American Negra A memoir

The experience of finding one's identity between two cultures is illustrated in this coming-of-age memoir by award-winning journalist and media host Alford. The daughter of an African American father and a Puerto Rican mother, Alford grew up in her father's hometown of Syracuse, New York. Though its population is diverse, from a young age her identity was frequently up for discussion despite the strong sense of heritage she acquired from her parents. As her mother tells her, "You are both of us, Natasha. Never let anyone tell you that you can't be all of who you are." It is this idea that she grapples with in many situations throughout her life, from visits to Puerto Rico to see her mother's relatives to her Harvard education to her experiences in the workplace as she builds her career. Alford's story is one of belonging and feeling a connection to her past and her present. Alford's journalistic writing style is engaging and accessible, and her account is never overly sentimental or nostalgic. Recommend to readers of Moving Forward (2019), by Karine Jean-Pierre.

A journalist chronicles her life journey as the child of a Black father and Puerto Rican mother. As CNN analyst Alford recounts, when she was young, she never quite knew how to express her identity. Her Puerto Rican mother was raised in New York City, while her father was a Black custodian from Syracuse. An only child, the author grew up in Syracuse acutely aware of her otherness, in terms of skin color, hair texture, and her Spanish-speaking mother. Early on, she identified more with her Black relatives, who helped her develop "an idealized version of Black womanhood that equated to regality, community leadership, and wisdom." At the same time, her mother encouraged her: "You are Black. You are Puerto Rican. And you are a girl. That's three strikes against you--but you can be anything you dream of being." A gifted student, Alford excelled at oratory in the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, and she went on to attend Harvard as part of "the first incoming freshmen class to have access to a little website called TheFacebook." Her hard-charging lifestyle as a dedicated journalist took a toll, first in the form of a blood disease, and then lupus. "I had spent my whole life working twice as hard to prove myself, to the world and my own self," she writes. "I'd managed to avoid becoming a statistic for both the communities I came from--but now I was among the sick." After stints as a hedge fund manager and educator, Alford joined the Black news website TheGrio, where she is now the vice president of digital content. The author doesn't delve deeply into her personal life, but her career arc will prove inspiring for aspiring journalists, especially those of color. A heartening and instructive portrait of a young woman's search for identity. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.