Nina knows what it's like to be an outsider. The daughter of divorced parents---one white and the other black---she struggles with the realities of race and a broken family. But when she hears about her great-great-grandmother's escape from slavery, she recognizes a kindred spirit. Will her ancestor's tale help her discover her true identity?

Identity Crisis. As a biracial teen, Nina is accustomed to a life of varied hues---mocha-colored skin, ringed brown hair streaked with red, a darker brother, a black father, a white mother. When her parents decide to divorce, the rainbow of Nina's existence is reduced to a much starker reality. Shifting definitions and relationships are playing out all around her, and new boxes and lines seem to be getting drawn every day. Between the fractures within her family and the racial tensions splintering her hometown, Nina feels caught in perpetual battle. Feeling stranded in the nowhere land between racial boundaries, and struggling for personal independence and identity, Nina turns to the story of her great-great-grandmother's escape from slavery. Is there direction in the tale of her ancestor? Can Nina build her own compass when landmarks from her childhood stop guiding the way?

Joan Steinau Lester, Ed.D., is the author of three nonfiction books for adults, the most recent being Fire in My Soul, a civil rights biography of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. The former executive director of the Equity Institute, a national diversity consulting firm, she is a frequent NPR commentator and print columnist, as well as a finalist for both the 2010 Bellwether Prize and 2011 Arts andamp; Letters Susan Atefat Prize in Creative Nonfiction. Black, White, Other: In Search of Nina Armstrong is her debut novel for young adults.

STARRED REVIEW: 'The simple contrapuntal narrative of Sarah Armstrong's escaping slavery distinguishes the book emotionally and psychologically, raising it above other issue-oriented YA novels. Lester writes with social sensitivity and an ear for teen language and concerns. This is engaging treatment of a challenging subject that comes with little precedent.' -- Publishers Weekly



'Teens will be caught by the alternating stories and, yes, by the messages about the cruel cliques and prejudices, then and now, which will make for great group discussion.' - Hazel Rochman (contributor) -- Booklist



'Black, White, Other is an important coming-of-age novel about acceptance, forgiveness, and perseverance... The fast-moving plot and relatable main character make this a book teens will want to read.' -- VOYA

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