Secret Daughter: A Mixed-Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away

by: June Cross

Published by: Penguin Books

Reviewed by Krista Quinn

The shocking circumstances of June Cross’s life—that she was born to a white mother and black father, and then given away by her mother to be raised by black family friends—are the stuff of great novels. In this case though, they are true, and Cross’s memoir is a gripping and beautifully written account of her extraordinary life.

At four years old, Cross’s mother Norma drops her off in Atlantic City with Peggy and Paul, an educated, middle-class black couple with whom Norma developed a friendship. Unable to have their own children, Peggy and Paul gladly take in little June. No one tells June what’s happening, and as she grows up, she’s left with more questions than answers. Why did her mother give her up? Who is her father and why isn’t he a part of her life? Will there ever come a time when she can reveal who her biological parents are without causing them to suffer? Will there ever be a time when she feels at ease with her own identity and the details of her childhood?

June Cross reaches young adulthood during the Civil Rights movement, which has a profound impact on her identity and on her complex relationship with Norma. Norma sees blacks as lesser people, but given that June considers herself black, what does that mean for their relationship? Eventually June’s career as a journalist provides her with an opportunity to ask her mother all of the questions she’s been too afraid to ask. What starts out as a work assignment gives June a much-needed push to let go of her fears and to set out on the path to discovering who she is by answering all her questions about where she came from.

June Cross’s narrative is moving and no matter what your race, you’ll identify with her vulnerability as she tries to figure out who she is. She takes the reader through the poignant and difficult moments if her life, and uses the circumstances in American history to help the reader understand what difficulties she faced on a daily basis.
Secret Daughter is one of the best books I’ve read all year.

Armchair Interviews says: A memoir everyone can learn something from.

Author’s Web site: http://www.SecretDaughter.com