Real American: A Memoir

— For the entire community

Julie Lythcott-Haims, the New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult, has written a different kind of book this time out – a deeply personal, biting and affecting account of her life growing up as a biracial black woman in America in Real American: A Memoir.

Lythcott-Haims stirringly evokes her personal battle with the lowself-esteem that American racism routinely inflicts on people of color. The only child of an African-American father and a white British mother, she shows indelibly how so-called "micro" aggressions in addition to bluntforce insults can puncture a person's inner life with a thousand sharp cuts.

Real American expresses also, through Lythcott-Haims’s path to self-acceptance, the healing power of community in overcoming the hurtful isolation of being incessantly considered "the other."

Copies of Real American will be available at the event for purchase and signing by the author courtesy of our partners, independent bookstore Wellesley Books.

— Lead Program Sponsors: Natick is UNITED, SPARK Kindness, Natick Public Schools, Natick Education Foundation, Natick METCO Program

About our Featured Speaker

Julie Lythcott-Haims is the bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult. She served as dean of freshmen and undergraduate advising at Stanford University, where she received the Dinkelspiel Award. She holds a BA from Stanford, a JD from Harvard Law, and an MFA in writing from the California College of the Arts. She is a member of the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto and resides in the bay area with her husband, their two teenagers, and her mother.

About our Student Speaker

Geanna Landrum has been selected to the the student writer "opening act" for the Real American program. Geanna was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. She is currently a student at Worcester State University and dedicates her summers to mentoring at-risk youth with the non-profit organization, Crossroads. Being raised by a Puerto Rican mother and an African-American father, Geanna has learned that your identity is what you make of it.  

Geanna attended Natick Public Schools through the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunities (METCO) Program,  a state funded grant program in which students from the City of Boston attend schools in suburban districts. Geanna made her time count in Natick, she participated in the talent show debuting her ukulele skills, dancing in with the Redhawk Elite Performance team and giving us fashion tips on how to mix pattern and prints through the fashion club. Most importantly she embodied grit working towards academic goals to challenge by taking rigorious classes while still being her authentic self. There is no doubt these qualities continue to drive her as a freshman at Worcester State University.

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