Living Color is the first book to investigate the social history of skin color from prehistory to the present, showing how our body’s most visible trait influences our social interactions in profound and complex ways. In a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion, Nina G. Jablonski begins with the biology and evolution of skin pigmentation, explaining how skin color changed as humans moved around the globe. She explores the relationship between melanin pigment and sunlight, and examines the consequences of rapid migrations, vacations, and other lifestyle choices that can create mismatches between our skin color and our environment. Richly illustrated, this book explains why skin color has come to be a biological trait with great social meaning— a product of evolution perceived by culture. It considers how we form impressions of others, how we create and use stereotypes, how negative stereotypes about dark skin developed and have played out through history—including being a basis for the transatlantic slave trade. Offering examples of how attitudes about skin color differ in the U.S., Brazil, India, and South Africa, Jablonski suggests that a knowledge of the evolution and social importance of skin color can help eliminate color-based discrimination and racism.

A complete textbook of dermatologic science and practice focusing on the care of patients with moderately to heavily pigmented skin A Doody's Core Title for 2011! "The well-organized book is replete with clinical images and addresses the unique medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology issues that occur in skin of color. Important cultural considerations in providing optimal care to patients with skin of color are discussed. 4 Stars (Excellent)"--Mayo Clinic Proceedings "...provides readers with the first comprehensive reference for this subspecialty, ranging from the historic and cultural to the clinical and basic science components....More than 600 full-color photographs of preoperative and postoperative photographs foster the visual recognition of dermatologic diagnostics, and the text proves an excellent diagnostic reference for clinicians presented with puzzling dermatologic lesions. Dermatology for Skin of Color will be a critical and invaluable addition to the clinical reference library of any culturally competent physician."--JAMA "Excellent color clinical photographs on high quality glossy white paper make this book a pleasure to peruse....I would recommend this book to anyone caring for a multiracial mix of patients. It also serves as a good standalone general dermatology textbook. It is definitely one of the superior books currently available covering dermatology issues in patients of color. 3 Stars."--Doody's Review Service Dermatology for Skin of Color is a comprehensive reference thoroughly detailing every aspect of dermatologic science as it applies to skin of color - from the development of the skin to the biology of hair and nails. All commonly encountered dermatologic problems of Africans, Asians, Native American, and other peoples are covered as are other diseases with significant skin manifestations. For each problem/disorder discussed, the authors offer detailed, specialized advice on diagnosis and treatment methods. Both medical and surgical treatment options are discussed as is cosmetic dermatology. In addition, folk remedies and over-the-counter treatments specifically targeting this population are also covered. Features 600 superb full-color pre and post operative photographs that can also be used for patient education Clinical pearls impart the wisdom of experience of international experts Easy-to-use, standardized presentation describes each condition and procedure Comprehensive coverage that includes: Pediatric dermatology; Medical, surgical, and cosmetic treatment options; ;The differences between skin of color and Caucasian skin as well as the differences between ethnic groups with skin of color ;Important basic science information on the structure and function of skin of color

In the United States, as in many parts of the world, people are discriminated against based on the color of their skin. This type of skin tone bias, or colorism, is both related to and distinct from discrimination on the basis of race, with which it is often conflated. Preferential treatment of lighter skin tones over darker occurs within racial and ethnic groups as well as between them. While America has made progress in issues of race over the past decades, discrimination on the basis of color continues to be a constant and often unremarked part of life. In Color Matters, Kimberly Jade Norwood has collected the most up-to-date research on this insidious form of discrimination, including perspectives from the disciplines of history, law, sociology, and psychology. Anchored with historical chapters that show how the influence and legacy of slavery have shaped the treatment of skin color in American society, the contributors to this volume bring to light the ways in which colorism affects us all--influencing what we wear, who we see on television, and even which child we might pick to adopt. Sure to be an eye-opening collection for anyone curious about how race and color continue to affect society, Color Matters provides students of race in America with wide-ranging overview of a crucial topic.

A positive and affirming look at skin color, from an artist's perspective. Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades. Through the eyes of a little girl who begins to see her familiar world in a new way, this book celebrates the differences and similarities that connect all people. Karen Katz created The Colors of Us for her daughter, Lena, whom she and her husband adopted from Guatemala six years ago.

Shades of Difference examines the significance of skin color in different societies around the world and its effects on relations between and within racial groups.

An entertaining yet creative way to address and celebrate diversity among young children. Like a multicolor pencil palette, what defines human beings is their uniqueness and their diversity.Vega and her colored pencils are inseparable. Together they create the most impressive drawings that are showcased in the best museum in the world: the refrigerator at home. Vega uses all the colors you can imagine for her drawings: red, yellow, blue, gold, and more.One day at school, Vega is immersed in one of her new creations when her friend Alex stops by, and peers into the box of pencils Vega had on her table. “Can you lend me the skin-colored pencil, please?” he asks. Skin-colored? Vega and Alex wonder why there is such a color in the box.With curiosity and creativity they explore the diversity skin tones of the people around them, and discover that the “skin-color” can have not just one, but a thousand shades.

Joy lives in a diverse world and comes from a multicultural family. It is only natural for her to have some questions. Join Joy as she learns how to describe skin color, and about how her skin color can tell her about where her family is from, but not really about who they are. "Daddy Why Am I Brown?" is a meant to be a starter conversation on how kids can learn to talk about skin color in a way that is kind, thoughtful, and healthy. And in the process, they learn a little bit about how to understand the difference between race, ethnicity, and culture.

Weaving together personal stories, history, and analysis, Same Family, Different Colors explores the myriad ways skin-color politics affect family dynamics in the United States. Colorism and color bias—the preference for or presumed superiority of people based on the color of their skin—is a pervasive and damaging but rarely openly discussed phenomenon. In this unprecedented book, Lori L. Tharps explores the issue in African American, Latino, Asian American, and mixed-race families and communities by weaving together personal stories, history, and analysis. The result is a compelling portrait of the myriad ways skin-color politics affect family dynamics in the United States. Tharps, the mother of three mixed-race children with three distinct skin colors, uses her own family as a starting point to investigate how skin-color difference is dealt with. Her journey takes her across the country and into the lives of dozens of diverse individuals, all of whom have grappled with skin-color politics and speak candidly about experiences that sometimes scarred them. From a Latina woman who was told she couldn’t be in her best friend’s wedding photos because her dark skin would “spoil” the pictures, to a light-skinned African American man who spent his entire childhood “trying to be Black,” Tharps illuminates the complex and multifaceted ways that colorism affects our self-esteem and shapes our lives and relationships. Along with intimate and revealing stories, Tharps adds a historical overview and a contemporary cultural critique to contextualize how various communities and individuals navigate skin-color politics. Groundbreaking and urgent, Same Family, Different Colors is a solution-seeking journey to the heart of identity politics, so that this more subtle “cousin to racism,” in the author’s words, will be exposed and confronted.

Presents a powerful argument backed by historical fact and anecdotal evidence, that color prejudice remains a devastating divide within black America.

Race, Gender, and the Politics of Skin Tone tackles the hidden yet painful issue of colorism in the African American and Mexican American communities. Beginning with a historical discussion of slavery and colonization in the Americas, the book quickly moves forward to a contemporary analysis of how skin tone continues to plague people of color today. This is the first book to explore this well-known, yet rarely discussed phenomenon.