My Brown Baby: On the Joys and Challenges of Raising African American Children

by Denene Millner

“The best site for thoughtful, fierce advice about parenting from a Black perspective” — Ebony

For almost a decade, national parenting expert and bestselling author Denene Millner has published thought-provoking, insightful, sometimes wickedly funny commentary about motherhood on her critically acclaimed website MyBrownBaby.com. The site, hailed as a “must-read” by the New York Times, speaks to the experiences, joys, fears, sorrows, and triumphs of African American motherhood, from pregnancy and child-rearing to relationships and the politics of parenting black children.

After publishing almost 2,000 posts aimed at lifting the voices of moms and dads of color, Millner has now curated My Brown Baby , a collection of the website’s most important and insightful essays. This one-of-a-kind parenting book offers perspectives on the issues moms of color and mothers of children of color face as they raise their kids—from birthing while black to negotiating discipline to preparing children for racism.

Through her website, Millner has created a space for African American moms and parents of black children, many of whom long to lend their critical but all-too-often ignored voices to the national parenting discussion. Full of essays that readers of all backgrounds will find provocative, My Brown Baby acknowledges that there absolutely are issues that African American parents must deal with that white parents never have to confront if they’re not raising brown children. This book chronicles these differences with open arms, a lot of love, and the deep belief that though we may come from separate places and have different backgrounds, all parents want the same things for our families, and especially for our children.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, African American

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2017

About the author

Denene Millner is a six-time New York Times best-selling author, Emmy Award-nominated TV show host and award-winning journalist and book publisher who has written more than 30 books, among them: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, co-written with Steve Harvey; Around the Way Girl, a memoir with actress Taraji P. Henson; the Fresh Princess picture books, with Will Smith; and, The Vow, the novel on which the hit Lifetime movie, “With This Ring,” was based. The writer and editor is also the editorial director and publisher of Denene Millner Books, an award-winning imprint that publishes stories featuring Black children and families, by Black authors and illustrators. The DMB list includes two Caldecott Honor books, a Kirkus Prize for Children’s Literature, two Society for Illustrator honors, a Southern Book Award, an instant New York Times bestseller and three NAACP nominations. Denene also co-hosts the nationally syndicated PBS show, A Seat at the Table, and is the host of “Speakeasy with Denene,” a podcast exploring Black culture. Denene’s upcoming novel, One Blood, a multi-generational epic about motherhood, adoption and race, is slated to be published in eight countries when it debuts in 2023. A MacDowell fellow, Denene lives in Atlanta with her two daughters and their goldendoodle, Franklin.

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I'll keep this review short and sweet - maybe it wasn't what I expected, but I think this book fell a little short. While I had never heard of the author before, the title caught my attention. Being a new mom to a baby boy, I felt like this book would help me navigate some of the more difficult roads ahead of me. But this author painted a broad brush about her life and upbringing, and what it is like to raise two black girls. While I admire her for approaching the subject, I think that she could have changed the title to reflect just that, "On the Joys and Challenges of Raising African American Girls". I did enjoy the book overall, and since I'm a female I understand completely what kind of challenges African American girls face on a daily basis. I guess I was hoping that more focus would be on African American boys as well. But overall, this was a solid book. I would definitely rate it a 3.5 if Goodreads allowed it.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of articles and stories from the infamous website, My Brown Baby, which has over 2,000 posts. It creates a conversation about motherhood for black women and black mothers. It addresses the true joys and challenges of raising black children or children and what it means to raise a black child in America, from childbirth to disciplining to discussing racism.

This book covers the experiences, joys, fears, and triumphs of African American motherhood.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/den...

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book. Compiled from her award-winning blog, My Brown Baby, Millner describes the essence of parenting African American children. The topics discussed in this book range from hair care and reality television to politics and racism. As a mom, I savored every moment Millner describes with her beautiful children; there is such pride, joy, and delight in each one. However, as a mom of a black daughter, my heart ached. Even now as I recall the stories and experiences of Millner and her family my heart overflows with sadness; I continue to lament the racial divide that exists in our country. Despite the challenges, Millner offers hope, steadfastness, and determination in raising successful African American children. I highly recommend this book for African American families, families formed through transracial adoption, and anyone who cares for and loves little brown babies like mine.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One day I was flipping through the channels and came across "A Seat At The Table" on PBS and saw Ms. Millner as one of the hosts. Later that week when I saw this book on the new book shelf at the library I knew I had to check it out. It was an awesome read full of thoughts that I can relate to as a mom of a future black man.

I love the tip about power cleaning for 15 minutes each day.

Keep up the great work!

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

it seemed more written for girls, i have both a girl and a boy. not bad.... probably better for someone of another race to read since honestly since i have been through this it was more of a refresher for my daughter since its been a while since i was in gradeschool.