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Passing

By: Nella Larsen
Narrated by: Tessa Thompson
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Light-skinned Black woman Irene Redfield encounters an old childhood friend - Clare - who is now "passing" as a White woman. Clare is married to a racist White man, who doesn't know she has African American blood. In spite of the danger of being found out by her husband and society at large, she finds herself helplessly drawn to Irene's world....

Passing is a fascinating listening experience on many simultaneous levels.

©1929 Nella Larsen (P)2020 Audible, Inc. African American Women's Voices Literary Fiction Thought-Provoking Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Psychological Historical Fiction World Literature Funny
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Featured Article: The top 100 classics of all time


Before we whipped out our old high school syllabi and dug deep into our libraries to start selecting contenders for this list, we first had to answer the question, "How do we define a classic?" The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might guess, though there’s a lot to be said for the old adage, "You know it when you see it" (or, in this case, hear it). Of course, most critically, each of our picks had to be fabulous in audio. So dust off your aspirational listening list—we have some amazing additions you don’t want to miss.

Featured Article The top 100 classics of all time

Go Behind the Scenes of Passing

Photo Credit: Alex Babsky
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Compelling Storyline • Complex Characters • Nuanced Exploration • Rich Historical Context • Thought-provoking Themes

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I liked this book it was hard to follow because one was reading for both characters But, Claire and her husband got on my nerves. So much, His attitude towards black women made me want to DNF this book, I felt like both women lost themselves in order to please a man.

Racist Literature 😒

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The narration was excellent! The Author’s descriptions of people and places sparked vivid and good imagination.
The story is a real description of what took place in America in generations past and is still relevant today. It’s about those who have black genealogy but “look” white and classify themselves as such, living with the pretence of it, and bearing their own inner pain and identity confusion.
Beyond the book to today, the irony shows up if the ‘white’ ones dare to attend family reunions organized by broad-minded or diverse relatives, where all colors may be present, like a rainbow!
An excellent book!

The reality of color coding in American society

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This book was nothing I thought it would be and very well written. I’m glad I brought the book & listened to it at the same time. Fantastic story. Hated the ending.

Pass on Passing (Don’t)

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There was so much tension in the book, marvelous and tight. The kind that makes each character simultaneously sympathetic and unsympathetic. There is much to unpack here. Highly recommend.

The choices we make

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Nella Larson was a great writer. These characters have depth; you may not realize it at first, but slowly all of the loose ends are gathered. A very satisfying read, and in addition, a thoughtful and striking commentary on a world where even today, the false allure of passing as white may still lead some to tragic sacrifices.

Complex and complete

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