Welcome back to the Tramway, and welcome to another Tramway Review.
Today, I will be sharing my thoughts on "Color Me In" by Natasha Díaz.
Synopsis
"Color Me In" is a first person story following Neveah, a biracial teenager as her parents divorce, and she struggles with the tension of her two cultures: Black and Jewish. Things get more complicated when her father decides she needs to have a late bat mitzvah, and she runs into conflict with her cousin who perceives her as privileged.
All the while Neveah tries to survive at a predominantly white private school. Neveah does have some privilege, because she can pass as white, which comes up in the story in a few occasions, and we follow Neveah reckoning with that.
General Thoughts
I loved "Color Me In," and found it to be a very fast read. Ms. Díaz's writing is sharp, and vivid. I could easily imagine the scenarios Neveah and the other characters found themselves in. I also found Neveah to be a well rounded character, along with supporting characters such as Stevie, her best friend (who's also biracial) and Jordan, her cousin.
While I found myself getting frustrated with Jordan's treatment of Neveah throughout the piece, she never came off as 100% a jerk. That's another testament to Ms. Díaz's storytelling: she makes complicated characters. We see this as Neveah is forced to confront the privilege that her skin tone gives her, while she tries to forge her new identity. And by the end, the conflict between her and her cousin resolves in a satisfying way. (Though I won't be saying how because spoilers).
"Color Me In" made me pause and think. (Minor spoiler ahead for the next two paragraphs). In one of the chapters a police officer approaches Neveah (whose grocery shopping with her Uncle) and makes a horrific racist assumption because he thinks she's white.
As a white male, I've never experienced being with someone in public and people thinking that I was potentially forcing that person to be there. The inclusion of the scene (which Ms. Díaz shares in the back of her book was based on a real life experience) forces you to think about the problems with policing in our country. Other serious themes that come up that demand reflection are gentrification and beauty standards.
Content Warnings
There are a few trigger/content warnings for "Color Me In." Part of the plot revolves around racial issues, such as the ones mentioned in the previous paragraphs, including a life threatening scenario, along with microaggressions. Other content warnings are abusive spouse and sexual assault.
Ms. Díaz handles these themes with respect and care. I'm sure that she spent a lot of time doing her research and pulling from her personal experiences to craft the story.
Final Thoughts
Throughout we see the negative and positive sides to both the Baptist and Jewish communities that Neveah interacts with. I haven't had much experience with either culture, and appreciated getting to learn more about them as Neveah does. By the end, Neveah finds a way to unite her shared heritages and find self acceptance and love, along with some romantic love.
I loved following Neveah's arc through the story. By the end she feels like a very different character, who has grown a great deal. She ensures agency for herself and the people around her, which makes her an extremely likeable protagonist.
I highly recommend reading "Color Me In." Its story and characters will pull you in, and you will not want to put down this book.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
If you wish to buy "Color Me In," please consider supporting your local bookstore. You can also find "Color Me In" on bookshop.org.
Have you read "Color Me In?" What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments here on Blogger, or any of my social media. Links are on the right side of the blog. Thank you for reading this review, and I'll see you on the Tramway.
