BIOGRAPHY

The Book Keeper: A Memoir of Race, Love, and Legacy

by Julia McKenzie Munemo
Swallow. Jan. 2020. 256p. ISBN 9780804012218. $27.95. MEMOIR
COPY ISBN
Freelance writer Munemo lost her father to suicide when she was only five. He was a Jewish man who wrote books Munemo refers to as “slavers”—pulp paperbacks full of interracial sex set during the Civil War era. Now a parent herself, raising two multiracial children with her Zimbabwean husband in a world that is increasingly dangerous for people of color, Munemo has set herself a goal: to unearth what drove her father’s despondency, his racism, and his creative spirit. While the book is an engaging meditation on a family heritage rife with religious, racial, and emotional conflicts, Munemo has not given much consideration to the renewed rise in anti-Semitism in her thinking about the dangers she describes in a Trump presidency.
VERDICT A carefully crafted memoir for all readers who care about family connections and legacies, and about multiracial identity, in an increasingly complex world.
Reviewed by Amy Lewontin, Northeastern Univ. Lib., Boston , Jan 01, 2020
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

NONFICTION

Zora Neale Hurston
by Hopson, Cheryl R.
NONFICTION

Peerless: Rouben Mamoulian, Hollywood, and Broadway
by Jensen, Kurt
NONFICTION

I Can’t Remember If I Cried: Rock Widows on Life, Love and Legacy
by Tucker-Sullivan, Lori
NONFICTION

Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell
by Powers, Ann
NONFICTION

Dear Readers and Riders: The Beloved Books, Faithful Fans, and Hidden Private Life of Marguerite Henry
by Teague, Lettie
MEDIA

Double Click: Twin Photographers in the Golden Age of Magazines
by Kino, Carol
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?