White Like Her: A Selected Bibliography
White Like Her: My Family’s Story of Race and Racial Passing is the story of Gail Lukasik’s mother’s “passing,” Gail’s struggle with the shame of her mother’s choice, and her subsequent journey of self-discovery and redemption. In the historical context of the Jim Crow South, Gail explores her mother’s decision to pass, how she hid her secret even from her own husband, and the price she paid for choosing whiteness. Haunted by her mother’s fear and shame, Gail embarks on a quest to uncover her mother’s racial lineage, tracing her family back to eighteenth-century colonial Louisiana. In coming to terms with her decision to publicly “out” her mother, Gail changed how she looks at race and heritage. Gail Lukasik will discuss White Like Her on Thursday, February 8 at 6pm at 57th Street Books.
A Chosen Exile, by Allyson Hobbs
Creole: The History and Legacy of Louisiana's Free People of Color, edited by Sybil Kein
The Louisiana Native Guards: The Black Military Experience During the Civil War, by James G. Hollandsworth, Jr.
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, by James Weldon Johnson
The Accidental City, by Lawrence N. Powell
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Jacobs
The German Coast: Abstracts of the Civil Records of St. Charles and St. John Baptist Parishes 1804-1812, edited by Glenn Conrad
Passing, by Nella Larson
Voices from Slavery 100 Authentic Slave Narratives, edited by Norman R. Yetman
Bounded Lives, Bounded Places: Free Black Society in Colonial New Orleans, by Kimberly S. Hanger
About Gail Lukasik: Gail Lukasik is the author of White Like Her: My Family’s Story of Race and Racial Passing.
After her appearance on PBS’ Genealogy Roadshow where her mother’s life changing secret was revealed, she was inspired to write White Like Her. The book is the story of her mother’s “passing” for white, her struggle with the shame of mother’s choice, and her subsequent journey of self-discovery and redemption. In the historical context of the Jim Crow South, Gail explores her mother’s decision to pass, how she hid her secret even from her husband, and the price she paid for choosing whiteness.
Haunted by her mother’s fear and shame, Gail embarked on a quest to uncover her racial lineage, tracing the Frederic family back to 18th century colonial Louisiana. In coming to terms with her decision to publicly “out” her mother, Gail changed how she looks at race, racial identity, and her black heritage.
Her articles about coming to terms with her mixed-race identity have appeared in The Washington Post, Mic.com and The Daily Beast.
She also writes the award-winning Leigh Girard mystery series, a seasonal series set in Door County, Wisconsin. Peak Season for Murder won the Lovey Award for Best Traditional Amateur Sleuth.
Prior to writing books, she was a ballerina with the Cleveland Civic Ballet Company. She taught writing and literature classes at the University of Illinois-Chicago where she earned her MA and PhD in English, with a specialization in the writing of poetry.
Her website is: www.gaillukasik.com.
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