Off-White: A Memoir »

Laurie Gunst was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She received her undergraduate degree from UNH and a Ph.D. from Harvard. She is the author of Born Fi' Dead: A Journey Through the Jamaican Posse Underworld, published by Holt in 1996. She now teaches a course Race Relations, at The New School in New York City, where she lives with her husband.

A very different love story: the relationship between child and caregiver.

Claire Rosser - KLIATT

To be a Jew in the segregated South was to be "off-white." Gunst had an unusual childhood and adolescence, with progressive Jewish parents who had their own problems, and her strongest relationships were with her African American nanny and other servants in their household. Gunst's love for her nanny, Rhoda, lasted for as long as Rhoda lived; and even after Rhoda's death, Gunst searched out Rhoda's family to connect with them. So this is Rhoda's story too. Gunst takes her memoirs to the present, over decades of her family history and her personal memoirs. Much of this story is troubled, especially her problems with drug addiction and her squandering of her inheritance. She made poor choices in her personal life, especially with men. Yet, she managed to conquer her addictions and she found a man who understands her and loves her. Gunst's intelligence and honesty make this a remarkable personal history that clearly tells how race affects us all in this society. Ultimately, her story is one about women--several generations of women, Jewish and black, who made the best of their lives, and made mistakes too. KLIATT Codes: A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. 2005, Soho Press, 314p. illus., $14.00.. Ages 17 to adult.