Masterful storytelling of a groundbreaking topic!!! Hallelujah for something fresh and endearing in publishing that should have made the Mother’s Day gift list. Ms. Austin writes with such clarity and depth on the parenting niche of adoption that one clamors to imagine scores of on-the-fence adoptive parents being moved to do so now! She hits the nail on the proverbial head of any number of salient issues/desires both a single woman and a Black woman would encounter in attaining parenthood in the public sector. Equally, she aptly portrays the joys, the rewards, and the rudimentary discipline that becomes packaged as true love. If the question was “can you come to love your chosen child as you would a biological one while wrangling motherhood without a partner?” Ms. Austin’s journey walks that talk forwards, backwards and double time! Timely written between the culture and climate of the opposite administrations of Obama and the 45th, she leaves no question left unturned as to the brand of consciousness required to raise Black children in this “This is America” era. A superb affirmation of Black Motherhood being so Black✊🏽.

I really enjoyed this book. I'd been aware of some of the struggles of adopting a child, thanks to my sister in law and her two adopted children. But I (being white as freaking paper) had no idea what the other side of that looked like if you're not a white person. Thanks for showing me what it's like.

Society has made White the default, so when black single mother Nefertiti Austin embarked on an adoption journey, she struggled to find herself in the existing narrative. This is a beautiful story of becoming a family, and begins to fill the huge void of inclusive family origin stories.

As a mother of two boys, this book really struck a chord. How dare people be so judgmental simply because she was trying to be a mother. This story is heartwarming, yet heart-wrenching at the same time. Top quality writing, and hooks the reader.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This story is more a personal narrative of her adopted child then a political polemic about the whitewashing of motherhood, but the personal is political, and we do get there quite often in a roundabout way. Enjoyable offbeat tale of motherhood

So informative. Great information if your looking to foster or adopt . Loved the realness. Like to know an update on authors life now. Nice book.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

An important read a look at black women motherhood single parenting and the difficulty black women face adopting.A book to be read and discussed excellent for book club discussion.#netggaley #sourcebooks.

An important read that will be relatable to all mothers but also eye opening to many. I enjoyed this memoir and feel it will lead to great conversations among diverse mothers.

"Motherhood is so white and in need of a revolution."

This memoir is situated in history, examining the effects of racism in Black families as well as telling one woman's story of becoming an adoptive single mama. It's an intelligent book—Austin is a US History college professor, and her book is incredibly nuanced—her story spans through generations in order to help us understand where we are today. But it's also heart-warming and funny. Austin educates through what feels like a very good, smart conversation.

“Adopting a child I didn’t know was breaking code. White people did shit like that."
Austin explains that while in-family adoptions are common, adopting "strangers" isn't part of her culture. She is 100% true to herself and makes no apologies. As she writes, “I wasn’t seeking permission, just giving them a heads-up that when I came through the door with a baby he would be mine and not some child I snatched from the mall.” (61)

"Motherhood So White" fills a gaping hole in the Mothering literature, and is a call for publishers that we need more representation in literature, not just in the memoir and advice sections, but in picture books and children's lit as well. “How would I normalize his adoption journey if the available literature excluded us?”


It's highly relatable to mothers everywhere, and I learned a lot about my own privilege. It's the start of an important conversation.

Austin said it best, "All mothers, be they lesbian, heterosexual, Black, white,Asian, Latina, queer, transgender, nonbinary, or disabled have struggles, and we need to support each other. We each have the same dream of building better families,, and this is possible, as long as we recognize and respect each other."

Motherhood So White, is an excellent read. Black women had been demonized as single household parents for years. But black mothers have been raising well adjusted black children for years. Kudos

As a librarian, it broke my heart a little when Austin recounted not once, but twice, going to a library and trying to find books about black parents adopting black children and coming up empty handed. This was a book I couldn't put down, and it also encouraged me to take a second look at our collections to make sure it reflects the diverse experiences of our community. Her reflections on her choices when parenting a black boy especially made me think twice about the overall whiteness (and femaleness) of our collection. We can do better.

As a white mother, I am here to listen.

The author did not see herself reflected in society (media, books, mommy blogs etc) and felt erased and invisible. She wrote this books as a resource for single black women considering adoption, so they could see themselves in the retelling of her experience. Humans crave connection with their communities and one way to foster that is by representation. When she could find it, she created it.

In addition, I found the the interviews and resources at the end particularly helpful.

This boom is a sincere and emotional look into the difficult path of adoption, but more notably, adoption by a black parent. Honestly, this problem had never crossed my mind and I am so glad to have read this moving account so I have s better understanding.

This book is beautifully written, socially important, and impactful. A great read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

This book helped me understand a number of my unconscious biases about parenting and led me to understanding how my privilege as a white woman extends even to motherhood. I appreciated that Austin's experiences were universal such that I could identify with them even as she helped me see what was different in her life. Highly recommended.

This book was a profound and immersive look into the experience of Black motherhood. I felt like I was right by the author’s side in the moments that she recounts due to her vivid language, and felt honored to get such an education on the realities of mothering while Black. I’ve long been an ally to several important issues, but I feel like my ally status was lacking until I read this engrossing book. Kudos to the author for not censoring the way things are and making life as a discriminated against person clear as day. This book should be required reading for all mothers, because when they say that it takes a village, it really does. We can’t truly be there for each other without understanding the dynamic of society today. I’d love to see a follow up that recounts fatherhood while Black. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my free ARC; this book changed me greatly for the better!