Skinfolk, Matthew Pratt Guterl
Skinfolk, Matthew Pratt Guterl
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Skinfolk
A Memoir

Author: Matthew Pratt Guterl

Narrator: George Newbern

Unabridged: 9 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/28/2023

Synopsis

A haunting, poignant story of growing up in a mixed-race family in 1970s New Jersey, in the tradition of The Color of Water.Magnanimous and charming, Bob Guterl knew that he could solve the racial problems bedeviling postwar America.Determined to stave off impending global catastrophe, the larger-than-life judge and his resolute wife, Sheryl, launched a radical experiment, raising their two biological sons alongside four children adopted from Korea, Vietnam, and the South Bronx―the so-called “war zones of the American century”―in a white clapboard house with a white picket fence in small-town New Jersey.In lyrical, often searing prose, Matthew Guterl, a renowned historian of race and their third-eldest child, recounts the ultimately troubling story of his family; his racially diverse siblings; and his idealistic parents, with their miragelike dreams of creating a racial utopia in an otherwise all-white community.Chronicling the siblings’ coming-of-age in a recalcitrant, discriminatory society, Skinfolk peers behind that white picket fence, revealing many of the racial issues that continue to plague Americans today.

About Matthew Pratt Guterl

Matthew Pratt Guterl is the L. Herbert Ballou University Professor of Africana Studies and American Studies at Brown University. He is the award-winning author of four books, including Josephine Baker and the Rainbow Tribe. He lives in Rhode Island.

About George Newbern

George Newbern is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a television and film actor best known for his roles as Brian MacKenzie in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II, as well as Danny in Friends. As a voice actor, he is notable for his role as Superman on the Cartoon Newtork series Static Shock, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. He has guest starred on many television series, including Scandal, The Mentalist, Private Practice, CSI: Miami, and Numb3rs. He holds a BA in theater arts from Northwestern University.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jihae

I find the subject matter of this book extremely important and fascinating. Guterl's narrative style is very appealing to me. Some criticize him for not sharing more of his siblings' details and perspectives but I respect him even more for recognizing that the only story he's entitled to tell is his......more

Goodreads review by Queenie

Let’s all agree that this book is Matthew’s perception of life, regardless of how his aunt or any reader feels. He is allowed his view. Overall, just a sad book of how you f*ck up kids even when you’re loving and provide for them. There is a lot that Matthew leaves out to protect his siblings, so ev......more

Goodreads review by Alyssa

A devastating, heartbreaking story of a racial family experiment, where children's lives and well-being were put on the line for a social performance, and to "prove a point". Guterl is a wonderful storyteller and doesn't shy away from difficult topics or confessions. This memoir is an unflinching lo......more

Quotes

“Quietly searing….[An] unflinching analysis of this and other racially complicated scenes.” New York Times

“Audience favorite Newbern meticulously channels Guterl with a folksy, inviting intimacy, moving the narrative forward with delicate control, mindfully regulating the devastatingly emotional moments.” Library Journal (audio review)

“An earnestly felt, beautifully wrought story of an American family in all its complexity.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Guterl explores the ethics involved in his parents’ endeavor and confronts the consequences of even the best intentions.” Publishers Weekly

“Guterl focuses much of the story on himself and his closest siblings, Bear and Bug, and on the realities of growing up in a big family. But he is clear-eyed about his privilege, even within his family.” Booklist

“Skinfolk explores a question we all face: What makes us kin?” Martha S. Jones, author of Vanguard

“[A] moving, beautifully written memoir.” Natalia Molina, author of A Place at the Nayarit

“A chronicle of life, love, complexity, race, and above all, the meaning of the word ‘family.’ ” Jelani Cobb, dean of the Colombia Journalism School

“With unflinching eyes, Matthew Pratt Guterl examines his family experiment with an academic’s precision.” Julia Scheeres, author of Jesus Land

“The story of this family is unforgettable in its embrace of the personal and the political…A powerful read.” Wendy S. Walters, author of Multiply/Divide

Awards

  • New York Times Book Review pick
  • The Week Magazine Pick
  • USA Today Pick
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