Raceless

A stunning family memoir by journalist Georgina Lawton, exploring race, identity and the devasting effect of long-held secrets on a happy family.

A Guardian, Sunday Times, Evening Standard and Cosmopolitan book of the year for 2021

'A beautifully written account of an extraordinary story.' Otegha Uwagba
'A nuanced and crucial dissection of race as a construct.' Yomi Adegoke, co-author of Slay in Your Lane
'An incredibly moving and honest account of self discovery... What a stunning debut!' Liv Little, gal-dem founder

What do you do when your heritage or parentage has been obscured in a complex web of deceit?

How can you discuss race with your family, when you each see the world differently?

When a personal identity has been wrongly constructed, how do you start again? Raceless is both the compelling personal account of a young woman seeking her own story amid devastating family secrets, and a fascinating, challenging and essential examination of modern racial identity.

A GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, EVENING STANDARD AND COSMOPOLITAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

'A jaw-dropping story, told deftly . . . a gripping, thought-provoking book' Sunday Times

'A really engaging memoir about identity, race, family, secrets, lies and ultimately betrayal, by a very gifted storyteller' Guardian

Georgina Lawton was born to two white parents. Despite her brown skin, her racial identity was never spoken of in her childhood home.

The truth only began to emerge when her beloved father died. Fleeing the shattered pieces of her family life, Georgina went in search of answers - a search that took her around the world, to the DNA testing industry and to talk to others whose identities had been questioned or erased.

How do you come to terms with a family history tangled in deceit? And how do you define yourself after a childhood that denied a crucial part of your identity?

A beautifully-written true account of a young woman seeking her own story amid devastating family secrets. For readers of moving, powerful books about family and identity such as My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay and Educated by Tara Westover.

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'Freshly fascinating . . . She writes beautifully about questions of identity and belonging, so central to each of us in finding our particular place in the world' New York Times Book Review

'Extraordinary' Daily Mirror

'A poignant and eye-opening memoir' Yomi Adegoke, co-author of Slay in Your Lane

'A beautiful heart-expanding memoir, truly unforgettable' Emma Gannon, author of Sabotage

'At turns revelatory and profound, this memoir sings' Publishers Weekly

'A beautifully written account of an extraordinary story, as eye-opening as it is profound' Otegha Uwagba, author of Little Black Book

'Heart-rending and poignant . . . painfully illuminating but a triumphant journey' Florence Olajide, author of Coconut