"After thirty years of reporting, Kristal Brent Zook has turned inward to write a deeply personal, frank, and inspirational story about race and class."-- Ada Calhoun, author of , Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis "Kristal Brent Zook's coming-of-age memoir is a thought-provoking tale of triumph outdistancing pain, of never giving up on love and hope despite childhood traumas and a broken family. Kristal writes so beautifully and urgently. The Girl in the Yellow Poncho will absolutely absorb you."-- Kevin Merida, coauthor of , Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs "Brilliantly capturing the complexities of contemporary Black women's experiences, The Girl in the Yellow Poncho is the most riveting, compelling memoir I have read."-- Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women's Studies, Spelman College "Kristal's story touched me deeply. It will touch everyone who has struggled with feeling the 'in-betweenness' that propels her riveting heroine's journey to define herself and create the family for which she yearned. The writing is as powerful as the message: love ultimately triumphs.
"-- Gloria Feldt, author of , Intentioning: Sex, Power, Pandemics, and How Women Will Take the Lead for (Everyone's) Good "Kristal Brent Zook's memoir is a wrenching, riveting and luminous coming-of-age story about what it means to grow up biracial. Her journey reads like a multigenerational tale woven by strong biracial and Black women--in this case, the daughters, mothers and grandmothers of Zook's family. With grace and generosity, Zook offers a universal testament to the power of forgiveness and healing--and the strength found through discovering one's authentic identity. At a time when we often feel lost, this memoir reveals what it means to be found."-- Katrina vanden Heuvel, Publisher, , The Nation "Kristal Brent Zook has written an honest, illuminating look at her life, loves and culture."-- Nelson George, author of , City Kid: A Writer's Memoir of Ghetto Life and Post-Soul Success "A powerful memoir about a woman's odyssey for connection, self-identity, and love."-- Kirkus Reviews "In this intimate and generous memoir, Kristal Brent Zook explores the complexities of her past and the consummation of her present as a biracial daughter of a white father who left and the Black mother and grandmother who raised her."-- Karla J.
Srand , Ms. Magazine "Zook recalls a childhood haunted by her missing father--and complicated by his return. A brave, heart-stirring memoir."-- People.