Description
Set against the social pressures of early twentieth-century America, this novel traces the slow unraveling of a family whose fate is shaped by color prejudice and the corrosive pull of racial self-hatred. Through the choices of a mother who denies her own identity, the story reveals how “respectability” and denial can become forms of violence—fracturing love, trust, and community from the inside out. Blending sharp social observation with the emotional force of tragedy, the book examines the ways comedy and cruelty can coexist in everyday life, especially when society rewards performance over truth. Written in Jessie Redmon Fauset’s distinctive, character-driven style, the narrative offers a searing meditation on identity, belonging, and the human cost of internalized racism.
Available Editions
paperback
Rutgers University Press
Published Jan 1, 2009
ISBN: 9781282241770
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Details
First Published
1933
Language
eng
Content Warnings
No content warnings identified.