From the Bookshelf of Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge…

The Vanishing Half

Brit Bennett

Start date: December 1, 2020

Finish date: December 31, 2020

Discussion: 2020 Monthly Reads

Why we're reading this: December 2020 group read for "book published in 2020"…more
[close] December 2020 group read for "book published in 2020"

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2020 Monthly Reads

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* 2020 Monthly Group Reads - The Final List of Categories and Books
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April Challenge - I finished!
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What Members Thought

Jun 12, 2020 Brenda rated it it was amazing

A week after finishing, I’m still thinking about this exquisite book. I loved Brit Bennett’s THE MOTHERS (so, if you haven’t read that, go buy it from a Black-owned indie bookshop, read it, fall in love, and then come back and finish reading this post), and it’s one of the best books that I’ve ever read. Ever. Her second novel, THE VANISHING HALF, is out now, and I just can’t stop raving about it. Gorgeously written, perfectly plotted, and filled with ideas that were big and brilliant and though ...more

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Aug 12, 2020 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction

On one hand, this is a totally compelling historical family drama that explores relationships primarily between twin sisters, Stella and Desiree Vignes and their daughters. On the other hand, Bennett elevates what could on the surface be a perfectly fine, but forgettable, story by deftly including the timely themes of race, gender, class, and identity.
Each twin makes a decision about how to live, and how to be viewed by the world. Their paths are complex and thought-provoking. Against the back- ...more

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Jul 14, 2020 Eva rated it it was amazing

I finally joined the masses and read The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and am so glad I did. This is a buddy read for #bestiebookclub . I am looking forward to a great discussion.

The title, The Vanishing Half, has so many levels of meaning for this book. Without spoiling any of the book we are introduced to Stella and Desiree, black twin sisters who can pass as white. They come from a small village in Louisiana where being a light skinned black person has been essentially bred in. When the twin ...more

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Jul 05, 2020 Shannon rated it it was amazing

This gorgeous novel's exploration of identity, race, trauma, and family bonds through the stories of twin sisters, their daughters, and those closest to each of them, is a journey for the heart and mind. The book opened my eyes to topics like colorism that as a white person I hadn't experienced or truly contemplated. The writing is superb. Even though the book takes you through upsetting and challenging experiences and probes at the shape of heavy issues, the chapters flow easily and the pages t ...more

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Nov 14, 2020 Heather rated it really liked it

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Jul 31, 2020 Chelsea rated it it was amazing

Lots of love for this one and I can see why. Twin sisters, one lives as a black woman and the other a white woman. Such an intriguing setup. How does this affect each woman, and later generations? A side note I didn't realize before starting: thei story spans several decades, but much of the action takes place in 1968 and the late 80s. ...more

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