Surviving the White Gaze

Critic and podcaster Rebecca Carroll narrates her accomplished memoir about growing up the adopted daughter of a white couple and being the only Black resident in her small New Hampshire town. This affecting chronicle illuminates the overt and subtle racial discrimination she encounters as she searches to find her place in the world. As Carroll recounts her bohemian upbringing and troubled relationship with her biological mother, her story will resonate with anyone who has felt like an outsider in their own family or community. Her measured delivery and unforced pacing underscore the narrative's disquieting moments as well as her growing unease and awareness. Her quietly expressive narration adds potency to this well-told and relatable story. M.J. � AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine