We’re excited to read Nella Larsen’s Passing for our next on-line book club pick!  Nella Larsen was a black/Danish writer of the Harlem Renaissance who was writing about issues of the Mixed experience way before her time.  I have read the book at least a dozen times as has Jamie Moore.  So please don’t miss this discussion that we’re planning for Feb. 5 at 4pm Pacific!  

You can get a copy of the book here OR really anywhere (including used bookstores).  You can also find it as an e-book.  Make sure you join us for the on-going discussion over on Goodreads if you can’t join us on 2/5.  And remember you can also email us questions or post them on Goodreads if you’d like to ask a question or make a comment and you’re not able to join us live.

Here is my synopsis of Passing in my NPR commentary on the book:

“Passing is set at the height of the Jazz Age — when Harlem was in vogue. It’s the story of two light-skinned black women whose comfortable lives unravel when they are reacquainted in a whites-only restaurant: Irene, the wife of a prominent African-American doctor and the mother of two boys; and her childhood friend Clare, who is passing as white.

Clare longs to be among black folks again. And at the risk of her racially intolerant husband discovering her real identity, Clare secretly joins Irene and her husband at the best clubs and parties where the Harlem literati and intelligentsia meet. Larsen’s slim book reads like a literary page-turner. Will Clare’s secret be exposed? Will she return to Harlem? Will the women’s friendship survive Clare’s renewed interest in her African-American roots?”