Brown, white, black : an American family at the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, and religion / Nishta J. Mehra.

All-American ethnic girl -- Black is the color of my true love's hair -- Working the trap -- Voluntarily bald -- Wrestling with ghosts -- Cult of motherhood -- The sin of our security -- Raising Shiv -- Making space -- Pretending to be white -- (Not) passing -- This is what a family looks like.

Essays describe how the author's experiences as an Indian American, the wife of a white Christian woman, and the mother of an adopted black son have been challenged by rigid cultural family norms.