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This book presents an interesting look into the Harlem Renaissance and what it means to be black in 1920s NYC. The story is about two friends, one who is married to a successful black man (Irene) and the other who passes herself off as white (Clare) and marries a wealthy white man, who is also an extreme racist. Although the reader may get caught up in whether the passing woman is found out by her husband, the story is really about the relationship of the two women in the book. Clare is lonely i
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Nella Larsen, the leading woman author of the Harlem Renaissance, centered this 1929 novel around the choices of two light-skinned African=American women, one of whom chooses to marry a white man who assumes that she too is white, and the other who chooses to marry and live within the African-American community. It's a short but psychologically rich novel that explores themes like race, gender, and the meaning of "belonging." Larsen's portrayal of marriage in this novel is so bleak it makes me g
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We read this for book club; another member mentioned that they appreciated it more than they liked it, and I think that's spot on. I appreciated this book 100%. It was a real exploration of passing, the wide variety of experience of passing, of how people inside the community felt about it and reacted to it, of what it was like for someone who was full-time passing to come back to the community. That was great; I think this book is probably a Passing 101 For White Folks course.
Otherwise -- I li ...more
Otherwise -- I li ...more
I’ve been meaning to read this #classic forever and I’m so glad I finally have! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #BookspinBingo #MountTBR #ownvoices #integrateyourshelf
All I have to say is "Wow." This book is little but powerful and explores the lives of women and race. It is a book of great depth while also not saying that much. I'm appreciative for the podcast Recommended and Dhonielle Clayton for telling me about it.
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It's a classic. I'm glad I finally read it. I don't really have much to say about it. It probably would have had more of an impact on me if I had not read (and loved) The Vanishing Half first.
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This was an interesting book. I had to read this for my human development course. Nella Larsen tackles the issues of race and accepting one's self. Larsen makes her point in 114 pages.
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See, sometimes I read books published before 1990.
Really good, really important.
Really good, really important.
Jan 04, 2013
Mirja
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
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