More than I Imagined

What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew

De: John Blake

Narrado por: John Blake

An award-winning journalist tells the “riveting” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) story of his quest to reconcile with his white mother and the family he’d never met—and how faith brought them all together.

“A compelling and courageous journey that bears witness to the realities of systemic racism, the complexity of identity within that system, and the possibilities of reconciliation.”—Robin DiAngelo, New York Times bestselling author of White Fragility

WINNER: The Christopher Award; The Illumination Award; The Nonfiction Book Award; Georgia Center’s “A Book All Georgians Should Read”; The Nautilus Award; Georgia Author of the Year Award

John Blake grew up in a notorious Black neighborhood in inner-city Baltimore that became the setting for the HBO series The Wire. There he became a self-described “closeted biracial person,” hostile toward white people while hiding the truth of his mother’s race. The son of a Black man and a white woman who met when interracial marriage was still illegal, Blake knew this much about his mother: She vanished from his life not long after his birth, and her family rejected him because of his race.

But at the age of seventeen, Blake had a surprise encounter that uncovered a disturbing family secret. This launched him on a quest to reconcile with his white family. His search centered on two questions: “Where is my mother?” and “Where do I belong?” More Than I Imagined is Blake’s propulsive true story about how he answered those questions with the help of an interracial church, a loving caregiver’s sacrifice, and an inexplicable childhood encounter that taught him the importance of forgiveness.

Blake covered some of the biggest stories about race in America for twenty-five years before realizing that “facts don’t change people, relationships do.” He owes this discovery to “radical integration,” which was the only way forward for him and his family—and is the only way forward for America as a multiracial democracy. More Than I Imagined is a hopeful story for our difficult times.

Praise for More Than I Imagined

“An incredibly moving memoir that both examines and complicates our understanding of race in America today, More Than I Imagined is overflowing with empathy and full of humanity.”—Clint Smith, New York Times bestselling author of How the Word Is Passed

“This is a book of gutsy hope and not of despair, of reconciliation and not of hatred. Both sides of the racial divide need the voice that Blake is uniquely qualified to offer.”—Philip Yancey, author of What’s So Amazing About Grace?

©2023 John Blake (P)2023 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“This memoir surprised me over and over again. John Blake’s life reads like a thriller but, like his reporting at CNN, is packed with pockets of compassion and wisdom.”—Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist

“More Than I Imagined is a powerful chronicle of John Blake’s journey that lays out a clear path toward racial healing—not just for his own family but the entire United States.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“More Than I Imagined testifies to the deepest truth that America cannot change unless Americans change. John Blake’s tender, powerful reckoning with his family’s history, secrets, myths, and divisions shows how we as a country can find a pathway to wholeness.”—Eric Liu, author of Become America

Vulnerability

Mr. Blake expressed his most intimate thoughts of how society fills our heads with ideoisms of race and racism. The line that said you should forgive your neighbor, while he harbored unforgiveness towards his aunt standing waiting for him to speak to her. I felt I traveled the road with him until he found the answers to the questions the boy on him needed to live forgiven and free.

Captivating and Familiar!

John's story of his family life and childhood held me captive from start to finish. The story of his absentee mother is quite familiar to me. The grace he extended to everyone in his life was one to be emulated. This story held the attention of my 19 year old son. Bravo!

Should be required reading!

John’s story is powerful! His insights are raw, honest and thoughtful. I appreciate his take on the state of race relations in our country.

Read this book!

We can never stop learning about life and racism - this is a beautifully written book about the author’s life of struggles and victories and everything in between. I learned a lot and found a new perspective on some things.
I’m not always a fan of author’s reading their own books, but this hit the spot.

Good life story illustrating race issues

This is the life story of the author, it presents in itself a lot of the racial issues in the US. As such, it shines.

The telling is good, but mid course it veers off a little into religion and some parts I could not tell if they were allegory or tried to pass as real events. This detracts a little from the whole because you wonder if previous parts can still be taken at face value.

Still, a good and important book.

Great read/listen

This really made me think about the connections I have in my life and the need to further diversify

Blake bravely peels back all layers of his life

I was very impressed by the rawness and honesty in what was clearly a difficult discovery about one’s life and one’s own biases about others as well as their biases against him and his family.
He shares with us what the world looks like through his eyes and allows us to feel both the lows and the triumphs of self discovery without sugarcoating anything.
You come to love his two aunts who play pivotal roles in his life and you feel almost like a family member viewing what is going on from the sidelines.
Mr. Blake’s narration feels like a friend telling you their life story, not like an author reading you a book.
An excellent read/listen and a discovery I am glad I was a part of as a listener. Bravo!

Outstanding!!!

Thank you for sharing your life with the world. Your story would be a wonderful movie. Your mother and father’s love must have been extraordinary. You and your brother were a product of something the world needs more of “Love”. In the end, love always wins!

What a powerful testimony!

I was so moved by his story of growing up in such a complex family. I was also moved by his honesty. It has left me with a lot to think about and work through. Thank you John for writing this book!

A Must Read/Listen!

John Blake is a talented writer with a gift for storytelling. Listening to his voice via audiobook made the story come alive for me. John speaks from his heart as he shares how he processed and was able to learn and grow from family life experiences with racism, mental illness, faith, bias issues and finally forgiveness. The relationship building that John Blake has done over his lifetime is a blueprint for reducing racism in our society. Great read. Excellent book.