Parade of Shades

For the better part of her young life, Karen Baker reacts to people who either praise or resent her tawny complexion. When her mother abandons the family, she is left to help raise her younger siblings with a father who unfortunately is absent even when he is at home. A biracial (Arab/White) woman from the Big Brothers-Big Sisters mentor program briefly steps into place and a change begins in Karen. She is interested in new paths and explores experiences that she would never have encountered but for her new-found adult friend. However, Karen quickly learns everything has a price. For instance, her new entertainment choices are even more unpopular among her classmates than her growing vocabulary. Lacking a sense of belonging, Karen feels misunderstood in high school and defensive in college. Her failed romances with men of various ethnic groups make her life worse. Her problems follow her into the business world as Karen leaves Homewood, Pittsburgh’s largest ghetto. As she journeys through her life, she gives up the idea that light skin and long hair are the main definitions of beauty. She also stops believing college graduates are better than people who do not have an advanced education. Similar to Passin’ by Karen E. Quinones Miller and Good Hair by Benilde Little, this novel explores African-Americans’ internal color and cultural discrimination.