Staff Picks - LibGuides at Boulder Public Library

Book Cover What does it mean to belong and at what cost? Nella Larsen explores race, identity, and societal expectations between two childhood friends, Clare and Irene. Both are light skinned Black women living in 1920s Harlem, but one chooses to "pass" as white, while the other remains in her community. When the two reunite after many years, both women will challenge each other's life choices. Larsen's book addresses racial identity, friendship, class, social status, repression, freedom, and security.

Publisher's description:
Clare Kendry leads a dangerous life. Fair, elegant, and ambitious, she is married to a white man unaware of her African American heritage, and has severed all ties to her past. Clare's childhood friend, Irene Redfield, just as light-skinned, has chosen to remain within the African American community, but refuses to acknowledge the racism that continues to constrict her family's happiness. A chance encounter forces both women to confront the lies they have told others -- and the secret fears they have buried within themselves.

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