Is there such a thing as racial writing?

I've been trying to read a book that I received as a reading copy. I feel like I have a responsibility as a book review blogger to read the book. I requested a copy, I committed myself to reading the book. I just cannot get through the book!

Part of the problem is that I can't make heads or tails of it. I simply don't understand what the author is talking about! This particular book is written by an African-American lady. I am a white person. I'd like to think that I am not at all prejudiced, but who doesn't have at least a little prejudice? I do have mixed race members of my family, and I've even had a job where I was the only white person who worked there. I think I have a fairly good understanding and empathy for most other cultures.

This book makes me doubt that. It feels to me as if it has been written for a strictly African-American audience. Then I wonder: Do African-Americans have difficulty reading novels written for a white audience? Are they confusing or uninteresting to them? Likewise with Asians or Hispanic people. Is there such a thing as writing for a specific race? Are we really that different culturally?