Where Did You Sleep Last Night?: A Personal History Audiobook

" About discovering her (Black) father's family . . . interesting. "

" I thought this was an amazing book--the author's story is compelling, and so is the story of her parents, a mixed-race couple of literary luminaries whose reasons for coming together are ambiguous even to themselves. Senna's exploration of her own ancestry opens up a new avenue for a relationship with her troubled father, and it's poignant to follow their story as it parallels her research. The first book I'd read by this author was Caucasia, which I liked, but I was much more drawn into this one. Outstanding. "

" Danzy Senna's got a WOW family history. She knows a lot about what makes her interesting, but it's the missing information that sends her down South to track her black father's heritage. On the white side of Danzy's family: money, clout, literary acumen and long-time priviledge. On the black side: apparently not a lot until Danzy digs among the "almost" family her father depended on as an abandoned child. Families so interest me and it's not often I find one that draws me in like Danzy's. (Swallow the Ocean by Laura Flynn, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg and The Color of Water by James McBride are other fine memoirs.) Danzy Senna's got the word gift. "

" The author's parents, both writers, but her mother a white woman from Boston and her father an African American man originally from the south, married in 1968. The marriage dissolved as the author's father became abusive and alcoholic. Senna's mother's family, Boston bluebloods, have a well-publicized history, but her father's history, and the roots of his frustration, are a mystery to her until she explores them as an adult. The book is touching and well-written, but it seemed to me the author didn't learn enough to really flexh out the social context well. I still felt rather mystified at the end. "

" Thoughtful, highly readable autobiography of author Danzy Senna a bi-racial child of black father and white mother. She appears white and explores racial issues through her own personal history. "

" Good, quick read but heavy. "

" Learning where you come from is never too easy. "

" 3.5 stars. Senna crafts an engaging, complicated and meandering journey into her family history. There were moments that jumped out as repetative on occasion, but overall it was a good read. "

" A wonderful portrait of a family fractured by divorce. Senna's story is honest and beautiful. "

" incredible story of one woman's search for her lineage and of how race informs so much of who we are. "

" Gripping and sometimes painful exploration of how to be an adult when you have a complicated childhood. Senna's honesty and clarity are enviable and inspiring. "

" This book was too moving for me to easily sum up the experience of reading it, especially after having read the fictionalized version of her story in Caucasia. Deeply moving and thoughtfully written. "

" surprising, revealing "

" Senna puts together a dramatic family puzzle, with honesty and style. She's speaking at NYPL on May 27 - - Rebecca "Third Wave Feminism" Walker will be interviewing her...pls come! "

" Digging up the family tree often leads to trouble. "

" Gripping and sometimes painful exploration of how to be an adult when you have a complicated childhood. Senna's honesty and clarity are enviable and inspiring. "

" Learning where you come from is never too easy. "

" Digging up the family tree often leads to trouble. "

" incredible story of one woman's search for her lineage and of how race informs so much of who we are. "

" About discovering her (Black) father's family . . . interesting. "

" Senna examines race, racialization, miscegenation, family and national secrets through the lens of her own multi-racial background--her blueblood Bostonian mother and black father, both writers. She writes dispassionately of a subject about which she is passionate. A true mystery story. "

" 3.5 stars. Senna crafts an engaging, complicated and meandering journey into her family history. There were moments that jumped out as repetative on occasion, but overall it was a good read. "

" I wanted the ending to turn out different than it did. One frustrating book. "