Black daughter, white father, white mother. Race, adoption, and
identity collide in this award-winning debut about a teen challenging
the life she's always known.
Being a transracial adoptee doesn't bother sixteen-year-old Alex
Kirtridge-at least, not in a way she can explain to her white family. It
doesn't matter that she's biracial when she's the star of the baseball
team. But when Alex is off the field, she's teased for acting too white
and judged for looking black. And while she loves her parents, her
hot-headed brother, and her free-speaking sister, they don't seem to
understand what it means that Reggie, a fellow ball player, is the first
black guy who's wanted to get to know her.
Things only get more complicated when she finds hidden letters from her
birth father. Alex can't stop asking questions. Does she really fit in
with her family? What would it be like to go to a black hairdresser?
Should she contact her birth father, despite the fact that it might
devastate her parents? Meanwhile, her body is changing, and Alex isn't
sure she can keep up with her teammates. If she's going to find answers,
Alex must come to terms with her adoption, her race, and the dreams she
thought would always guide her.
Author Shannon Gibney draws from her own experiences as a transracial
adoptee to deliver this honest coming-of-age novel about a girl who
doesn't know where she wants to fit in. Paperback edition includes a
reading guide at the back!
