Cassandra Robbins, Esq

by Patricia Costa Viglucci

"Being the ony brown person in a white family is no big deal. Being the only girl is." That's what 17-year-old Cassandra Robbins, a bi-racial girl adopted at birth by a white family, thinks--at least until her older brother, Todd, brings his handsome black college roommate home for the summer.

Cass and Josh Lindsay are instantly attracted to each other, but problems soon develop. Josh takes the job at the lab that Cass thought was hers. Cassandra fears she is getting too close to Josh, and a white girl who goes to her school begins to show interest in him.

To complicate matters further, Steve Bonner, who is white, invites Cassandra to a concert, but their good time is marred by the narrow-minded attitude of his mother.

For the first time in her life, Cassandra wonders who she really is and where she fits in.

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

From author's website: "I am a native of Potter County in north central Pennsylvania which is still the wildest part of the Commonwealth. The wooded Allegheny Mountains have been my spiritual haven from an early age. The sun filtering down through tall trees to the pine-needle floor, the scent of hemlock, and the murmur of rock-filled mountain streams spell home to me.

I was born in Austin, Pa. A thriving boom town of 3,000 in the early 1900s, the hamlet is now the home of some 600 residents, who have built a wonderful repository of historical items. The Austin Historical Society and the E.O. Austin museum tells the story of Austin’s early days, most notably its logging history and the dam break of 1911. My father, Sam Costa, then 4, was one of those who escaped the raging waters."

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book! It made me think about what it might be like to be born with parents from two different races. Cassandra not only dealt with the typical growing up issues, but also had to find her place in a world where dating people of varying races can be tricky. Not only did she need to overcome others' prejudices, but maybe some of her own too. This book also dealt with how far a teenager should go physically with someone they care about. I like how Pat (the author) dealt with this issue. I am very picky about what I think is appropriate in this area. For a moment I thought the characters where taking it too far. Then I realized that they were addressing how hard it is to set limits. I think this is very accurate. I really liked the choices Cassandra made and her decisions at the end of the book - which I don't want to spoil for other readers. It wasn't just your typical "happily ever after." Yet, I thought it was a great resolution to the story.