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65 pages 2 hours read

Nella Larsen

Passing

Nella LarsenFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1929

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Paired Texts & Other Resources

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Recommended Texts for Pairing

 "Harlem" by Langston Hughes

  • An iconic poem of the Harlem Renaissance, “Harlem” captures a lyricism that adapts the blues and jazz techniques of the Harlem Renaissance. “Harlem” explores the themes of Black life in Harlem in the late 1920s.
  • connects to theme of Allegiance
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White Lies by A.J. Baime

  • A.J. Baime’s biography of Walter White tells the story of a Black man who used his ability to pass as a white man to investigate lynching in the early 20th century. Walter White’s work with the NAACP to lobby Congress against lynching, his role as cultural salon enthusiast of the Harlem Renaissance, and his erasure from popular history is important to understanding The New Negro Movement.
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The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

  • Bennett’s 2020 novel about two sisters, one who passes for white and one who chooses to stay true to her Black identity, parallels Passing.
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By Nella Larsen