Motherhood So White: The Story Every Mother in America Needs to Read

The story every mother in America needs to read

Everyone comes to motherhood differently, and while all moms have to deal with choosing baby names, potty training, finding your village, and answering your kid's tough questions, some moms have to deal with a lot more than that.

Writer and professor Nefertiti Austin chose to start her family by adopting. She knew she wanted to adopt a Black boy out of the Los Angeles foster care system. She also chose to do it as a single mother.

All those factors would make it tough enough, but Nefertiti hadn't bargained with the lack of resources available to her, or the pushback she would get from her own family. You see, Nefertiti is Black and the path she chose to follow was nearly unheard of in her community.

Like all great trailblazers, Nefertiti forged ahead. She wrote her own resources, chose a name, potty trained, and created a community. She is still answering tough questions, both the ones her son asks, and the ones that she is forced to confront because of the color of her child's skin.

In this unflinching account of her parenting journey, Nefertiti examines the history of adoption in the African American community, faces off against stereotypes of single Black moms, and confronts the reality of what it looks like to raise children of color in racially charged, modern-day America.

Honest, vulnerable, and uplifting, Motherhood So White is a fantastic book club read that will explore social and cultural bias, give a new perspective on a familiar experience, and spark meaningful conversations about what it means to be a mom in America today.