Nicole Draffen had an epiphany in 2009 when she spent three weeks in the United Kingdom, first to run a marathon in Wales and then to  see the sights in London. She soon realized that people there regarded her as an American, not as an African American.

The California native ended up spending an entire year in the UK and then came home to write a book about her awakening there. The result is Hyphened-Nation: Don't Check the Box, in which she contends that descriptors based on race or ethnicity serve to divide rather than unite people.

Sounds like a heavy book, but it's anything but. Nicole writes in an engaging, conversational style while presenting ideas that are meant to make readers think and perhaps even take action. A grassroots social movement has come out of the book. To learn about the movement and the book, visit the Hyphened-Nation website or Facebook page.

Hyphened-Nation is available on Amazon in print, on Kindle and on Audible.