Passing - Nella Larsen - 5 stars

[Tricia]

This short book was absorbing from the beginning and sweeping into a climatic finish. I positively loved it.

On the surface, it's the story of childhood friends reunited in adulthood. One is living in Harlem, one is "passing" as white in a life completely removed from Harlem. So removed, in fact, that she has married a man who "hates dirty Negroes." They are both middle class so their time is spent with family and socializing.

Beneath the surface is where this book really happens. The title is positively brilliant. Passing as white is the easy meaning. But the woman passing is doing so much more. She's passing as white, passing time in life to get what she wants, passing by the wants and needs of others, passing up opportunities to grow, etc. We are also even exposed to the ultimate usage of passing, regarding death.

So much is packed into such a short book. I think you could spend more time in discussion than you ever spent in reading. It is completely accessible. The writing is unpretentious. I'd love to see this on the reading list of every high school student. The themes, pardon the pun, are not passing.

[Booknblues]

This is on my TBR.
Thank you for your excellent review. I'm moving it up.