No, not “To Kill a Mockingbird” but “Not a Genuine Black Man” by Brian Copeland…that’s the 2009 choice of the Silicon Valley Reads Program.
It’s a funny and poignant memoir (and a one-man show) of Bay Area broadcast personality Copeland about growing up in the 1970s as one of the first African-American families in San Leandro. The book/show reveals a little-known chapter of Bay Area history; in 1971, San Leandro was named one of the most racist suburbs in America. Congressional hearings were held. The next year, the then eight-year-old Brian Copeland and his African-American family moved to San Leandro. In a monologue that’s both funny and poignant, Brian explores how surroundings make us who we are.
Story here.
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