The Girl in the Yellow Poncho: A Memoir

Author:   Kristal Brent Zook
Publisher:   Duke University Press
ISBN:  

9781478017196


Pages:   224
Publication Date:   08 August 2023
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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The Girl in the Yellow Poncho: A Memoir


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Overview

At five years old, Kristal Brent Zook sat on the steps of a Venice Beach, California, motel trying to make sense of her white father's abandonment, which left her feeling unworthy of a man's love and of white protection. Raised by her working-class African American mother and grandmother, Zook was taught not to count on anyone, especially men. Men leave. Men disappoint. In adulthood she became a feminist, activist, and ""race woman"" journalist in New York City. Despite her professional success, something was missing. Coming to terms with her identity was a constant challenge. The Girl in the Yellow Poncho is Zook's coming-of-age tale about what it means to be biracial in America. Throughout, she grapples with in-betweenness while also facing childhood sexual assault, economic insecurity, and multigenerational alcoholism and substance abuse on both the Black and white sides of her family. Her story is one of strong Black women-herself, her cousin, her mother, and her grandmother-and the generational cycles of oppression and survival that seemingly defined their lives. Setting out on an inner journey that takes her across oceans and continents, Zook tells the story of a little girl who never gives up on love, even long after it seems to have been destroyed. In the end she triumphs, reconciling with her father and mother to create the family of her dreams through forgiveness and sheer force of will. A testament to the power of settling into one's authentic identity, this book tells a story of a daughter's lifelong yearning, a mother's rediscovery of lost love, and the profound power of atonement and faith to heal a broken family.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kristal Brent Zook
Publisher:   Duke University Press
Imprint:   Duke University Press
Weight:   0.517kg
ISBN:  

9781478017196


ISBN 10:   1478017198
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   08 August 2023
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Preface  ix Acknowledgments xi 1. Kansas Avenue  1 2. Uncle Mervin  7 3. Noches  13 4. Laurel Canyon  17 5. Dra  23 6. Hollywood Boulevard  27 7. Rockin’ Out  33 8. College Bound  41 9. Activist  47 10. Light-Skinned  55 11. Taking a Chance  63 12. Dad  69 13. ABD  79 14. Detour  87 15. Writer  95 16. Pain  105 17. Australia  111 18. Hiding  119 19. An Adventure  127 20. Alfonso  133 21. A New Life  141 22. Multiracial  149 23. Forgiving  155 24. Memories  159 25. Vashon Island  163 26. Thanksgiving  171 27. Lisa  177 28. Rekindled  183 29. Rage  189 30. A Birthday  195 31. Mothers  199 32. Transformation  207

Reviews

After thirty years of reporting, Kristal Brent Zook has turned inward to write a deeply personal, frank, and inspirational story about race and class. -- Ada Calhoun, author of * Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis * Kristal's story touched me deeply. It will touch everyone who has struggled with feeling the 'in-betweenness' that propels her riveting heroine's journey to define herself and create the family for which she yearned. The writing is as powerful as the message: love ultimately triumphs. -- Gloria Feldt, author of * Intentioning: Sex, Power, Pandemics, and How Women Will Take the Lead for (Everyone's) Good * Kristal Brent Zook's coming-of-age memoir is a thought-provoking tale of triumph outdistancing pain, of never giving up on love and hope despite childhood traumas and a broken family. Kristal writes so beautifully and urgently. The Girl in the Yellow Poncho will absolutely absorb you. -- Kevin Merida, coauthor of * Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs *


After thirty years of reporting, Kristal Brent Zook has turned inward to write a deeply personal, frank, and inspirational story about race and class. -- Ada Calhoun, author of * Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis * Kristal Brent Zook's coming-of-age memoir is a thought-provoking tale of triumph outdistancing pain, of never giving up on love and hope despite childhood traumas and a broken family. Kristal writes so beautifully and urgently. The Girl in the Yellow Poncho will absolutely absorb you. -- Kevin Merida, coauthor of * Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs *


Author Information

Kristal Brent Zook is Professor of Journalism at Hofstra University and author of Color by Fox: The Fox Network and the Revolution in Black Television, Black Women’s Lives: Stories of Pain and Power, and I See Black People: The Rise and Fall of African American-Owned Television and Radio. Zook’s entertainment, cultural, and social justice journalism has appeared in Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, Life, Entertainment Weekly, the New York Times Book Review, Essence, the Washington Post, and elsewhere. She lives in Miami and New York.

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