I'm Down, A Memoir, Mishna Wolff

Publisher's Copy:

Mishna Wolff grew up in a poor black neighborhood with her single father, a white man who truly believed he was black. “He strutted around with a ...more Mishna Wolff grew up in a poor black neighborhood with her single father, a white man who truly believed he was black. “He strutted around with a short perm, a Cosby-esqe sweater, gold chains and a Kangol—telling jokes like Redd Fox, and giving advice like Jesse Jackson. You couldn’t tell my father he was white. Believe me, I tried,” writes Wolff. And so from early childhood on, her father began his crusade to make his white daughter Down.

Unfortunately, Mishna didn’t quite fit in with the neighborhood kids: she couldn’t dance, she couldn’t sing, she couldn’t double dutch and she was the worst player on her all-black basketball team. She was shy, uncool and painfully white. And yet when she was suddenly sent to a rich white school, she found she was too “black” to fit in with her white classmates.

I’m Down is a hip, hysterical and at the same time beautiful memoir that will have you howling with laughter, recommending it to friends and questioning what it means to be black and white in America.


My Review:

Although I read tons of Young Adult books, I had no idea I'm Down was classified as a YA book. I wonder if my library didn't label it wrong.

Anyway, this was a book I was excited to read, it seemed right up my alley, but it just never grabbed me. It's not a bad book and Mishna's stories and situation are interesting, but something didn't click for me.

I wouldn't tell you not to pick it up, you probably need to try this one out for yourself!