White Bird: The Private Papers of a Reverse Oreo Paperback – Picture Book, November 3, 2000

White Bird is a personal journal written by a white American Baptist woman seeking spiritual fulfillment. The book is the story of her decades-long search. She is convinced she will find what she is looking for by pursuing her ongoing desire to connect with the black community, notably the one in Denver but also others in distant U.S. cities where she has lived. Her circuitous route to success comes in the form of an intense, driving spiritual quest which will resonate with anyone who has had or, indeed, is still having difficulty finding the right spiritual fit. Merrick's story is a surprising and absorbing journey that will resonate with those who, like me, have no particular or identifiable "black experience." It is the goal we have in common, not the path to it. I did not expect to tune into the author's quest so readily, yet her fast-paced and multifaceted narrative was mesmerizing, catching me up in her fervent search. I was hooked!The book covers nearly three decades of the author's life with so many twists and turns it is hard to imagine that any spiritual resolution she would find in the end could last for long. Spiritual quests are, in fact, lifelong journeys that never end until we stop living--even when we think we have found our niche. This is not a "self help" book, and Merrick makes no judgment concerning nonseekers. She speaks from her heart, exposing her failures as well as her successes.