Sarah Valentine grew up one of three children of white parents of Italian and Irish heritage. She was consistently told by her parents that she was white and her mother deliberately discouraged Valentine’s interest in African-American bands. But, as the title of this memoir implies, Sarah’s biological father, of whom she knew nothing, was African-American. This memoir, of course, has the benefit of hindsight and Valentine recounts her experiences in childhood where others around her seemed to intuit the truth that she didn’t see in herself. This wonderful memoir highlights the ways that race is a social construct, but also the ways in which physical attributes trigger ingrained, perhaps subconscious responses. Once Valentine confronts her parents and learns the truth, she finds herself in uncharted territory. Ultimately, she “comes out” as African-American, but without the family and cultural upbringing, she wrestles with what it means for her to Be Black. A fascinating book that raises questions of upbringing, culture and biology.

This book is a memoir about a woman, Sarah Valentine, who thought she was white when she was growing up, but later discovered that her father was a black man, making her biracial.

I have so many thoughts about this book that I'm not sure I will be able to get them all down coherently. First of all, it was a great book. I love books that make me think about people of different races. Sometimes it is hard for me to put myself in their thoughts. This one is even better because it is a true story about a real person.

At first, I was a little incredulous that a person didn't know their race. Then I began to understand that deep down, she did know, but she went by what she was told. I guess other people didn't get involved either because it wasn't their place.

The ending of the book did fall a little flat for me. Valentine just sort of rushed through the ending, which was a surprise after how much detail was put into the beginning of her story. I would love to know more about what happens next for her and her life.

A well written and engrossing biography that I finished in one sitting can t wait to read more from this author

Really good memoir about a girl who thought she was white and come to find out she was bi-racial. I enjoyed this read and found many can relate. Would definitely recommend.
Great memoir!!! Thank you for giving me a chance to read this wonderful Arc.

I really enjoyed this book. Those interested in biographies/Memoirs will be interested in reading this book. I rate this book 5 out of 5. Generously provided by NetGalley.

This was an interesting book. The woman grew up thinking she was white and it turned out she wasn’t. The rest of the book was her coming to grips with this and how it affected her life.

I thought it was well written, but it do feel like it fell flat at the end. She married but when she divorced she glossed over it a bit. After a lot about her parents in the beginning, the details got skimpy towards the end.

This intriguing story line is one that many of us can relate to- finding out a truth about yourself that you were not prepared for. I was glued to the pages from start to finish waiting to see how Valentine coped with her newfound truth. This book is well written, and makes the reader question uncertainties about his/her own life. I highly recommend!

This was a fascinating memoir of a young woman who passed as white for most of her life until she discovered she was bi racial. The profound effect that had on her life was moving, and I thank her for sharing her story.

I am sure this will be the talked about memoir of the 2019. When I Was White is an incredibly nuanced, perceptive and deeply thought out account of growing up being denied one's identity. At the age of 27 the author has had her lifelong suspicions confirmed: her biological father had been a black man. This fact has remained a well guarded secret in her family. Having grown up in a white family and passing for white all her life until then Valentine now embarks on the process of discovering who she is and where she belongs. As a brilliant scholar of literature and a translator, she knows how to write well. This book is a pleasure to read. The nuance, the depth of her analysis is astounding. I was deeply moved and at the same time I felt very privileged to be part of her personal journey in which she uncovers countless details, experiences, bias, assumptions that our society cultivates. She has now successfully reformatted herself and became a new self, even changing her name, but it was and continues to be a painful, anxious process and we as participants to the author's trials can recognize with many of her experiences. The book is well planned, at times it reads like a hard to put down suspense novel, at times more like a scholarly analysis but it is never dry and always interesting and rewarding. This is my number one non fiction book of 2019 so far. Highly recommended to persons of all colours.