Named one of The Root's 2023 Best Books by Black Authors It's often said that Black women are magic, but what if they really are mythological? Growing up as a Black girl in America, Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton yearned for stories she could connect to—true ones, of course, but also fables and mythologies that could help explain both the world and her place in it. Greek and Roman myths felt as dusty and foreign as ancient ruins, and tales by Black authors were often rooted too far in the past, a continent away. Mouton’s memoir is a praise song and an elegy for Black womanhood. She tells her own story while remixing myths and drawing on traditions from all over the world: mothers literally grow eyes in the backs of their heads, children dust the childhood off their bodies, and women come to love the wildness of the hair they once tried to tame. With a poet’s gift for lyricism and poignancy, Mouton reflects on her childhood as the daughter of a preacher and a harsh but loving mother, living in the world as a Black woman whose love is all too often coupled with danger, and finally learning to be a mother to another Black girl in America. Of the moment yet timeless, playful but incendiary, Mouton has staked out new territory in the memoir form.

Most corporate executives follow a traditional path to success by graduating college and accepting an entry-level position in a major corporation, which may or may not lead them to prominence. This strategy may work for some, but not for Mico Brunson, who through fate and circumstances was born poor and Black in a society that wasn't created for him or by him. Black Chameleon Memoirs reveals the gripping saga of how one of the most successful Black businessmen in America rose to prominence using criminal activity and murder while overcoming adversity and an abusive childhood.

From the classic Margarita to the Love Byte, "Cocktail Chameleon" is award-winning designer and producer Mark Addison's invitation to join him as he dresses up twelve cocktails in twelve unique variations for 144 signature takes on the classics. Mr. Addison tantalizes with molecular mixology to create the Anti-Gravity, instructs on how to reinvent the beloved Bloody Mary with sake, and invokes the famed royal rose garden with the Versailles. Inspiring the creative mixologist in everyone, Cocktail Chameleon will become an instant ally for hosts looking to elevate an occasion, or a much-needed friend to help unwind and end the day on a high note!

What's a black girl from sunny Southern California to do? White people are blowing up black girls in Birmingham churches. Black people are shouting "Black is beautiful" while straightening their hair and coveting light skin. Viveca Stanton's answer: Slap on a bubbly smile and be as white as you can be! In a humorous and pointed coming-of-age story spanning the sixties through the nineties, Viveca blithely sails through the confusing worlds of racism, sexism and Broadway showbiz until she's forced to face the devastating effect self-denial has had on her life.

What does it mean to be a gay man living in the suburbs? Do you identify primarily as gay, or suburban, or some combination of the two? For that matter, how does anyone decide what his or her identity is? In this first-ever ethnography of American gay suburbanites, Wayne H. Brekhus demonstrates that who one is depends at least in part on where and when one is. For many urban gay men, being homosexual is key to their identity because they live, work, and socialize in almost exclusively gay circles. Brekhus calls such men "lifestylers" or peacocks. Chameleons or "commuters," on the other hand, live and work in conventional suburban settings, but lead intense gay social and sexual lives outside the suburbs. Centaurs, meanwhile, or "integrators," mix typical suburban jobs and homes with low-key gay social and sexual activities. In other words, lifestylers see homosexuality as something you are, commuters as something you do, and integrators as part of yourself. Ultimately, Brekhus shows that lifestyling, commuting, and integrating embody competing identity strategies that occur not only among gay men but across a broad range of social categories. What results, then, is an innovative work that will interest sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, and students of gay culture.

Growing up ‘European’ in 1930s and ‘40s South Africa, Joan leads a privileged life ... though marred by family tragedy. After she escapes her Victorian grandmother’s repressive upbringing to study midwifery, she comes face to face with the racial inequities of her homeland when she falls in love with Bis, a handsome young Indian doctor. Increasingly dangerous harassment and oppression force the couple to escape South Africa for London and finally small-town Canada, where Bis can run his medical practice and live as he wishes. A heartbreaking, unique, and elegantly written perspective on life under Apartheid, A CHAMELEON FROM THE LAND OF THE QUAGGA offers a deeply moving love story and a fascinating glimpse at history. This is an inspirational depiction of the life and indefatigable spirit of a woman who continually reinvents herself to conquer the challenges life throws at her no matter where she is or how dark and difficult the times.

A sweet, colorful story about the discoveries of a surprised chameleon. For toddlers ages 30 months and up, with a focus on the child's language development.