Not Quite White

In the UK, ‘mixed’ is the fastest growing census category and yet mixed race people find themselves outside of the broader conversation about race and representation. Most of us agree that representation matters – but why? Part autobiography, part critical commentary, Not Quite White unpacks and examines the unique experience of growing up mixed race in the UK.
 
What is it like learning from a mother who is privy to a completely different type of privilege than you? When was the first time you realised your boyfriend was dating you to satisfy some weird fetish? How demoralising was it to find out that Princess Jasmine, your sole claim to Disney royalty, was based on a white model?  Part autobiography and part critical commentary, join Laila Woozeer as she blends together stories from her own life, looking specifically at the impact pop culture and media representation has on non-white people and the way they understand themselves, charting a narrative about being mixed race that stems from the 90s until the present day.
 
Her book examines the multi-racial experience: the personal, emotional and psychological impact of being mixed, without being reduced to two separate representations of a person. In the UK alone, “mixed” is the fastest growing census category, and the number of mixed race people has risen by a quarter of a million in just 10 years. But even so, mixed race people are placed outside of the conversation – they can speak directly to one of their communities but can’t be all of them at the same time.
 
Laila shares with you the cruellest and funniest moments of her life for your delectation. The book is routed in her own specific journey and introduces concepts as she chronologically learned of them. She incorporates child psychology, academic texts, and race theory without losing the personal connection, using anecdotes and experience to truly get to the core of the issues explored. 

Author: Laila Woozeer

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Released Date: 2020

ISBN: 9781471184178