About the author
Karyn Langhorne Folan graduated from Harvard Law School a couple of years ahead of President Obama. A former law professor, Karyn became interested in the many questions and issues surrounding interracial relationships after her marriage to her Irish American husband in 2004. After receiving hundreds of comments from readers after an essay in The Washington Post on the unique ways black Americans reacted to her relationship, Karyn decided to explore the issues further.
The result is her book “Don’t Bring Home A White Boy—and Other Notions That Keep Black Women From Dating Out.” Karyn is also the author of two interracial romance novels, A Personal Matter and Unfinished Business, and two other novels.
IN AN AGE WHEN AMERICA HAS EMBRACED a mixed-race president and a strong, independent black woman as first lady…when black women are on the move and more empowered than ever before…there remains one hot-button topic that stirs up cultural resistance and intensity of emotion like no other: interracial relationships — or, specifically, when black women date or marry white men.
What is it about the black female/white male dynamic that sparks such controversy and depth of feeling?
What keeps many single black women from exploring relationships outside of their race at a time when the pool of eligible black men is at an all-time low?
“Don’t bring home a white boy” is the cultural message stamped deep into every black daughter, an enduring twenty-first-century taboo with origins dating back to the Civil War era, the turbulent Civil Rights decades, and beyond. Now at last there is an honest, eye-opening examination of this societal phenomenon that will resonate with women everywhere and give voice to all sides of the debate. Karyn Langhorne Folan, herself a black woman happily married to a white man, brings together historical, statistical, psychological, and personal perspectives in a groundbreaking book that boldly debunks the “notions” that can keep interracial dating off the table for many women, including:
“After slavery, I could never date a white man.”
“I’m looking for a good black man.”
“I’m just not attracted to white men.”
“White men don’t find black women attractive.”
These are the things some black women say when the subject of interracial dating comes up. Although black men date interracially with little guilt and relative ease, black women remain hesitant about interracial dating– even though recent Census data reveals that 70% of black women are single… and don’t want to be.
Don’t Bring Home A White Boy examines– and refutes– the notions that keep black women from expanding their dating options. From history to sociology to psychology and including dozens of interviews from experts and average women, Don’t Bring Home A White Boy brings to light the myths and truths that cloud the black woman/white man dating dynamic. Available from Simon and Schuster’s Karen Hunter imprint in January 2010.
More about Karyn Langhorne Folan:
http://www.karynlanghorne.com/
I LOVED Karyn's book! I'm hosting a giveaway of her book on my blog until April 5th. Come on over and win one! http://crazygirlnation.com/2010/03/book-giveaway-dont-bring-home-a-white-boy/
ReplyDeleteLoved the interview. I will definitely be buying the book. I also am in an interracial relationship and I wrote an essay about it that'll be published in Diverse Voices Quarterly in May.
ReplyDeleteThere's so much TRUTH to what Karyn is saying. My white boyfriend and I never get mean looks and comments from black men, it is always the BLACK WOMEN who are rude...mean...and outright hateful to us when we go out.