Summary of Julie Lythcott-Haims's Real American

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 As a child growing up in the seventies and early eighties in New York, Wisconsin, and Northern Virginia, I was often the target of curiosity from white children and adults. They wanted to make sense of me, so they asked where I was from.

#2 I am the Wooly-Haired, Medium-Brown-skinned offspring typical when Blacks and whites have sex. I come from people who broke the rules, chose to live lives outside the box, and chose hope over hate as the arc of history was forced to bend a bit more toward justice.

#3 The Real American is a persona that emerged during the lead-up to the 2008 presidential election. He is a representation of a past era when white men could claim what was rightfully theirs with an air of ownership.

#4 I am the descendant of slaves who worked on a plantation in Charleston, South Carolina, in the late 1700s. I am the untallied, unpaid, and unrepented damages of one of America’s founding crimes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822514287

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Insights on Julie Lythcott-Haims's Real American

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

As a child growing up in the seventies and early eighties in New York, Wisconsin, and Northern Virginia, I was often the target of curiosity from white children and adults. They wanted to make sense of me, so they asked where I was from.

#2

I am the Wooly-Haired, Medium-Brown-skinned offspring typical when Blacks and whites have sex. I come from people who broke the rules, chose to live lives outside the box, and chose hope over hate as the arc of history was forced to bend a bit more toward justice.

#3

The Real American is a persona that emerged during the lead-up to the 2008 presidential election. He is a representation of a past era when white men could claim what was rightfully theirs with an air of ownership.

#4

I am the descendant of slaves who worked on a plantation in Charleston, South Carolina, in the late 1700s. I am the untallied, unpaid, and unrepented damages of one of America’s founding crimes.

#5

I am so American it hurts. I am a product of America’s angry war with herself, and I am still not treated as if I am as worthy as everyone else.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

I was born in Manhattan, but my parents bought a house in Palisades, New York, when I was five. I played in the creek with my friend Conrad, a little white boy whose name I mispronounced as Comrade. I memorized my first phone numbers, address, and zip code there.

#2

I was seven when my father moved us to Madison, Wisconsin, in 1975. I was in third grade, and I remember being impressed by America and proud to be American.

#3

I adored my father, who was fifty when I was born. He was a powerful, commanding, and gruff figure who loved me immensely. He was the sun.

#4

I was on track to live the American Dream – through hard work, big dreams, and a bit of luck. I was elected vice president of my class for