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A Mixed-Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away
Viking
May 2006
Featuring: June Cross
320 pages
ISBN: 067088555X
EAN: 9780670885558
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Memoir
A powerful memoir about the complicated but ultimately loving relationship between a black daughter and her white mother Secret Daughter is a deftly drawn and moving portrait of a childhood spent in two very different worlds: one white, one black. In 1957, when June Cross was four years old, she was sent by her white mother to live with a black family in Atlantic City. Her mother, Norma, had left Juneβs abusive father, a comic in the well-known black vaudeville duo Stump and Stumpy, and gave June up when it became clear that her dark-skinned, kinky-haired child could no longer "pass." Within her adopted family, June struggled with her identity as the black radicalism of the times collided head on with her familyβs more traditional ideals. Summer vacations were spent with her mother, now in Hollywood and married to F Troop TV actor Larry Storch. For many years, Norma, afraid that Larryβs career would suffer if anyone discovered the truth about her illegitimate daughter, told friends and reporters that June was adopted. Secret Daughter, which grew out of Crossβs Emmy Awardβwinning documentary, traces this thorny story with poignancy and skill. It is both a vivid snapshot of race relations in America and an inspiring journey of understanding between a mother and daughter.
 Media BuzzTell Me More - February 3, 2011
News and Notes with Ed Gordon - May 30, 2006
Diane Rehm Show - NPR - May 18, 2006
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