May 24 2009
Secret Daughter by June Cross, a review
The year 1954 was very different from today in many ways but in some ways, it is still very similar. Secret Daughter by June Cross really made that message clear. June Cross narrates the story of her life as a biracial daughter of a white mother (Norma) and a well-known Black vaudevillian (Jimmy Cross). June was turned over to her black aunt and uncle to be raised by her white mother for some very painful reasons. At various times, June is told by her mother to call her “Aunt Norma” instead of mother in public and parties, because she (Norma) and Larry (June’s stepfather) were trying to break into show business and having a child that was mixed race would pretty much lead to them being shunned. At other times, June’s mother and Larry make up a fictional tale about adopting a black girl, June, from the drug addict across the hallway because they wanted to give her a better life. This memoir is dedicated, for the most part, to June’s childhood, teenage years and college years. While in college, she tells of her times at Radcliffe and her drive to become a reporter on the Crimson, but how she was unsuccessful because of the racism of the editorial board at the time. She often had to be two to three times more qualified then her male and/or white counterparts in order to be successful, even though she was really smart, very creative and very beautiful. In spite of it all, June learned to love and come to terms with, her white family as well as her black family, though I imagine that she still struggles with her own identity and the politics of race, especially since it was placed in the forefront in the most recent American Presidential election.
June described her reactions to these incidents, and other racially charged and just as hurtful incidents, with poignant simplicity. There were times that I was moved to tears by the prose and the difficulties that Ms. Cross had to endure as she was a child, came of age and entered into young adulthood. She faced many, many challenges and came out on top, and should be commended for that. However, I didn’t get the feeling that Ms. Cross was in a place where she was thinking “Woe is me.” And she didn’t seem to expect that feeling from readers either. In fact, the sense that I got was that she was telling her story straight and the reader could either take it all or leave it all or some combination of those things - whatever worked or didn’t work for them - and it was what it was. I truly appreciated that because a book like this could very easily have become a woe is me sort of narrative and those really grate on my nerves.
All in all, this was a wonderful book, with an interesting, varied and colored backdrop. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Book 29/100
