Wednesday, May 14, 6pm - Memoir

Lori L. Tharps

author of Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain ($23.00 Atria Books)

In a memoir recounting an atypical study-abroad adventure, we meet Lori Tharps, a self-possessed African American, who feels, for whatever reason, that her destiny lies in Spain. Although she attended mostly white private schools and considered herself the Queen of Assimilation, her attempt to fit into Spanish society was not easy. Vocal references to her color on the street are the rule not the exception. But Manuel, a local, wins her heart. She expects the relationship to fizzle once she returns home; instead they marry. With a Spanish family and regular and sustained sojourns in her husband's homeland, Tharp needs to come to terms with Spain's attitude toward race. Approaching the topic as a journalist, she uncovers Spain's historical connection to the slave trade, along with the record books and church iconography to prove it. Tharps thinks it likely that once slavery ended, many Africans just blended in, a realization that finally makes her connection to the place feel solid and real. This is an interesting, charming, and funny true story harboring an unexpected look at Spanish history