Belonging by Michelle Miller

 I love CBS Saturday Morning and Michelle Miller is a lot of the reason why. (Plus they do a lot of cool segments that other morning talks shows don't.) Anyway, I was pleased to hear that Michelle had written her autobiography, especially after I heard her discuss her early life. Her mother was Hispanic and her father was Black (and married to someone else) when she came into being. Her mother's family was violently opposed to her dating a Black man, so the day Michelle was born, her mother handed the baby over to the father and walked out of the hospital and Michelle's life.

The book is largely about the hole in her life that her missing mother left--and her attempts to have some kind of relationship with her mother. It's also about the fact that, although she was raised by a Black father and Black grandmother, her lighter skin and "Hispanic" hair set her apart from the other Black kids at school.

It's a fascinating story and does make the point that "family" doesn't have to mean a mom, dad, and kid.