Crossing the Line — Lauren Baratz-Logsted

The only way to come clean with everyone you've lied to -- and if you've lied to nearly everyone in your life -- is to come clean all at once.

So what did I do?

I threw a party, a New Year's Day party to launch my new life.

And so Jane Taylor comes clean. In fact, the new, wiser and gentler Jane tries to legally adopt the baby she found abandoned in a basket on Christmas Eve, Emma -- who happens to be black. Amid rigorous interviews with the well-packaged caseworker from Social Services, and trying to explain to the rest of the world (namely her mother) how Emma came about, Jane decides that giving Emma a strong cultural heritage is first up on her list of mommy duties. She manages to befriend a woman who invites Jane and Emma to her all-black play group. Never one to walk the straight path, Jane navigates motherhood (and racial identity) with aplomb -- much to the surprise of her friends and family.