More Than I Imagined - by John Blake (Hardcover)

About the Book

"An award-winning journalist tells the story of his quest to reconcile with his white mother and the family he'd never met--and how faith brought them all together. John Blake grew up in a notorious Black neighborhood in inner-city Baltimore that was the setting for the HBO series The Wire. It was there that 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 at a time 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 that 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 only discovered that after experiencing what he calls "radical integration." It was the only way forward for him and his family-and it's the only way forward for America as a multiracial democracy. More Than I Imagined is a hopeful story for our difficult times"--

Book Synopsis

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?

Review Quotes

"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

"John Blake incisively covers news of today's racial divide, but it's his own story that truly deserves to be broadcast."--Heather McGhee, New York Times bestselling author of The Sum of Us

"I tell John Blake things I don't tell any other journalist. Sensitive to the moment, amid the recent surge of attention given to faith and race, Blake provides the kind of steady and studied analysis that we need to understand these critical topics."--Jemar Tisby, New York Times bestselling author of The Color of Compromise

"John Blake takes us on a heartbreaking, powerful journey of personal, familial, and possibly national redemption. Truth-telling and working to confront those uncomfortable truths are at the core of this engaging and wrenching memoir."--Carol Anderson, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of White Rage

"More Than I Imagined impacted me far more than I could have possibly imagined. John Blake is spot-on when he writes, 'facts don't change people; relationships do.' I needed this book; our nation needs this book."--Andy Stanley, pastor, founder of North Point Ministries and author of Not in It to Win It

"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

"I don't recall a memoir so substantively shaped by the self-awareness of one's relationships."--Scot McKnight, professor at Northern Seminary and bestselling author of Jesus Creed

"Blake's message of empathetic compassion and coming together as a community is a balm for a divided country that leans on sensationalism, hate, and scare tactics."--Library Journal, starred review

About the Author

John Blake is an award-winning CNN journalist. He has been honored by the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Academy of Religion, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Religion Communicators Council. A recipient of the GLAAD Media Award, he has spoken at high schools, colleges, and symposiums, and in documentaries on race, religion, and politics. Blake is a native of Baltimore, Maryland.