Other People's Skin: Four Novellas

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In OTHER PEOPLE'S SKIN: FOUR NOVELLAS (Atria Books, $14), edited by Tracy Price-Thompson and TaRessa Stovall, four prominent African-American female writers come together in an anthology to grapple with the perennially divisive issues of light skin versus dark skin and "good" hair versus "bad" hair. The collection begins with "My People, My People" by Stovall, the story of Carmella, a successful advertising executive whose cosmetic campaign is rejected because the model featured in the ad is too dark. While developing another idea to solve the problem, she learns she must deal with her own issues--she is attracted to a colleague she considers too light-skinned. That realization sparked a campaign to end intolerance and prove that Black is beautiful in every shade.

In "Other People's Skin," the award-winning contribution from Tracy Price-Thompson is set in 1970s Louisiana as a dark-skinned girl comes of age in a home where she is looked down upon by light-skinned relatives. Desiree Cooper in "New Birth" skillfully interconnects the lives of two different women--a Detroit lawyer, Catherine, who is married, and works for a prestigious firm; and Lettie is her poor, dark-skinned, widowed housekeeper, who is struggling to raise money to pay her imprisoned son's legal bills. Tempers flare between the two, as class, color, money and education separate the two.

"Take It Off!" by Elizabeth Atkins tells the story of Dahlia, a college student, who is mistaken for White as long as she keeps her coarse, braided hair hidden under a hat. Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Kyle, president of the Black Student Union, tries to cajole her into being more active. But she prefers the relative anonymity of her campus newspaper column. In the end, however, she must decide how she wants the world to see her.

COPYRIGHT 2007 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning