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About The Book

That White Girl is a fresh and hard-edged novel chronicling a young woman's quest for self-discovery while straddling two worlds, that of her middle-class Irish Catholic upbringing and her new family -- the Crips, America's notorious street gang.

What happens when a white girl flirts with the color lines and crosses the border into gang territory, where the bullets are in part real and the rules cannot be broken? JLove tells this incredible story inspired by her own remarkable life.

Amber, a fearless white girl, has a passion for rap lyrics and an addiction to graffiti, but her journey begins when she becomes immersed in the power and grind of gang life after holding a gun to an innocent man's head during a robbery.

That White Girl is a sharp and candid coming-of-age story, with hip-hop as its backdrop, that explores a young woman's struggles and triumphs as she crosses boundaries, discovers her own limits, and finds a new way to express herself in a world divided into black and white.

About The Author

Photo Credit:

JLOVE is the coauthor of We Got Issues! She has written for and been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Source, and Self magazine. She lives in Queens, New York. To learn more about JLove, please visit www.thatwhitegirl.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atria Books (February 6, 2008)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9780743287814

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Raves and Reviews

"An honest look at a life worth reading." -- M.C. Serch, Host of VH1's Ego Trip's (White) Rapper Show

"In J-Love's masterful hands, Amber's story taps into the dramatic difficulties of simply trying to find one's unique place in a deeply fractured world. Here's a voice we've been waiting for." -- Luis J. Rodriguez, author of Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in LA

"J-Love has the heart, the skills, and the underdog love to tell this deeply moving coming-of-age story the way it had to be told." -- Jeff Chang, winner of National Book Award and author of Can't Stop Won't Stop

"Don't get it twisted. That White Girl is more than just another hip hop roman-a-clef...J Love drops many truths about race in the U.S...The drama and controversy will hook you, no doubt." -- Black Artemis, author of the hip hop novels Explicit Content, Picture Me Rollin' and Burn

"[JLove's] story has less to do with her being white, than it does with the powerful message she sends... she discovers not only herself, but the cold hard reality that racism victimizes everyone, black and white alike. Bravo to JLove." -- Roland S. Jefferson, author of One Night Stand and Damaged Goods

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