Passing
Nella Larsen
Passing is a short and insightful novel centering around two black women, one who passes for white in wealthy white society while the other does not by virtue of her more visibly black family. Larsen herself was a mixed-race woman who lived during the first half of the 20th century and struggled for most of her life with the fact that she couldn’t easily belong in white or black society. Passing is thoughtful and strange and, I felt, powerfully emotional in a way that leaves you thinking about the book after you’ve finished reading.
ASMAA AHMED
Class of 2020
Double major in English and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures
This book is part of the 2019 Berkeley Summer Reading List. Stay tuned for more weekly posts!