''In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World'' is a memoir by American activist

Rachel Dolezal Nkechi Amare Diallo (; born Rachel Anne Dolezal, November 12, 1977) () is an American former college instructor and activist known for identifying as a transracial black woman. In addition to claiming black ancestry, she also claimed Native Ame ...

, known for presenting herself as a black woman while having no known black ancestry. It was published in 2017 by

BenBella Books BenBella Books is an independent publishing house based in Dallas, Texas. BenBella was founded by Glenn Yeffeth in 2001. It specializes in nonfiction books on popular culture, business, health, and nutrition, along with books on science, politics, ...

, almost two years after the controversy about her racial identity in June 2015. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' reported that 30 publishing houses turned down the manuscript before BenBella Books printed it in March 2017.

Summary

''In Full Color'' is an overview of Dolezal's life with an emphasis on how she came to identify as "black". Dolezal begins by describing her upbringing by "fundamentalist Christian" parents in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Montana, United States. From an early age, she describes being fascinated with Africa and African culture. While Dolezal was a teenager her parents, Larry and Ruthanne Dolezal, adopted four African-American children. Dolezal describes that "while I was teaching my younger siblings about Black culture and history: I began to feel even more connected to it myself. I began to see the world through Black eyes and anything that had to do with Blackness or Africa always grabbed my attention." Dolezal describes how difficult it became to communicate how she identified herself. Dolezal became a self-described "academic activist" joining the local chapter of the NAACP and serving on a police oversight board. She also describes some of the racism Izaiah and Franklin experienced at school.

Reception

''In Full Color'' had a mixed reception. Brian Josephs from ''

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'' wrote that "her writing lacks the empathy required to sell herself as, in her words, 'a fully conscious, woke soul sista.'" Baz Dreisinger's highly critical review in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' noted that: "Dolezal's conception of blackness is steeped in a fetishizing of struggle, pain and oppression." Other reviewers were more positive, for example Jazmine Steele from ''

Sojourners ''Sojourners'' is a progressive monthly magazine and daily online publication of the American Christian social justice organization Sojourners, which arose out of the Sojourners Community. It was first published in 1971 under the original tit ...

'' wrote: "In ''Full Color'', Rachel is portrayed to be a highly intelligent and creative person," but ultimately describes her as "something like a false prophet for racial reconciliation."

References

{{portal bar, Biography 2017 non-fiction books American autobiographies Books about transracialism Collaborative memoirs BenBella Books books

Summary

Reception

See also

References