zara's Reviews > One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race

I pre-ordered this book after I saw it cited in a Bitch Magazine article about colorism. I found it to be thoughtful and thought-provoking. The project showcases portraits and personal stories where people share about their Black identities and how their identities are/have been shaped by factors like skin tone, geographical location, family, community, culture, history, and political alignment. I found so many of the stories really interesting and engrossing. I side eyed some stories and felt challenged by others. I especially appreciated and related most to the stories of African-descended people across the diaspora and particularly the Caribbean, which helped me reflect on my own experience and relationship to Blackness. I also appreciated thinking through the ways that challenges to Blackness/proximity to whiteness can show up in many different ways (e.g. not just skin tone and features but language and neighborhood).