A fearless memoir in which Julie Lythcott-Haims pulls no punches in her recollections of growing up a black woman in America and tells of her personal battle with the low self-esteem that American racism routinely inflicts on people of colour. The only child of a marriage between an African-American father and a white British mother, she shows indelibly how so-called ‘micro’ aggressions in addition to blunt force insults can puncture a person's inner life with a thousand sharp cuts. The book expresses also, through Lythcott-Haims’s path to self-acceptance, the healing power of community in overcoming the hurtful isolation of being incessantly considered ‘the other.’ Real American is an affecting memoir, an unforgettable cri de coeur, and a clarion call to all of us to live more wisely, generously and fully. “A thoroughly riveting poetic memoir of a mixed-race woman questioning her identity and place in American life and culture. Genuinely inspiring.” - San Francisco Chronicle  “A candid, deeply personal look at race relations within a family and a nation, and a story that will feel familiar to anyone who hungers for a sense of belonging.” - Chicago Tribune