White Girl

by Sylvia Olsen

Book Overview

"I never thought about being white. I didn't have to. I was transparent&8212;no colour at all. I hung out, was a good enough student and no one paid any special attention to me at all. Then I became a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 155039147X
• ISBN13: 9781550391473
• Release Date: February 2022
• Publisher: Sono NIS Press
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Book!!!

I am 44yo Black Female and I'd seen this book on the library shelf, and finally decided to read it. I loved it! What makes a familyis an overacing theme. Some mild mysticisim, but everything is handled with sensitivity and Syvlia Olson's sure hand. Ms. Olson ties the many issues discussed under the umbrella of learning to see from different perpsectives,and a life-changing decision viewed in flashback There is some strong cursing-four letter words, and violent threats, but not by the main characters. The use of raw language is to show the rudeness, coarseness and troubled nature of the characters that use that language. It shows how they are not part of the solution, but part of the problem. There is a romance that captures the intense emotions and physical feelings of first love, and a kiss, but the couples don't go beyond that. What I liked best about this book is that it is one of the few books I have ever read that explores the difficulty of understanding racism when you are the majority ethnic group. It is not until Josie leaves town, where the majority are white Canadians and goes to the Indian Reserve where she is a very visible minority that she understands what she has taken for granted all her life. She is singled out, bullied, mocked and shunned, which teaches her about the acidic effects of prejudice not just on the individual, but on the perpetrator. She is scared, lonely and alone until she finds the courage to accept friendship. She finally realizes that while her mother is outwardly prejudiced, she herself has a subtle form of prejudice that contributed to her difficulties fitting in. The charactars speak frankly about race and hatred. Where do you belong when you are different from everyone around you? They discuss how to treat others who are different, how they feel when stereotypes are applied to them. They don't have all the answers, but they talk and talk and figure things out together. The book has insightful things to say about learning to trust others who are different, learning to trust yourself and standing up for yourself and those you care about, no matter how scary the circumstances. Intra-racial prejudice, traditional problems on Native American reservations also surface. Class distinctions are addressed. My review makes this book sound preachy and hopelessly goody-goody, like an ABC Afterschool Special, from my youth. But some of those specials were pretty good. Josie's voice is very realistic, as are the dialogue of the other fifteen year olds and the adults. Sure Josie makes some poor choices, but it's part of growing up. It was so gratifying to see her finally set aside her fear and speak up for herself and those she cares about. And also good to see her learn to open her heart and her mind to the world around her, the good and the bad. This book was inspiring, and I plan to buy it for a 15 year-old white girl that I know. I think it should be required reading- it's not anywhere near as dry or superfic