book review:  Kinky Gazpacho                                  

author:  Lori Tharps

Simon and Schuster, 2008

non-fiction

I had this book mailed to me in Taiwan and left it on a plane to China before I could finish reading it. Obviously, this book was meant for me! I think it’s also meant for those who travel whether it be in planes or in arm chairs to discover more about the world around them or just to find out more about themselves. In this well written account, Ms. Tharps shares with us the journeys that brought her to a deeper awareness of herself, her ability to love and what her African American culture means to her and people around the world.

As Kinky Gazpacho begins, Tharps is suffering from the embarrassment brought on by being the only Black child in her class. While other students are excited to dress in ethnic attire, Tharps is mortified at the thought of coming to school dressed as a slave. She decides to ignore such a tasteless heritage and to blend into the world around her. At the same time, she begins to learn Spanish and develops a love for all things thus related. Her goal in life becomes to travel to Spain, not as a tourist on a short excursion but as a true traveler who mixes and mingles and experiences the culture.  In the baggage she takes along is the stigma of racism that most minorities cannot shake. I think she found that racism isn’t expressed quite the same in Spain as it is in the US, but racism is still racism. It hides its history while it becomes insidious and oppressive.  What begins as a personal memoir ends as a history lesson on the presence of African slaves in Spain.

I hope that students are able to find this book.  I want them to know that regardless of whiteness or browness or blackness, the world is their oyster! Stepping out into Spain or France or Taiwan can open their eyes in more ways than I can mention here.  I can say, however that Tharps did a wonderful job of sharing her coming of age experience in a way that would relate to anyone who is open to possibilities.  I’ve passed along the copy I read to the Spanish teacher at my school. I wish I had another copy for my massage therapist!  I hope the person who found my copy in China enjoyed it as much as I did!

themes: discovery, Spanish/African history, cultural identity