This is a wonderful story about two people who meet, fall in love and marry. But the story does not end there. It is not a fairy tale. The authors share their story of life, love, hardships and experience during their marriage.

I like the way the book is written in alternate turns of the wife's voice, then the husband's voice. As the adage goes, "There are two sides to the story." I enjoyed reading each spouse's version. If you've ever wondered what goes on in a successful marriage, this book provides you with one couple's story.

Fafa Demasio

I enjoyed this book immensely. I previously believed that the Taylor/Haizlip story was somewhat snobby, with two daughters who went to Yale, and the big beautiful houses they lived in, yadda yadda yadda, but in reading this book, I realized that this was not the case. They have struggled and perservered. I especially enjoyed Harold's story and "getting to know him". I sort of knew Shirlee's story since I read The Sweeter the Juice, and it was really nice to read of how they fell in love, and most importantly, how they've remained in love along with their other trials and tribulations. This book definitely has it all. I was pleased to actually have something that I actually wanted to read on the train to and from work. I also must say that the segments outlining Shirlee's driving adventures had me laughing out loud, too! I highly recommend this book, and wish it didn't end.

I work at a women's organization where Shirlee Taylor-Haizlip is Scholarship Chairman, and I can say from personal experience that the Haizlips are not "kidding" anybody. The joke is on one of the previous reviewers, who discerned "interracial" from 306 pages of wit, candor and history. The Haizlips are as inspirational as their novel. They are gracious, genuine and clearly devoted to one another.

I related to many aspects of their story, but also learned from its historical context. Above all, I simply enjoyed it. I laughed, and nearly cried, out loud. Read the book and you will want to share it. And, know that somewhere in Los Angeles, a garden really does flourish.

Having recently finished reading the book, I wonder whether such debilitating attitudes still obtain in the African American community--attitudes that hold that dark skin is unattractive, even ugly. To answer my own query, my sense is that there are still elements of such thinking, born of self-denial and disafirmation. The character in Thurman's book, Emma, who was reared to think of herself as "too black"; was not suffering from a personal problem. Color consciousness is not a black invention; it is a product of centuries of white racism. This book will help black parents to understand their notions of beauty.

The Blacker the Berry is a truly classic novel and one from a great time period - the Harlem Renaissance. Wallace Thurman weaves an unfamiliar tale of a African American woman who struggles with her skin color, the acceptance of family members and racism within the black community.

At the time "The Blacker the Berry" was written, it was the first novel of its kind to address issues widely known among the black community, but never discussed.

It's about a young woman, Emma Lou, who's darker skin tone brings anguish and breeds hatred not only for herself but from her lighter skinned relatives. Set in the 1920s, the main character travels from Boise, Idaho to Harlem, New York in hopes of escaping her problems back home. However, she only runs into deeper problems in a new city.

The "Blacker the Berry" shares with us her journey for self love and social equality. Every woman of any race or background can relate to this book in some manner. After reading the novel, I encouraged all of my friends to examine their own views on skin color and share them with others in hopes of breaking down barriers and unwanted stereotypes. It was a wonderful book and I enjoyed reading it because it was very descriptive about Harlem - my original home town.

This Harlem Renaissance novel is a lost classic in African-American literature that must be reintroduced. My one and only complaint(and a slight one at that) is that sometimes the novel did not transition well between the two separate narrations of Emma Lou and Alva. This problem, however, is easily minisculed by the overall hard-hitting message of the book. At times I found myself getting infuriated by Emma Lou's seemingly silly and immature ways regarding color, but that is likely exactly what the author had set out to do--to make the reader realize the absurdity in being so color-conscious.
Though perhaps not as rampant as it was in the era that the novel is set, the whole light-complected/good hair complex is unfortunately an issue that still plagues the African- American community today. It is profound books such as this that will hopefully enlighten those practicing intra-racism that, light or dark, we are ALL considered 'black' by others, and that on a larger scale, regardless of anyone's race, we are ALL human. This is the realization that Emma Lou struggles with in the novel, and one that hopefully the reader will 'get'.

I really liked the message of this book. The message of this book is that there is only one race: the human race, and that really we are all shades of the same color. THE SWEETER THE JUICE: A FAMILY MEMOIR IN BLACK AND WHITE is not just the story of Haizlip's family, but also American history. This book is well-written, educational, and a well-told story of the author's family. This is a story of laughter, tears, pain, joy triumphs, family, and an American history we all share. The story is about being true to oneself, and about recognizing family and acknowledging family even if that family did not always recognize and acknowledge you. For, some people always own up to their ancestors, but some people do not. Now that it's cool to have a black relative, some people are willing to recognize their black ancestors. Haizlip realizes this and other issues related to the state of being human. This book should be read by everyone everywhere.

This moving account of six generations of family history goes beyond the usual personal family narrative. The author explores her family's heritage as slaves and free blacks and whites since the Civil War era. She explores the motivations of those members of her mixed-race family who have chosen to remain black and those who have crossed over to become white. By separating issues of skin color and racial identity, Haizlip explores the concept of race as a social construct and shows that, in some instances, one's racial identity can be a matter of personal choice. The family trees and photographs that accompany this account add to the fascination of the story

The Sweeter the Juice made me realize that not all famlies are not perfect, especially when dealing with the issue of race. I read this book from cover to cover and then I read it again.
The author writes matter of factly about the history of her family whose color line spans black, white and in between. It is a book you shed no tears over even though you feel grief for a family parted by racial intolerence; rather you feel elated that the story is being told at all because such a history was often a hidden history.

Thumbs up to Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, she has written a real eye opener, especially with reference to the first US President George Washington. His uncle fathered a son by a slave woman who in turn became the founder of Shirlee Taylor Haizlip's maternal family. History is every colour under the sun, even the history of presidents.