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Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Book Review

The Skin Between Us
Kym Regusa
memoir
224 pages
W.W. Norton




This memoir is like a good Italian meal. The passages are replete with flavors and textures that make you want to linger. Ms. Regusa is the daughter of an African American mother and an Italian American father. She is a visual artist whose childhood filled with books and museums deftly affect her ability to tell her tale. I found myself slowing down to take in passages; I wanted to savor them. A photographer and filmmaker, Ms. Regusa's rendering is a combination of watching a documentary and feeling full from partaking in an extended meal. This is not a feel-good book. The tension, anger, abandonment, and racism addressed here is tangible. Still there is enough of the poetic and hopeful to keep the reader going.

While this review is short, I hope you can sense how satisfying this read is. I read this last year and even now, I feel full and content.

3 comments:

Marie said...

Your review makes this sound awesome! I am sure I can relate to the whole Italian-American element.

Lyrically speaking said...

Thanks for sharing this wonderful review, i was able to check the book out on Amazon.com, it sounds tantalizing as I read the few sample pages that were offered. I would love to join the many in your contest, when I do have the time. Thanks again
Cathy
www.delaleuwritings.com

susan said...

Hi Lyrically,
Thanks for coming by. Looking forward to chatting more. LLM is a regular drawing and so is Potpourri at our sister blog, Color Online. They take little time. Join in. We'd love to have you.