By the end of this section, she decides to run away from home to Boston and look for her Aunt Dot, her father’s sister, and hopefully find answers to where her father and her sister are. Birdie feels betrayed and begins to question if the FBI ever was after her mother.

Sandy/Sheila establishes a relationship with a local man she meets at a bar, Jim, and by Christmas, has told him the truth about Birdie/Jesse’s parentage. She adopts the clothing, hair and vocal mannerisms of her peers yet longs for her sister and her own black identity.

They become the widow Sheila Goldman and her Jewish (white) daughter Jesse Goldman.īirdie/Jesse attends the local public school, passing as white. She chooses a small town in New Hampshire and creates new identities and backgrounds for herself and Birdie. Part 2: 'From Caucasia with love'Īfter 6 years on the run, and changing identities and no real place to call home, Sandy decides that they should settle down. Sandy fears she is wanted by the FBI (COINTELPRO) for terrorism activities and so the two of them take off in the night. Her father, Deck, has a new girlfriend, Carmen and he decides to move to Brazil, taking Cole with him. Near the end of the school year, Birdie’s parents divorce. With Cole’s sisterly protection and learning how to dress and talk like the other black students, Birdie successfully passes as black. Her parents’ marriage falls apart Birdie and her sister are sent to “Nkrumah, The Black power school.”īirdie is questioned by the other students wanting to know what race she is they ask if she’s Puerto Rican and demand “What you doin’ in this school? You white?”

It is 1975 and racial tension in the Boston area is high as busing to desegregate the public schools is implemented. Part 1: 'Negritude for beginners'īirdie is 8 years old and living with her family in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The book is written in 3 parts: Part 1 takes place in 1975 Boston and Roxbury, Massachusetts when Birdie is 8 years old Part 2 takes place in a small town in New Hampshire 6 years later when Birdie is 14 years old Part 3 takes place when Birdie is 14½ years old and she runs away from her mother to try to find her father and sister. I would be bused to the predominantly black school in Dorchester Cole to South Boston, the Irish section, “in the interest of dahversetty,” the woman explained…” Birdie does not describe herself, but her interactions with others indicate she is lighter skinned than her sister and can pass as white.“…the woman behind the desk took one look at Cole and me and assigned us to different districts. Her sister is described as 'cinnamon-skinned, curly haired' traits associated with African Americans of mixed race. She and her sister, Cole, are very close, yet differ in appearance. The narrator of the novel is Birdie Lee, a multiracial child who has a white mother and black father.

Caucasia book