DIFFERENT WORLDS: Interracial and Cross-Cultural Dating

A free-lance writer speaks to students, parents, and professionals about the intrigues, benefits, and difficulties of crossing conventional boundaries in dating relationships. Bode discusses how ethnic attitudes develop in children, how awareness of face has changed in the last several hundred years, how people classify others (willingly or un-willingly), and how special historical bitterness or sweetness sometimes exists between certain groups. But the crux here is the continuum of reactions by the daters and their families, as seen in detailed analyses of six couples, mostly interracial. When asked later whether these relationships are/were worth it, responses varied from ""You bet"" to ""Wait and see"" and ""No way."" Some of the inviting headings here are cuter than the down-to-earth content and advice; e.g., ""Stares and Glares"" opens serious discussion of how to reduce possible danger. There are also valuable comments on motivations, relationships' meanings, and how to avert crises. On the other hand, unnecessary details of the couples' parents' backgrounds detract from clarity and drama; there is little on interreligious crossovers; and a look at the future (a discussion with younger teens) fails to tie the book together and seems intrusive. Appendix of organizations: bibliography; videography; index.