The poet Toi Derricotte began this journal over 20 years ago when she, a light-skinned black woman, moved into an all white area near New York City. The author describes encounters with family, neighbours, friends and colleagues where she is forced to question what it means to be a black woman living in a racially divided world. It is also a book about uncovering the denied and shameful aspects of the self, and the author's journey towards self-acceptance.