One Drop

I have bought multiple copies of One Drop as gifts for biracial family members, as well as friends.

Broyard is the daughter of Anatole Broyard, celebrated New York Times book critic in the 1960s and 70s. Only after his death did even his wealthy white wife and mixed children discover his Black heritage. The public—self included—was equally shocked.

Bliss Boyard researches his Louisiana roots, meets her Black cousins, and writes a fascinating, deeply personal story of “race,” showing its often bizarre contours as some family members may be classified as “white,” others “colored” or any number of other categorizations, from… show more.

Bliss's father, New York Times book critic Anatole Broyard, revealed to his children two months before he died of cancer that he was black.

My father, Richard Gilman, and Anatole were old buddies and literary compatriots (check out Anatole's vibrant memoir of life in Bohemian New York City in the 1950s, Kafka Was The Rage, for more on their exploits together) and my father had actually known about Anatole's race before his children did! 

Bliss grew up in tony Westport, CT, living a life of what she considered to be WASP privilege. The shocking secret of her father's racial identity… show more.