Now available as an ebook! The modern classic about interracial love made popular by thousands of interracial couples.
Mark Mathabane, author of the bestsellers Kaffir Boy and Kaffir Boy in America, grew up fearing and hating whites in a South African ghetto. Gail spent the first ten years of her life in lily-white communities in Ohio, and feared the people her Texas girlfriends casually called "niggers."
The two never dreamed of marrying outside their races. As many Americans gave up on the racial ideal of an integrated society, and two segregated, opposed, and hostile camps emerged—one black, one white—Mark and Gail fell in love.
Love in Black and White is the dramatic, revealing and riveting story of how they overcame their own prejudices, society's disapproval, family opposition and personal self-doubts to be together. Woven into their intimate account of falling in love, getting married and raising children in the fishbowl of an interracial relationship are the beautiful, complex and heartrending stories of other interracial couples in America and South Africa.
"A personal and candid account of what it means to break an intransigent taboo—and a heartwarming affirmation of love and commitment."
— Kirkus Reviews
"A courageous, painfully honest, captivating love story."
— Miami Herald
"Remarkable...A thoughtful exploration of the complexities of interracial relationships and a great love story."
— Lynn Neary, National Public Radio's "All Things Considered"
"Intriguingly structured with alternate accounts by husband and wife, Love in Black and White is a hymn of praise to the power of love in the face of deeply felt societal prejudices...Highly recommended."
— Library Journal
"The Mathabanes write well of the sweet, nervous first days of their love, and they don't flinch from the bad stuff...As they show, all it takes is love, and defending yourself at nearly every turn."
— front page, Washington Post Book World
"The honesty that is deeply rooted in every paragraph makes this book a moving one."
— Newsweek
Excerpts on the inside flaps
"I felt completely natural around Gail when we were alone together, but as soon as we stepped out the door I became acutely sensitive to the way people regarded us. It was difficult for me to regard our love as an aberration in social norms. Only when people stared did I remember how deeply race as an issue still permeates American society."
— Mark Mathabane
"One night on my way home, a black gang waylaid me. I would have been knifed to death had I not outrun them. A brick that smashed into my face, knocking out my front tooth, reminded me of the risks I was running for my refusal to consider all whites racist."
— Mark Mathabane
"Love is complex. Sometimes it doesn't need to be understood. It needs only to be accepted."
— Gail Mathabane's mother
Mark Mathabane, author of the bestsellers Kaffir Boy and Kaffir Boy in America, grew up fearing and hating whites in a South African ghetto. Gail spent the first ten years of her life in lily-white communities in Ohio, and feared the people her Texas girlfriends casually called "niggers."
The two never dreamed of marrying outside their races. As many Americans gave up on the racial ideal of an integrated society, and two segregated, opposed, and hostile camps emerged—one black, one white—Mark and Gail fell in love.
Love in Black and White is the dramatic, revealing and riveting story of how they overcame their own prejudices, society's disapproval, family opposition and personal self-doubts to be together. Woven into their intimate account of falling in love, getting married and raising children in the fishbowl of an interracial relationship are the beautiful, complex and heartrending stories of other interracial couples in America and South Africa.
"A personal and candid account of what it means to break an intransigent taboo—and a heartwarming affirmation of love and commitment."
— Kirkus Reviews
"A courageous, painfully honest, captivating love story."
— Miami Herald
"Remarkable...A thoughtful exploration of the complexities of interracial relationships and a great love story."
— Lynn Neary, National Public Radio's "All Things Considered"
"Intriguingly structured with alternate accounts by husband and wife, Love in Black and White is a hymn of praise to the power of love in the face of deeply felt societal prejudices...Highly recommended."
— Library Journal
"The Mathabanes write well of the sweet, nervous first days of their love, and they don't flinch from the bad stuff...As they show, all it takes is love, and defending yourself at nearly every turn."
— front page, Washington Post Book World
"The honesty that is deeply rooted in every paragraph makes this book a moving one."
— Newsweek
Excerpts on the inside flaps
"I felt completely natural around Gail when we were alone together, but as soon as we stepped out the door I became acutely sensitive to the way people regarded us. It was difficult for me to regard our love as an aberration in social norms. Only when people stared did I remember how deeply race as an issue still permeates American society."
— Mark Mathabane
"One night on my way home, a black gang waylaid me. I would have been knifed to death had I not outrun them. A brick that smashed into my face, knocking out my front tooth, reminded me of the risks I was running for my refusal to consider all whites racist."
— Mark Mathabane
"Love is complex. Sometimes it doesn't need to be understood. It needs only to be accepted."
— Gail Mathabane's mother
