Off-Color, Janet McDonald

McDonald, Janet (2007).
Off-Color
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
978-0374371968
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Fifteen-year-old Cameron, living with her single mother in Brooklyn, finds her search for identity further challenged when she discovers that she is the product of a biracial relationship.
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Fifteen-year-old Cameron lives in a white working class section Brooklyn with her single mom. Cameron’s concerns revolve around wearing clean clothes and getting to school on time. However, everything changes when Cameron’s mother loses her job at the nail salon and is forced to move into the all minority projects across Brooklyn. Cameron fears culture shock as well as abandonment from her friends. Soon after moving, Cameron discovers a photo album in her mother’s room. The album contains a picture of Cameron’s father—who happens to be black. Cameron never suspected her mixed heritage, and she cautiously questions her biracial identity. Because everyone thinks Cameron is white, Cameron wonders what will happen if she tells them the truth—but then, Cameron doesn’t know what it means to be black. In her confusion, she struggles to tell her old friends while making new friends in the projects. Even though each friend represents a stereotypical caricature of black people (the sassy wise widow, the ghetto fab hood rats, etc), they each allow Cameron the opportunity to contemplate her identity. As Cameron grows more comfortable, many characters admit their own biracial heritage (guidance counselor, Afr Am studies teacher, new friends in the projects) which seems improbable. Still the novel will facilitate thought about biracial individuals. Ghetto speak abounds without much profanity or sex.