placement decisions. It should be read by all adoptive parents, caseworkers, agency heads, policymakers and groups concerned about the best interests of children of color in foster care.” —Robert B. Hill, Ph.D., sociologist and author of The Strengths of Black Families
"Our concept of civil rights and spiritual responsibility has been peeled back afresh and rendered deeper with this book." —James M. Jones, Ph.D., author of Prejudice and Racism
"This is a pot of gold for adoptive parents, and especially for transracially adoptive parents. But more than that, this book is priceless for anyone who cares to voyage into the wonderland that is a child's heart." —Sydney Duncan, MSW, Founding Executive, Homes for Black Children, The nation's first African American adoption agency
“Powerful. This book is not only beautifully written, it also deserves a wide audience.” —Writer’s Digest
Black Baby White Hands: A View from the Crib is a memoir that, via the intense intimacy of one child's life, represents in microcosm the experience of many youth in this society. Beyond race, this story also mines the culturally rich texture of contemporary American youth and their families. This book has been adopted for high school and college courses nationwide. In addition to its obvious child welfare implications, it reveals much of the complex psyches of African American and Caucasian American children and adults, as well as those of people of all heritages and backgrounds in today's overwhelming social world. It is a powerful narrative that carries the reader down a poetic stream and into a waterfall of insight regarding the following contemporary youth dynamics:
Self esteem
Processing racism and prejudice productively
Racial and ethnic esteem
Identifying life purpose
Identity development
The relationship between emotional pain and growth
Child and parent communication
Self-expression and creativity as empowerment
Conflict resolution
Independence and conformity
Attachment, bonding and positive relationship factors
Belonging, social isolation, and collective orientation
Trust and honesty in childhood relationships
The importance of mentoring and role models
Trauma and emotional/psychological healing
_____________________ PERSONAL ORDERS
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