"The Word"
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What people are saying...
"An honest look at a life worth reading. It was like reading a diary and wanting to reach out to the person writing…to befriend them, so that they see that they are not alone."
--M.C. Serch, Hip-Hop Artist, Host of Ego Trip's the White Rapper Show
"In JLove's masterful hands, Amber's story taps into the dramatic difficulties of simply trying to find one's unique place in a deeply fractured world. Here's a voice we've been waiting for."
-- Luis J. Rodriguez, author of Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in LA
"JLove has the heart, the skills, and the underdog love to tell this deeply moving coming-of-age story the way it had to be told."
-- Jeff Chang, winner of National Book Award and author of Can't Stop Won't Stop
"Don't get it twisted. That White Girl is more than just another hip hop roman-a-clef. Amidst Amber’s search for community, JLove drops many truths about race in the U.S., the challenges of growing up female and the power of this tribe called Hip Hop...The drama and controversy will hook you, no doubt."
-- Black Artemis, author of the hip hop novels Explicit Content, Picture Me Rollin' and Burn
"[JLove's] story has less to do with her being white, than it does with the powerful message she sends...that in her quest for an identity, she discovers not only herself, but the cold hard reality that racism victimizes everyone, black and white alike…the hip hop culture and brutal honesty that sustained her throughout her journey can become the healing vehicle for the inequities in which all of society labors… Bravo to JLove."
-- Roland S. Jefferson, author of One Night Stand and Damaged Goods
“[JLove] succeeds in telling the tale of both gang life and Hip-Hop through a brand new pair of eyes...with her voice evolving throughout the novel as she slowly uses Hip-Hop as a vessel for social commentary. The remarkable (and respectable) aspect of Amber’s life and JLove’s writing is that she hardly mixes discussions on her gang activity with her affiliation to the Hip-Hop culture…the novel concentrates more on the isms…particularly racism and sexism.” --Kathy Iandoli, AllHipHop.com
“Not only does JLove live, sleep and breathe hip-hop, above all, she fights for the genre and its culture. The well respected educator/activist, who is dedicated to the struggle for human rights and the positive proliferation of youth and hip-hop culture, has created…That White Girl, in which her own life and experiences serve as the guideline.” -- Anne van de Sande, Ballerstatus.com
“I absolutely loved this book. There were so many issues addressed [here] such as race relations, self worth, lifestyle, and family. I recommend [it] to anyone with a teenage daughter.” --Shavon Williams, APOOO BookClub Review
Baller's Status Interview
RAWSISTAZ.COM REVIEW
Kathy Iandoli of allhiphop.com
Shavon Williams of APOOO BookClub
JLove Rap Fanatic Review
Left Turn Magazine
Ballerstatus.com Interview
Author Q&A: JLove Calderon
Published: Thursday - October 25, 2007
Words by Anne van de Sande
Not only does JLove live, sleep and breathe hip-hop, above all, she fights for the genre and its culture. The well respected educator/activist, who is dedicated to the struggle for human rights and the positive proliferation of youth and hip-hop culture, has created and contributed to numerous of events and organizations, including We Got Issues! National Arts and Civic Engagement Tour and B-Boy Summit.
Growing up as a white girl in a multi-colored community filled with gang violence and hip-hop music, JLove is no stranger to the subjects she discussed while presenting at universities with the likes of KRS-One and Rosa Clemente. The activist recently released her second book, That White Girl, in which her own life and experiences serve as the guideline. Read on as JLove discusses her novel, love for hip-hop and her outlook on racism in hip hop culture.
To Read the entire interview visit the Ballerstatus website here
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RAWSISTAZ.COM REVIEW
Date Reviewed: Sep 28, 2007
Can We All Just Get Along
When I first picked up the book, THAT WHITE GIRL, I thought it was going to be about a white girl who is trying to act black – speaking ebonics, wearing ethnic hairstyles and dating only black males. But I found none of that within the pages. THAT WHITE GIRL is the coming of age story of Amber, a Caucasian female who has good friends within all racial groups.
Her good friend Juan is Hispanic and he introduces her to graffiti art and the lifestyle of gang members. Amber easily fits in and becomes a part of the Crips. She also maintains friendships with her African-American friends as well as the white ones, yet she cannot understand why others aren't so open to embracing each other. She also receives opposition from her family who feels she's headed down a dangerous trail if she continues to keep company with those outside her race. The book follows her throughout her high school and college years as Amber faces several situations, some of which are life threatening or could land her behind bars as she comes into her own and finds her true identity – that white girl with a love for hip-hop.
THAT WHITE GIRL is loosely-based on the life of JLove and how she came up as a product of the eighties and nineties when hip-hop was just emerging. The novel is well-written and the characters are well-developed. Amber's love for her friends and her willingness to embrace other cultures is clearly depicted, along with her struggle to identify who she was. There are points in the book where the plot lulls and the ending is not climatic which tends not to add excitement, but overall this is a solid story.
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Allhiphop.com review By Kathy Iandoli
Published Tuesday, October 23, 2007
A modern-day euphemism for cocaine, That White Girl (Atria), in this case, reflects the real meaning of the phrase. Amber, a young white teenager with a penchant for the Denver street life, finds herself mixed into a whirlwind of an adolescence filled with graffiti, violence, and a "coveted" spot in the Denver set of the Crips aka the Rollin' 30s. The author, Jennifer "JLove" Calderon, does her best not to present That White Girl as a generic tale of a silly white chick turned badass.
Especially when the novel is loosely based on the story of her life.
Her character Amber struggles with her home life, living with a single mother who works heinous hours and a brother with a drug problem, so she readily embraces the streets. Her mentor and childhood friend Juan introduces her to the Crips, where she has to show and prove by holding up a convenience store.
While That White Girl may appear to be a (F)eminem saga at face value, it actually succeeds in telling the tale of both gang life and Hip-Hop through a brand new pair of eyes. When the novel can't over-express Amber's initial innocence to it all, her journal entries do the talking. Amber is submerged in the Hip-Hop culturefirst being the token white girl to recite rap lyrics and then tagging "Corazon" with the Runnin' the Streets Crewwith her voice evolving throughout the novel as she slowly uses Hip-Hop as a vessel for social commentary. The remarkable (and respectable) aspect of Amber's life and JLove's writing is that she hardly mixes discussions on her gang activity with her affiliation to the Hip-Hop culture. Kudos to JLove for not perpetuating the stereotype that gangbangers love rap and vice versa.
Later when Amber moves to LA to attend college, the novel concentrates more on the isms that were previously introduced, particularly racism and sexism.
That White Girl does at times border on cheesy, with some slightly contrived dialogue. However, JLove never falters in developing Amber's character in keeping her emotions honest through her innermost thoughts of longing to belong. Amber eventually realizes that what she loves, Hip-Hop, can be that saving grace for her in striving to eliminate societal differences. While the conclusion that Hip-Hop brings people together is awfully ambitious, That White Girl is a meaningful story of how one determined young lady reaches that revelation.
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APOOO BookClub review by Shavon Williams
Most of us struggled to find our identity during high schoolIn "That
White Girl," we are introduced to Amber whois a young, white girl
growing up during the late 80's when hip-hop started to reign supreme.
She has a love for all things hip-hop.As Amber dances between the
color lines, her life soon begins to spiral out of control. She cannot
keep her home and alternate life from crossing into each other.
Eventually she gets caught up with the gang life and has to make a
decision.
I absolutely loved this book. There were so many issues addressed in
this book such as race relations, self worth, lifestyle, and family. I
recommend [it] to anyone with a teenage daughter.
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