 |
Whispers Bookstore | Book Excerpts | |
|
|
An American Salad
by Marie Watts, Joy Darien
Paperback: 216 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.49 x 8.50 x 5.50
Publisher: Turnkey Press; (May 2003)
ISBN: 0972380698Is the United States an "American Salad?"
Celebrating Diversity Awareness MonthCo-authors Marie Watts, human resource consultant and former Equal Employment Opportunity Commission supervisory investigator, and Joy Darien, diversity professional and former career counselor at the University of Houston.
October is Diversity Awareness Month, which celebrates and promotes the diversity of society. It is a month that encourages further understanding of the inherent values of all races, genders, national origins, religions, sexual orientation, economic levels and physical disabilities.
The demographics of the United States are rapidly changing and a growing percentage of the population is now non-white. CNN reported that Hispanics now comprise almost 13 percent, making them the largest minority group in the United States and African Americans make up the second largest minority group with 12 percent, said the Center for Media Research.
With an intimate understanding of the conflicts that occur because of bias and discrimination, Marie Watts and Joy Darien wrote An American Salad, which is set in Houston, Texas, a metropolitan area that is 54% minority. The fictional story delves into issues that are not unlike those faced in other ethnically diverse cities across the country. A celebration of diversity gives everyone the opportunity to learn about individual differences but more importantly share similarities. An American Salad brings to light the struggle for acceptance and respect in an ethnically diverse population.
Marie Watts' experience as a supervisor at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in which she investigated discrimination issues, inspired her to write her first published novel, An American Salad. Today, Marie Watts runs her own human resources consulting business and works with clients such as the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Houston. Joy Darien is a writer and poet with a multifaceted training background specializing in communication, diversity, and mediation skills.
Book Description
Recently divorced Holly Jackson is forced to make a new life for herself that challenges the core of her beliefs when she finds herself at an ethnically diverse school. Shaken, Holly reveals her most intimate thoughts and feelings through daily journal entries. Her life takes a surprising turn as she begins to grow and finds the courage to overcome the fears that have trapped her in a world where she is alone.
