Passing
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)
Author
Contributors
Published
Recorded Books, Inc. , 2012.
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Status
Available from Libby/OverDrive
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Libby/OverDrive
Titles may be read via Libby/OverDrive. Libby/OverDrive is a free app that allows users to borrow and read digital media from their local library, including ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Users can access Libby/OverDrive through the Libby/OverDrive app or online. The app is available for Android and iOS devices.
Description
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING TESSA THOMPSON AND RUTH NEGGATwo women in 1920s New York discover how fluid and dangerous our perceptions of race can be in this electrifying classic of the Harlem Renaissance—with an introduction by Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman, finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize“The genius of this book is that its protagonists . . . are complex and fully realized. . . . The work of a highly talented and thoughtful writer.”—Richard Bernstein, The New York Times One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 YearsIrene Redfield is living an affluent, enviable life with her husband and children in the thriving African American enclave of Harlem in the 1920s. That is, until she runs into her childhood friend, Clare Kendry. Since they last saw each other, Clare, who is similarly light-skinned, has been “passing” for a white woman, married to a racist man who does not know about his wife’s real identity, which she has chosen to hide from the rest of the world. Irene is both fascinated and repulsed by Clare’s dangerous secret, and in turn, Clare yearns for Irene’s sense of ease and security with her Black identity and community, which Clare gave up in pursuit of a more advantageous life, and which she can never embrace again. As the two women grow close, Clare begins to insert herself and her deception into every part of Irene’s stable existence, and their complex reunion sets off a chain of events that dynamically alters both women forever. In this psychologically gripping and chilling novel, Nella Larsen explores the blurriness of race, sacrifice, alienation, and desire that defined her own experience as a woman of mixed race, issues that still powerfully resonate today. Ultimately, Larsen forces us to consider whether we can ever truly choose who we are. The Modern Library Torchbearers series features women who wrote on their own terms, with boldness, creativity, and a spirit of resistance.
More Details
Format
eAudiobook
Edition
Unabridged
Street Date
03/01/2012
Language
English
ISBN
9781464032905
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Similar Titles From NoveList
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the theme "facing racism"; and the subjects "african american women," "race relations," and "married women."
These books have the theme "facing racism"; the genres "psychological fiction" and "literary fiction"; and the subjects "african american women," "race relations," and "married women."
These thoughtful literary novels examine the lives of Black women passing as white in American society. Passing was written in the 1920s; The Vanishing Half is historical fiction that spans the 1950s through the 1980s. -- Halle Carlson
These books have the appeal factors stream of consciousness, and they have the theme "facing racism"; the genre "psychological fiction"; and the subjects "race relations," "married women," and "passing (identity)."
These books have the appeal factors stylistically complex, and they have the theme "facing racism"; the genre "book club best bets"; the subjects "african american women," "race relations," and "married women"; and characters that are "complex characters."
These New York-set stories explore African American women passing for white in the early 20th century. -- Hannah Gomez
These books have the theme "facing racism"; the genre "book club best bets"; the subjects "african american women," "identity," and "race relations"; and characters that are "complex characters."
These books have the appeal factors bittersweet, and they have the theme "facing racism"; the genres "psychological fiction" and "book club best bets"; the subjects "race relations," "prejudice," and "racism"; and characters that are "complex characters" and "authentic characters."
In these character-driven historical novels, the heroines decide to pass as white in order to get ahead in society. Thought-provoking questions arise about one's integrity and social injustice, and how to successfully live with two vastly different identities. -- Jen Baker
These books have the appeal factors stylistically complex, and they have the theme "facing racism"; the genres "literary fiction" and "book club best bets"; and the subjects "african american women," "identity," and "race relations."
These books have the appeal factors angst-filled, bleak, and bittersweet, and they have the theme "facing racism"; the genre "book club best bets"; the subjects "african american women," "race relations," and "african americans"; and characters that are "sympathetic characters" and "complex characters."
Recitatif's plot structure -- two childhood female friends who keep meeting by chance as adults -- recalls the classic Passing, and both of these literary works sensitively explore themes of lifelong friendship and racial identity. -- Michael Shumate
Similar Authors From NoveList
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Dorothy West and Nella Larsen, both authors active in the Harlem Renaissance, wrote only a few novels. These featured women in segregated society and explored themes of identity and race, employing a dark tone as well as similar psychological insight into characters. -- Katherine Johnson
Jessie Redmon Fauset and Nella Larsen both came to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance, and both explored many of the themes that defined that artistic and intellectual movement: racial and social identity, prejudice and exclusion, social ambiguity, and the intersection of race and gender/sex. -- Michael Jenkins
Toni Morrison writes elegantly, more lyrically and sometimes with more dialect than does Nella Larsen, of women's search for identity and roles, relying, as Larsen did, on her characters and their thoughts to drive the stories as much as on outside action and events. -- Katherine Johnson
Paule Marshall also presents characters in search of their identity and place, and characters torn between two cultures (here West Indian and United States), as are Larsen's between Black and White worlds. Although she writes bigger books, she presents familiar themes of strong female characters fighting racism and sexism. -- Katherine Johnson
In her emphasis on women and the lack of opportunities available to them, as well as in her similar writing style, Edith Wharton might appeal to readers of classic literature drawn to Nella Larsen's themes and style. Like Larsen, Wharton offers portraits of women out of place in the societies in which they must live. -- Katherine Johnson
These authors' works have the appeal factors stream of consciousness, and they have the genre "psychological fiction"; and the subjects "race relations," "married women," and "passing (identity)."
These authors' works have the appeal factors bleak, angst-filled, and haunting, and they have the genres "literary fiction" and "psychological fiction"; the subjects "african american women," "race relations," and "african americans"; and characters that are "sympathetic characters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors bleak, stylistically complex, and unnamed narrator, and they have the genres "classics" and "psychological fiction"; and the subjects "african american women," "identity," and "race relations."
These authors' works have the appeal factors angst-filled, thought-provoking, and first person narratives, and they have the genres "classics" and "literary fiction"; and the subjects "african american women," "race relations," and "prejudice."
These authors' works have the appeal factors bleak, angst-filled, and issue-oriented, and they have the genre "psychological fiction"; the subjects "race relations," "prejudice," and "african americans"; and characters that are "sympathetic characters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors hopeful, evocative, and issue-oriented, and they have the genres "classics" and "page to screen"; and the subjects "african american women," "race relations," and "change (psychology)."
These authors' works have the genres "literary fiction" and "psychological fiction"; and the subjects "race relations," "married women," and "prejudice."
Published Reviews
Library Journal Review
Another trailblazer, Larsen wrote this novel in 1929. It follows Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield, two light-skinned black women who try to escape racism. Kendry chooses to sever all ties with her background and passes herself off as white, while Redfield simply denies that racism exists. Both, however, eventually are forced to face the awful truth. This edition contains a lengthy introduction and scholarly notes on the text. Essential for Black History Month. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Larsen, N., & Miles, R. (2012). Passing (Unabridged). Recorded Books, Inc..
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Larsen, Nella and Robin Miles. 2012. Passing. Recorded Books, Inc.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Larsen, Nella and Robin Miles. Passing Recorded Books, Inc, 2012.
Harvard Citation (style guide)Larsen, N. and Miles, R. (2012). Passing. Unabridged Recorded Books, Inc.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Larsen, Nella, and Robin Miles. Passing Unabridged, Recorded Books, Inc., 2012.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
Copy Details
| Collection | Owned | Available | Number of Holds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Libby | 11 | 9 | 0 |
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