THE SWEETER THE JUICE

A provocative memoir that goes to the heart of our American identity as Haizlip (owner of a public-relations firm), while searching for her mother's family—blacks who passed for whites- -confronts the deeply intertwined but often suppressed tensions between race and skin color. From childhood, Haizlip was aware of her mother's underlying melancholia, and as Margaret Taylor neared her 80th birthday, her daughter decided to find the family that the woman had lost when, at age four, she'd been left in the care of her darker-skinned relatives. The beautiful, alabaster-skinned Margaret had grown up to be ostracized because she was identified with the black side of the family—the side her own siblings chose to ignore by passing as white. ``I am a black woman, but many of you would never know it, my skin is as light as that of an average white person,'' Haizlip observes, raising the delicate question of pigmentocracy among blacks as she traces her family's roots. These include Martha Washington; an Irish grandmother; Native Americans; and a white indentured servant. The author notes that some geneticists claim that 95% of ``white'' Americans have varying degrees of black heritage, while 75% of African-Americans have at least one white ancestor. But Haizlip's memoir is more than a lesson in genealogy or race: It's also a family story, with memorable heroes, heroines, and villains. The author contrasts the Dickensian horrors of her mother's early life with the relatively idyllic childhood she enjoyed as the daughter of a prominent Baptist minister, and covers her own education at Wellesley; her marriage and professional life; and the happy outcome of her search—the reuniting of her mother and her remaining siblings. Finally, Haizlip admits to having ``grown less certain about the vagaries of race...more cautious in labeling or pigeonholing others.'' A moving tale of family sorrows and secrets—as well as a courageous and candid search for the truth, however painful it might be. (Sixteen pages of b&w photos—not seen)