June Book Discussion!! “Substitute Me”

Read this book when it was released. Great read! Looking forward to the discussion. The book deals with gender,race, & stereotypes in a unique way.

This book looks really interesting, and I think it's a great idea to make the protagonist a black woman of privilege.

Yet, talking about "the sexless black woman who cares for the household and is absolutely NO competition to the lilly-white mistress of the house" implies that this 'sexless' black woman would be validated by the romantic advances of her white male employer. As history (and the Schwarzanegger situation) has shown us, powerful, irresponsible men will prey upon anything that moves. The woman's physical appearance doesn't really matter.

(I do get your general idea - society generally thinks that the mistress of the house is more 'beautiful' than the nanny. But the 'no competition' phrase has other implications).

I had to listen again, I am so sorry for judgeing her,lol, all she is doing is exploring that dynamic relationship in here book, lol. I cannot get over what she says in the interview, lol. " It is expected that when a woman has a child in New York city, she has a sitter take care of them." Noooo, that is only true if you have some money, It is expected by most people in the New York city, because I live there, that when you have a child and have to go back to work, the child stay with a grandmother or go "daycare".

I do not like ignorance when it comes to the struggle of the everyday man and woman, whether from white, black, purple what ever color people. I would prefer not to hear it, that reminds me of the reality show" baseket ball wives when Jennifer(black woman) said she never saw food stamps, along with a facial expression of I am better than that."Come on..."
I would only allow it from people not from this country or city.

Hi, the book sounds interesting but I wish Lori spoke with the babysitters in Brooklyn to hear their perspective of things. I know a bit about this life. It has always been this way. First it was the women coming up from the South that did these jobs, then they were replaced by the West Indian woman working as a sitter in Manhattan off the books sometimes for a good bit of money. Even after the West indian woman becomes a legal resident, she continues the job because it pays well. It has nothing to do with race. Now it is up to the woman, to move on to go to school and earn a degree like her children have, with the same money from the job. Other immigrants have their job position especially for them when they come to the U.S. There are the Russian who work as office building cleaners in the midtown Manhattan. See, when a particular look of people is always associated with a type of employment it is considered a race issue, example, Mexicans are yard cleaners and handy men. When you are an immigrant in a country you do not know, you go to the jobs your family is doing and that is how it is. It is up to you when things get better to make a shift.

I hope that helps her confusion, as for why black women are still doing those jobs. All she had to do was ask one of them. As for the white women, do they feel threaten? In my opinion no, because they will not get a young sitter and next the husband alot of the time is working long shifts as the wife, so he really would not have close proximity to the sitter. The book really puts a nice twist on things, but I am not too impressed by her question, "why do black women still do those job, it made her sound really ignorant and bourgie as though the thought would have never occur to her unless she had to find a sitter.
I really applaud her honesty but like to see when people are honestly interested in someone elses culture and not accidently have to know about it. That is why black people complain when white people seem to not be interest in who we are and not the labels.Because it seem as though we know more about "white culture" , "Oh we have to be around white people in the work place so we will know alot about them, but they do not have to be around black people.

I am rambling, but I wish her interest in why this occurs,"black women still do those jobs" was genuine. I will definitely checkout the book. WAW, I still cannot believe she asked that question AND SHE LIVES IN BROOKLYN, lol.

I'm reading the book now. I can't wait to discuss it!

Just downloaded it to my kindle. I'll let you know what I think.

That's cool, will have a look at it when I get home. My mom was a domestic worker/nanny in South Africa during the 70s 80s and 90s.

https://southafricangirlinsweden.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/white-boy-black-nanny/

If anyone is interested.

You have a great blog! It is really uplifting. It is progressive. I love your blog. Keep up the good work!

I read this book last summer, and really enjoyed it. I'm glad there will be a discussion. I found a FB page for this book, but no one was posting on it but me.

Oh no, Christelyn, please do warn when the link is amazon. I'm boycotting those buggers.

Will be getting this book, from your synopsis.......