BOOK REVIEW: "White Chocolate," by Elizabeth Atkins

 

Beige World editor in chief David Burnett gives his review of White Chocolate, a romance novel by biracial author and lecturer Elizabeth Atkins.

David Burnett, Beige World Editor In Chief:

This past August, at the Missouri Black Expo here in St. Louis (http://www.missouriblackexpo.com/), I had the pleasure of meeting biracial author and lecturer Elizabeth Atkins (http://www.elizabethatkins.com/) for the first time.  She was one of several authors who participated in the Expo's Café Literary Corner.

Well, for starters, when I first saw her, I had NO idea that she was biracial.  Like probably many people, I assumed that she was white simply because of her appearance (fair skin, blonde hair, etc.).  However, as she mentioned later during the program, her late father was part English, French-Canadian, and Cherokee, and her mother is African-American.  So even us Beige folks get it wrong sometimes. 

She was in town to promote her romance novel, White Chocolate.  It's the story of Taylor James, a biracial TV news anchor and journalist who went undercover to expose a violent white supremacist group, and whose work ultimately sent them to prison.  However, they're back on the streets, and they're out for revenge.  On top of all that, Taylor is caught in the middle of a chaotic love triangle between Phillip Carter, her TV executive fiancé, and Julian DuPont, her biracial college sweetheart who left her inexplicably, but who is now back in her life again.

What I liked most about the book is how it not only it keeps us entertained - with the descriptive language and plot twists and turns normally associated with a romance novel - but, at the same time, it informs us about the racial attitudes (in particular, those attitudes about biracial people) that are pervasive in our society.

As Elizabeth puts it, she edu-tains us - educating AND entertaining us at the same time.  In my opinion, she does this very well In White Chocolate.  She skillfully combines love, betrayal, and racial politics into one, and paints a vivid picture for us to visualize.  As a Beige person myself, I could easily relate to both the Taylor and Julian characters, and what they go through on a regular basis.

Whether or not you're into romance novels, I think you'll find White Chocolate to be a fun and interesting read.

If anyone out there has also read White Chocolate, feel free to post a comment and share your thoughts on it.

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Dear David: WOW! THANK YOU so much for this awesome review! It was a delight meeting you in St. Louis. What you are doing is SO cool! Celebrate Change! Elizabeth Atkins

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