Outsider

The Adirondack Park in New York State is not just home to the majestic Adirondack Mountains - an outdoor enthusiast's paradise - but it is home to approximately 130,000 full-time residents in 101 towns and villages. Witherbee is a hamlet in one of those small towns and the place where Author Alice Paden Green learned a harsh reality about race growing up Black in a predominantly white area. "Outsider: Stories of Growing Up Black in the Adirondacks" details many of Green's experiences as her family grappled with poverty, race and acceptance in the mid-20th century. This memoir, prompted by a recent gathering of Blacks and whites in the Adirondacks for a discussion on race relations, explores perceptions of Black families in the 1950s and '60s and whether Blacks are still viewed as outsiders or welcomed with open arms in this four-season, recreational playground still dominated by white residents. This book adds to the narrative on whether more work should be done to diversify the Adirondack regions and can be used by individuals, groups, and government agencies to further those discussions.