Rebecca, Not Becky: A Novel
Author: Christine Platt
Format: Paperback, 336 pages, 152mm x 229mm, 454 g
Published: 2024, HarperCollins Publishers Inc, United States
Genre: General & Literary Fiction
In the vein of Such a Fun Age, a whip-smart, compulsively readable novel about two upper-class stay-at-home mothers-one white, one Black-living in a "perfect" suburb that explores motherhood, friendship, and the true meaning of sisterhood amidst the backdrop of America's all-too-familiar racial reckoning.
De'Andrea Whitman, her husband Malik, and their five-year-old daughter, Nina, are new to the upper-crust white suburb of Rolling Hills, Virginia-a move motivated by circumstance rather than choice. De'Andrea is heartbroken to leave her comfortable life in the Black oasis of Atlanta, and between her mother-in-law's Alzheimer's diagnosis, her daughter starting kindergarten, and the overwhelming whiteness of Rolling Hills, she finds herself struggling to adjust to her new community. To ease the transition, her therapist proposes a challenge: make a white girlfriend.
When Rebecca Myland learns about her new neighbors, the Whitmans, she's thrilled. As chair of the Parent Diversity Committee at her daughters' school, she's championed racial diversity in the community-and what could be better than a brand-new Black family It's serendipitous when her daughter, Isabella, and Nina become best friends on the first day of kindergarten. Now, Rebecca can put everything she's learned about antiracism into practice-especially those oh-so-informative social media posts. And finally, the Parent Diversity Committee will have some... well, diversity.
Following her therapist's suggestion, De'Andrea reluctantly joins Rebecca's committee. The painfully earnest white woman is so overly eager it makes De'Andrea wonder if Rebecca's therapist told her to make a Black friend! But when Rolling Hill's rising racial sentiments bring the two women together in common cause, they find it isn't the only thing they have in common. . . .
Christine Platt writes literature for children and adults that centers African diasporic experiences-past, present, and future. She holds Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in African and African American studies as well as a juris doctorate in general law. She currently serves as Executive Director for Baldwin For The Arts. Catherine Wigginton Greene is a writer and filmmaker whose storytelling focuses on strengthening human connection and understanding. Her feature documentary I'm Not Racist . . . Am I? continues to be used throughout the US as a teaching tool for starting racial dialogue. A graduate of Coe College and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Catherine is currently pursuing her doctorate from The George Washington University's Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
In the vein of Such a Fun Age, a whip-smart, compulsively readable novel about two upper-class stay-at-home mothers-one white, one Black-living in a "perfect" suburb that explores motherhood, friendship, and the true meaning of sisterhood amidst the backdrop of America's all-too-familiar racial reckoning.
De'Andrea Whitman, her husband Malik, and their five-year-old daughter, Nina, are new to the upper-crust white suburb of Rolling Hills, Virginia-a move motivated by circumstance rather than choice. De'Andrea is heartbroken to leave her comfortable life in the Black oasis of Atlanta, and between her mother-in-law's Alzheimer's diagnosis, her daughter starting kindergarten, and the overwhelming whiteness of Rolling Hills, she finds herself struggling to adjust to her new community. To ease the transition, her therapist proposes a challenge: make a white girlfriend.
When Rebecca Myland learns about her new neighbors, the Whitmans, she's thrilled. As chair of the Parent Diversity Committee at her daughters' school, she's championed racial diversity in the community-and what could be better than a brand-new Black family It's serendipitous when her daughter, Isabella, and Nina become best friends on the first day of kindergarten. Now, Rebecca can put everything she's learned about antiracism into practice-especially those oh-so-informative social media posts. And finally, the Parent Diversity Committee will have some... well, diversity.
Following her therapist's suggestion, De'Andrea reluctantly joins Rebecca's committee. The painfully earnest white woman is so overly eager it makes De'Andrea wonder if Rebecca's therapist told her to make a Black friend! But when Rolling Hill's rising racial sentiments bring the two women together in common cause, they find it isn't the only thing they have in common. . . .
Christine Platt writes literature for children and adults that centers African diasporic experiences-past, present, and future. She holds Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in African and African American studies as well as a juris doctorate in general law. She currently serves as Executive Director for Baldwin For The Arts. Catherine Wigginton Greene is a writer and filmmaker whose storytelling focuses on strengthening human connection and understanding. Her feature documentary I'm Not Racist . . . Am I? continues to be used throughout the US as a teaching tool for starting racial dialogue. A graduate of Coe College and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Catherine is currently pursuing her doctorate from The George Washington University's Graduate School of Education and Human Development.