{"id":40265,"date":"2026-05-16T20:37:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T20:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lesbianfunworld.com\/books\/?p=40265"},"modified":"2026-05-16T20:37:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T20:37:03","slug":"mothering-without-a-compass-by-becky-w-thompson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesbianfunworld.com\/books\/mothering-without-a-compass-by-becky-w-thompson\/","title":{"rendered":"Mothering Without A Compass by Becky W. Thompson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"font-size: 17px;\">\r\n\r\nIn 1997, Becky Thompson\u2019s life was upended when she became the &#8216;sudden-mother&#8217; to nine-year-old Adrian. Mothering without a Compass is a candid, lively memoir detailing her first year as a white lesbian raising an African American boy in a world not built for their family.<\/p><p>Thompson navigates the steep learning curve of multiracial parenting, from the mundane challenges of school hunting to profound conversations about identity and racism. The narrative balances humor with vulnerability, exploring how an open adoption and nontraditional family structure force a confrontation with class, gender, and the weight of the American racial divide.<\/p><p>The story culminates in a poignant meeting between Thompson and Adrian\u2019s biological mother, as they work to build a bridge of mutual respect across cultural and religious differences. This is an essential read for anyone committed to raising justice-minded children and understanding the complexities of &#8216;queer kinship.&#8217;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<div>\r\n<h2><\/h2>\r\n<h2>Details<\/h2>\r\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n .TFtable<br \/> .TFtable td<br \/> \/*  Define the text for all the 2nd columns  *\/<br \/> .TFtable td:nth-child(2)<br \/><\/style>\r\n<table class=\"TFtable\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>ISBN: <\/strong>9780816636358<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Subtitle: <\/strong>White Mother&#8217;s Love, Black Son&#8217;s Courage<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Genre: <\/strong>Black Interest; Parenting &#038; Families<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Subject(s): <\/strong>African American Young Men\/ Family Relationships; Lesbian Mothers; Lesbian Mothers\/ United States\/ Family Relationships; Women, White; Women, White\/ United States\/ Family Relationships<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Publication Date: <\/strong>2000-09-25<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Original Publication Date: <\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Publisher: <\/strong>Univ Of Minnesota Press<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Language: <\/strong>English<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Format: <\/strong>Hardcover<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Pages: <\/strong>200<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Rating: <\/strong> <\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Notes: <\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>Book_ID: <\/strong>105611<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A white lesbian\u2019s candid memoir about navigating race, identity, and love while raising her Black son.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":40266,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4315,4403],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-interest","category-parenting-families"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6.1 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mothering Without A Compass<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A white lesbian\u2019s candid memoir about navigating race, identity, and love while raising her Black son.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lesbianfunworld.com\/books\/mothering-without-a-compass-by-becky-w-thompson\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mothering Without A Compass by Becky W. 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