Caucasia

Rating:
Summary: Will be a classic
Review: I've read Caucasia twice, once in 1998 when it first came out, and again this 2000. It's one of those stories that you want to read over and over like seeing your favorite movie. The story told by Birdie, the main character is her search for identity in a world where color seems to be black and white, one side or the other. The choice must be made. This story reminded me of Glimmer by Annie Waters which was also a search for identity of a biracial young woman. Caucasia is a must read for anyone who has felt lost in the sea of color coded labels.

Rating:
Summary: An insightful story
Review: This book blew me away! I am a biracial (black/white) teen girl and can identify very strongly with the feelings the main character in this book has! At times, I felt like I was reading the pages of my own diary! I couldn't tear myself away from this incredible story. This book is a must for anyone who has struggled to find their identity. This is my new favorite book! Ms. Senna, if you're out there...thank you...thank you! [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Yawn....
Review: I read this book in a book group and usually can at least appreciate anything that is thrown my way. However, this book was one of the most boring books I've ever read. No one else in my book club even bothered to finish it. While I appreciate and was interested in the topic, the author's voice was completely unoriginial and put me right to sleep. One positive comment: I did grow attached to the little girl who narrates the story.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing, From Start To Finish!
Review: This book was unbelievable! I have never given myself so fully to a novel. The experiences amoung the characters were trully, realistic. Senna spoke up for all of us 'mixed kids' out there. With the weight of two worlds on our shoulders, this book has become a documentary on what its like to live in that situation. Thank You!

Rating:
Summary: Loving Caucasia
Review: Review of Caucasia Danzy Senna

I loved reading this book. Every chapter held a secret, and every secret explained more about Birdie Lee's mixed up life. The story had many emotions, and thoughts about the world and history. I found the book to very exciting because I could relate to some of the emotions and ideas that Danzy Senna brought up in this book.

Danzy Senna did a wonderful job of creating a world in which she ( Birdie) has to try to fit in, to hide who she really is. I think that if you have ever wondered why color is such a divider in our world, and why we often use labels to judge someone; then you might enjoy this book. Or if you enjoy a little mystery in a book.

Rating:
Summary: A Heart-Stopping Book
Review: I think that this is a very good book because of two reasons: It is written well; the author portrays the character's actions, ideas and feelings in a way that makes them seem real, as well as a way that makes the story interesting, complicated and descriptive. The author makes you feel what the characters are feeling, and makes you feel different ways about different situations. That is to say, that the book has strong emotions in it, and they really reach out and grab you.

This book is about two sisters who are very close, but who are treated differently because they look different - they are biracial and one of them looks more white, one of them looks more black. This is a heart-stopping story about a family and their journey through life. You are guaranteed to like this book - if you like intense books about family struggles!

Rating:
Summary: Caucasia fully earns 4 stars
Review: I really liked this book and think that almost anyone who has read it will agree with me. Caucasia is a moving story about a biracial girl in the 1970's and 80's, trying to find her identity in a world which thinks of her as no more complicated than white. Senna narrates the story in a unique voice, and you wonder if Birdie's (the main charactor's) experiences are really Senna's own. The writing style engages you early on, and won't let go. I think reading it is a truly worth while use of your time.

I think that most people would like this book, but people who need action or sci-fi to enjoy a story probably wouldn't find this interesting.

Rating:
Summary: RACISM INSIDE THE FAMILY
Review: I enjoyed this book very much but I couldn't get over the fact that Birdie and Cole were seperated, by their parents, by color. Cole going with her dark skinned father and Birdie Lee staying with her white mother. Both Parents Loved their children and were fighting for equality why did they themselves draw those Color lines with their children?

Rating:
Summary: A Search of acceptance and love
Review: MLKing bookclub, Sacramento, Ca meets second Saturday of month: African Writers We enjoyed the book: Comment Samples: **My own experiences of people making assumptions about my ethnic heritage affected me in some of the same conflicted ways it did Birdie. **The categorization of people into black and white perpetuates the problems faced by black people in the US. **The undying need for family and belonging--the need to feel acceptance within a group.Birdie needed to feel that her own identify fits her no matter how others categorize her. **Canaries in the mine, Birdie and her sisters were experiments in racemixing--however most of all they were human beings trying to find their way and themselves. Their search led them back to themselves and to each other-for love and acceptance.

Rating:
Summary: A search for Love and Acceptance
Review: Our bookclub meets monthly at the MlKing Library in Sacramento--second Saturday. We read African American writers. WE all liked Caucasia. Some conclusion samplings: The nature of oneself if more often dictated by the manner in which America define,dictates, and responds to a race. **We live in a world that destroys families by racism and other isms. Yet families and individuals keep surviving with new truths being discovered. **People like to be able to easily categorize people so they can "know" how to address them..what can be shared, what can't. **The book affected me by making me more aware of how insidious the habit of letting people's appearances shape my perception of them.