Floating

With her sophomore release, Floating, author Nicole Bailey-Williams has blended poetry with thought-provoking narration and has crafted a poignant novel. Although the challenges of biracial identity have been captured in literary works many times before, Bailey-Williams uniquely delves into the topic and spins it in such a way that it is refreshing. Just as the title of this novel is one word, likewise, the description could be one word..."deep." Shanna Washington is the product of contrasting worlds...one is black; the other is white. Her black father, James, is from North Philly, where you'll likely find men hanging out on street corners from sun up to sun down. Her white mother, Elizabeth, grew up in Main Line, an upper-class neighborhood, where women are taught to marry wealthy and take vacations from jobs they don't have. "I couldn't reside in his ghetto or her utopia, so I'm stuck in between. And there is a war raging under my cream skin." [page 34] From childhood Shanna has felt like an outsider, unable to fit in with the tan girls who look like her mother or the brown girls who envied her "good" hair. As a result, she accepts loneliness as life. However, her mother has always been there to nurse her emotional wounds, without even knowing the root of the problem. When her mother walks out of her life, Shanna and her father are left only with a note. The feelings of abandonment are more than Shanna can bear. Being left in a home where her father does not acknowledge her, she longs to hear the words "I love you." Later, she discovers just how to make men say those three words...with her body. In college, she ends up with Lionel, a young man who has issues of his own. When a car accident leaves Shanna injured, her mother, of all people, is called. Interestingly, this proves to be the beginning of reconciliation with her mom. Elizabeth shares tons of information with her daughter, including why she left, information about Shanna's father and memories about her past. Shanna begins to finally have some understanding of who she is. But when she makes a discovery on her own regarding her family's past, all hell breaks loose. With a poetic ending, Floating is a journey through the pain of a biracial character's self-discovery. If you are looking for something provocative to read that does not follow a cookie-cutter storyline, pick up this book today. You'll be delighted. Jazzypen rating: 4.5

Shanna Washington, the protagonist in Floating, is on a continuous journey to find her true self. A biracial child of an upwardly mobile mother and a working class father, she discovers from an early age she doesn't fit in. Floating is a three part study of self- acceptance and of those around her.The writing style of Floating is lyrical. The chapters are short - sometimes only a page or two, which eases in the comprehension of this novel. It also demonstrates to me a much deeper look into Shanna's psyche. As the reader explores the three sections, between, black and white, Shanna shares how one overlaps the others. She experiences a detached relationship with her father. Her relationship with her mother is strained at best when she abandons her daughter and husband to return to her upper class world. Entering college her relationship with boyfriend Lionel is tumultuous too. His expectations and her reality aren't the same. Everyone has separate motives for caring about her and struggles to see her as a whole person with a unique set of characteristics. She seeks to float above the stereotypes people have concerning biracial individuals.Floating is a book to sit back and contemplate. Because the chapters are so short, we get only a snapshot into Shanna's life. This is a very quick read but takes much longer to digest. I'm sure I've missed nuances of meaning along the way so this is a book that will probably get a rare re-read from me. I want to make sure I've understood all the author is conveying. I also think this is a worthy discussion book and the accompanying reader's companion asks insightful questions to further promote intelligent dialogue.

Nicole Bailey-Williams' novel is very interesting. The shift between peoetry and narration is wonderful. Nicole has managed to write little pieces of how women feel when they do not love themselves or have not been loved by others. It is really a powerful book and it shows, in brutal honesty, the result of cycles of un-love in families. It was funny, it was sexy and sad all at once. Thank you for these characters! I look forward to your next book.

This is an excellent book. Nicole Bailey-Williams is truly a gifted writer. If you had the opportunity to read her first novel, and enjoyed it as much as I did, you definitely want to pick up a copy of "Floating". The author is a great writer and storyteller and she did an excellent job with character development in her sophomore effort. Nicole is a rising star in the literary scene.

The concept of the tragic mullato is not a new one in literature; its figure has been used numerous times to characterize that person caught between worlds, caught between cultures, and caught between black and white. Nicole Bailey Williams uses this concept in her sophomore effort, FLOATING, but updates it, breathes new life into it, and drives it home in a fresh, raw way.Shanna, the narrator, tells her story in short, lyrical chapters, beginning from the first time she realized she was different as a child to her confusing adulthood. As a biracial woman, she faces many obstacles in her life, including name-calling, pre-judgment, self-mutilation, and heartbreak. When she was a young child, Shanna's white mother abandoned her and her black father. Though her father was no saint himself, as an adult Shanna comes to realize why he behaves the way he does. Likewise, she begins to remember the times when her mother was her world and the anger she felt toward her mother after being abandoned.I was enraptured by Shanna's story; though a fairly short book, FLOATING is packed with content. I was taken by the way the author interspersed poetry into the flow of the story. Rhythmic and inviting, poignant and heartbreaking, lyrical and lilting, FLOATING is one of the best books I have read this year. Bailey Williams' writing is sensational, and I am anticipating more fine work from her.Reviewed by CandaceKof The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers