CLIFF KERR
ONE DROP IDENTITY
A Memoir in Black & White
A story of a Black man of Jamaican descent growing up in mid-20th-century Boston.
To explore how mixed-race heritage, systemic racism, and social labeling racially divided America.
To offer readers a deeply intimate family portrait and a critical examination of the legacy of slavery, migration, colorism, and white supremacy.
Through the lens of his family’s experiences, the book challenges readers to confront how identity is defined, inherited, and lived.
About the Author
CLIFF KERR
Raised in Roxbury, Massachusetts, the author reflects on a childhood marked by isolation, racial ambiguity, and emotional survival. Growing up in a fatherless home, he found refuge in books, nature, and summer camp experiences that nurtured resilience and self-reliance. With a quiet intensity and sharp observational eye, he shares deeply personal stories that explore identity, belonging, and the silent shaping of character in a world that often misunderstood him.
Why choose us
Reasons to Read This Book
The book bears witness to a life shaped by isolation, identity, and quiet resilience while uncovering personal truths in a world that often refuses to see clearly. It is a candid, introspective narrative that combines memory, social observation, and emotional honesty to explore identity formation through solitude, trauma, and self-discovery.
About the book
ONE DROP IDENTITY
A Memoir in Black & White
One Drop Identity: A Memoir in Black & White is a deeply personal story about growing up as a light-skinned Black boy in 1950s Boston. Raised in a fatherless home, the author navigates loneliness, racial identity, and childhood confusion. From reading history in solitude to learning life skills at summer camp, and from being treated like a curiosity by peers to facing moments of exclusion and self-discovery, this memoir explores what it means to not fully fit in anywhere. It’s an honest, heartfelt reflection on race, belonging, and the struggle to define one’s own identity.
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