When She was White by Judith Stone

When she was white, is the true story of Sandra Laing, a black child born to a white family. 

Often referred to genetically as a throw back, Sandra's life turns into a living hell in an Apartheid ravaged South Africa.

Sandra's parents are white Afrikaners, and knowing the struggles they have ahead of them, they decide to have their child classified as white to prevent the government from separating them.
But when they enroll Sandra in school at the age of ten, the parents of the other children are outraged.
At the age of seventeen, Sandra realizes that she is never going to fit into the white community and falls in love with Petris, finally feeling loved for who she is.
Angered by the fact his daughter wants to date a black man, Sandra's father forbids her to see Petris again and threatens to kill Petris if he ever returns.
Sandra discovers she is pregnant and runs away with Petris, reclassifying herself as Colored so her children aren't taken from her.
As a colored woman living in South Africa, Sandra now lives in a shack without sanitation and running water with her husband and two children. However, it's not too long before her husband begins to hate the white side of Sandra, and becomes abusive.
When she was white is a heartbreaking story of a young woman that has to learn to accept herself, and find peace with the color of her skin. A life that was only made difficult because of the prejudices of others.

Read and reviewed by L. M. Potter