I'm Down: A Memoir

by Mishna Wolff

Oh the perils of childhood!  We all had them.  But Mishna Wolff had a very particular experience.  There was the radical liberal politics around the home, the poverty, the divorce, and the usual brutal peers - but in this child's case;  there's also a father who firmly plants his family into a totally different culture.  Though white, John Wolff, her Dad, "truly believed he was a black man.  He strutted around with a short perm, a Cosby-esqe sweater, gold chains, and a Kangol - telling jokes like Redd Foxx, and giving advice like Jesse Jackson.".  Right at the first chapter, pre divorce, Mishna has to break into the neighborhood kids' world.  They tell her she'll have to produce a Barbie in order to win favor.  Running home to get one - not knowing what they are - she returns with her favorite stuffed Turtle.  Big flop.  She complains to her mom only to hear, "Honey, oppressed people of the world make Barbie so a big corporation can get rich.  Now, is it really worth that kind of karma for a doll?"  Somehow, through perseverance and humor, she makes it through her incredibly confusing world.  The author is very funny as she reveals her struggles to find herself while having to deal with such a unique challenge.