Oreo
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3.5 • 11 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A pioneering, dazzling satire about a biracial black girl from Philadelphia searching for her Jewish father in New York City
Oreo is raised by her maternal grandparents in Philadelphia. Her black mother tours with a theatrical troupe, and her Jewish deadbeat dad disappeared when she was an infant, leaving behind a mysterious note that triggers her quest to find him. What ensues is a playful, modernized parody of the classical odyssey of Theseus with a feminist twist, immersed in seventies pop culture, and mixing standard English, black vernacular, and Yiddish with wisecracking aplomb. Oreo, our young hero, navigates the labyrinth of sound studios and brothels and subway tunnels in Manhattan, seeking to claim her birthright while unwittingly experiencing and triggering a mythic journey of self-discovery like no other.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Inspired by the myth of Theseus, Fran Ross’ 1974 classic is an iconic satire of race and identity in America. The novel revolves around Christine Clark, a smart, biracial 16-year-old who gathers some clues from her Black mom and sets out to find her white Jewish father in New York City. With her ability to shift between cultures, Christine (whose nickname Oriole has been mistaken by nearly all as the familiar brand name of that black-and-white cookie) encounters one difficult test after another while searching for her dad and her identity. Ross is a gymnast with language, cartwheeling through puns, double entendres, sarcasm, asides, and irony. Oreo challenges us with tough explorations of issues like class, ethnicity, and feminism while somehow making it all wonderfully fun.
