Black History Month - Day 17 Book Recommendation: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

This novel is about identical twin sisters from a small southern town who were inseparable as children. They ran away at 16 years old and then parted from one another & lived very different lives, in completely separate worlds, with different racial identities. One sister lives in a Black community and the other sister passes for White and immerses herself into a White world, family and life. The book follows the sisters from the 1950’s to the 1990’s through multiple strands and generations from the south to the west coast. The book explores issues of race, identity, class, family, belonging, and the historical legacy of “passing “ in the US. 

“Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.” (britbennett.com)