Short Synopsis
Mishna Wolff grew up in a poor black neighborhood with her single father, a white man who truly believed he was black. This hip, funny memoir will have readers questioning what it means to be black or white in America.

Full Synopsis
Mishna Wolff grew up in a poor black neighborhood with her single father, a white man who truly believed he was black. "He strutted around with a short perm, a Cosby-esque sweater, gold chains and a Kangol—telling jokes like Redd Fox, and giving advice like Jesse Jackson. You couldn't tell my father he was white. Believe me, I tried," writes Wolff. And so from early childhood on, her father began his crusade to make his white daughter down.

Unfortunately, Mishna didn't quite fit in with the neighborhood kids: she couldn't dance, she couldn't sing, she couldn't double dutch, and she was the worst player on her all-black basketball team. She was shy, uncool, and painfully white. And yet when she was suddenly sent to a rich white school, she found she was too "black" to fit in with her white classmates.

I'm Down is a hip, hysterical, and at the same time beautiful memoir that will have you howling with laughter, recommending it to friends and questioning what it means to be black and white in America.

"Down certainly has serious thoughts on its mind...but the tone manages to be light and triumphant because of the hilarious child-goggles Wolff wears while spinning her tales. A" ---Entertainment Weekly

"Deftly and hilariously delineates the American drama of race and class for one little girl." ---Kirkus