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black and (A)broad: traveling beyond the limitations of identity
After accepting her Dutch boyfriend's invitation to move from sultry New Orleans, Carolyn finds herself in the land of windmills, wooden shoes and endless gray skies. As she moves away from the remnants of her tragic childhood and America's obsession with race, she is plunged into the depths of homesickness, depression and a declaration of war on her own hair.She travels t...more
Paperback, 316 pages
Published
September 1st 2010
by adelaar books
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I think I went through quite a few emotions when I read this book. At first, I was excited. I am currently discovering my traveling gene, and I was interested in Black women who have traveled abroad. The beginning of the book, I understood her frustrations and limitations to adapting to a new culture. However, as the book went on, I felt exhausted with her lack of self motivation and survival skills. No one said life would be easy... Life deals you lemons and you have to make lemonade... Life su...more
I am use to hearing about a fiction book being introduced as a page turner. I am not use to hearing those same two words used about a nonfiction book. However, I think this is a page turner. I think even the basic premise is fascinating. This is about a significant part of Carolyn Vines' life. She is a Black woman who moves from America to Holland. While there she goes to graduate school, works, marries a Dutch man, and they have a small family. While overseas Carolyn will experience painful sit...more
Note: I know Carolyn Vines personally
Carolyn's voice is one that is missing from much of the travel literature that I love to read. She's African-American, came out of a challenging childhood from a racially tense country, and is well-educated, funny, and fearless. Carolyn chronicles the story of her fascinating life from Indiana in the American midwest to Voorschotten, Netherlands. You'll learn alot about how black women think and what struggles they must overcome as Carolyn evolves from the "g...more
Carolyn's voice is one that is missing from much of the travel literature that I love to read. She's African-American, came out of a challenging childhood from a racially tense country, and is well-educated, funny, and fearless. Carolyn chronicles the story of her fascinating life from Indiana in the American midwest to Voorschotten, Netherlands. You'll learn alot about how black women think and what struggles they must overcome as Carolyn evolves from the "g...more
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This book made me fall in love with Holland. When you have a baby there, not only do you get a three-month maternity leave, but you also get a free nanny who does light housekeeping, cooks you lunch and dinner, and teaches you how to take care of your child. Wow. Just wow. I want to have my future baby in Holland.
Anyway, this memoir is about a lot of things: race, academia, marriage, motherhood, and being an expat.
The writing is extremely honest, but it's also a lil bit sloppy. The kindle editio...more
Anyway, this memoir is about a lot of things: race, academia, marriage, motherhood, and being an expat.
The writing is extremely honest, but it's also a lil bit sloppy. The kindle editio...more
1 like · like · see review
I have been wanting to read this book for about a year now after first hearing about it through another black female travel memoir. I also have been reading her blog posts for the past year too. I love memoirs and travel/expat ones are among my favorites so this book was a go when I read the summary. As a young black women myself, I found inspiration from Carolyn and her experiences with life and her transitions. Her wit and personality gave this book charm and character and her memories of prev...more
I won this in a giveaway and I'm really pleased that I did. It is a memoir about a woman who moves from America to Holland with her Dutch boyfriend and the problems she faces being a black woman in a racist world. I really felt like I got to know Carolyn in this book, she is quite frank and personal and that really helped me want to finish this book. It is uplifting and also sad at times but the overall feeling of this book is one of achievement. A woman who felt defeated a lot of the time came...more
A review coming later, but wow that was a painful read.
A powerful message of bravery, courage and determination. "Black And Abroad" teaches all of us to stand strong and proud, no matter of color or speech. We are all human and only limited by our own minds. I really enjoyed reading Carolyn's memoir and truly admire her courage for sharing her life experiences with us.
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE JAMES MASON C...: JoeyPinkney.com 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With... Carolyn Vines, author of black and (A)broad | 1 | 4 | Jul 12, 2012 04:45am |
black and (A)broad: traveling beyond the limitations of identity author Carolyn Vines is an American expatriate living in the Netherlands. Her inspiration is her multicultural family. Her passion is language, and she speaks Spanish and Dutch fluently.
Carolyn is an author, editor and award-winning blogger. Her work has been published in local Dutch newspapers and in The Telegraph. She recently tran...more
More about Carolyn Vines...
Carolyn is an author, editor and award-winning blogger. Her work has been published in local Dutch newspapers and in The Telegraph. She recently tran...more
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