photo courtesy of K. Reyes 4/2021
Bibliographic Information:
- Title: The Vanishing Half
- Author: Brit Bennett
- ISBN: 978-0525536291 (ebook ISBN-13: ABC1035743368)
- Publisher: Riverhead Books
- Copyright Date: 2020
Genre / Format of the Title:
-
Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Adult Crossover, #OwnVoices [eBook + hardcopy]
- subject/categories: #OwnVoices, diverse characters, African American, mother-daughter relationships, sisters/siblings relationships
Awards or Honors:
Reading Level/Interest Level:
- One of the ten Best Books of 2020 by The New York Times * The Washington Post * NPR * People * Time Magazine* Vanity Fair * Glamour
Reading Level/Interest Level:
- Grade 7 -12 (Teachingbooks.org, 2020)
Plot Summary:
The Vigne twins, Desiree and Stella, have grown up in the town of Mallard all their lives. This town was created as a safe haven for Black people, except everyone here is pale although this doesn’t matter because they are all descendants of former Black slaves and therefore considered Black in society. They chafe at the small town and can’t wait to leave so at sixteen, they run away, finding work at a laundromat and living in squalid conditions. To make more money, Stella applies for a job that she can only get if she were white. One day, she, too, disappears, leaving Desiree to fend for herself. Desiree eventually has a daughter, Jude, who is very dark, the same color of her father. Stella, having successfully passed for white, marries her white boss and they have a blonde-haired, blue-eyed child. Eventually the lives of the cousins intersect and the choices the twins make reverberate in the lived experiences of their children.
The Vigne twins, Desiree and Stella, have grown up in the town of Mallard all their lives. This town was created as a safe haven for Black people, except everyone here is pale although this doesn’t matter because they are all descendants of former Black slaves and therefore considered Black in society. They chafe at the small town and can’t wait to leave so at sixteen, they run away, finding work at a laundromat and living in squalid conditions. To make more money, Stella applies for a job that she can only get if she were white. One day, she, too, disappears, leaving Desiree to fend for herself. Desiree eventually has a daughter, Jude, who is very dark, the same color of her father. Stella, having successfully passed for white, marries her white boss and they have a blonde-haired, blue-eyed child. Eventually the lives of the cousins intersect and the choices the twins make reverberate in the lived experiences of their children.
Listen to a five minute excerpt from The Vanishing Half from SoundCloud (2020).
Author Background:
Brit Bennett was born in 1990 in Oceanside, California. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in English and from University of Michigan with an MFA. She received the Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers from the University of Michigan and was recognized as the National Book Foundation’s five under 35 (National Book Foundation, 2016). Bennet published The Mothers, her first debut novel, in 2016. It is a coming of age story surrounding three Black teen protagonists (Lundquist, 2020). Bennett has written several non-fiction articles. One I found particularly eye-opening was an article she wrote on the problematic nature of American Girl’s only Black Doll with a traumatic past as an escaped slave (Bennett, 2015). Bennett currently lives in Encino, California.
Brit Bennett was born in 1990 in Oceanside, California. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in English and from University of Michigan with an MFA. She received the Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers from the University of Michigan and was recognized as the National Book Foundation’s five under 35 (National Book Foundation, 2016). Bennet published The Mothers, her first debut novel, in 2016. It is a coming of age story surrounding three Black teen protagonists (Lundquist, 2020). Bennett has written several non-fiction articles. One I found particularly eye-opening was an article she wrote on the problematic nature of American Girl’s only Black Doll with a traumatic past as an escaped slave (Bennett, 2015). Bennett currently lives in Encino, California.
Critical Evaluation for Books and Non-Print Items:
The Vanishing Half is a sweeping, multi-generational story that will make the reader question our American obsession with skin color so much so that we create policies around them. It will also make us think of the price we pay for secrecy. Is it worth it? Is the comfort of high social status and socioeconomic luxuries worth the constant fear of being discovered as a fraud? Bennet’s book raises so many questions and she doesn’t provide easily palliatives that will make the reader feel good at the end of the book. The inclusion of the next generation, Stella’s daughter and Desiree’s daughter
The Vanishing Half is a sweeping, multi-generational story that will make the reader question our American obsession with skin color so much so that we create policies around them. It will also make us think of the price we pay for secrecy. Is it worth it? Is the comfort of high social status and socioeconomic luxuries worth the constant fear of being discovered as a fraud? Bennet’s book raises so many questions and she doesn’t provide easily palliatives that will make the reader feel good at the end of the book. The inclusion of the next generation, Stella’s daughter and Desiree’s daughter
Trevor Noah interviews Brit Bennett: (The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, 2020)
Creative Use for a Library Program:
Any cultural celebration display should have this book. Curating a section on identity which would include books that delve into who we are and how we define ourselves would include this book. There is a trans character in this book as well so this book also touches on gender as part of one's identity.
Any cultural celebration display should have this book. Curating a section on identity which would include books that delve into who we are and how we define ourselves would include this book. There is a trans character in this book as well so this book also touches on gender as part of one's identity.
Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer:
What does it mean to be an American? To be Black or white or whatever label we are in America? Stella and Desiree are two sides of the same coin and each chooses a path that forces them to contend with their identities. What price do we pay for secrecy when the very secret we keep could destroy us if revealed or maybe liberate us if the world is ready to hear it. Stella and Desiree’s daughters must navigate the path created by their parents and determine for themselves how to live their lives. Read this and find out where their choices take them.
What does it mean to be an American? To be Black or white or whatever label we are in America? Stella and Desiree are two sides of the same coin and each chooses a path that forces them to contend with their identities. What price do we pay for secrecy when the very secret we keep could destroy us if revealed or maybe liberate us if the world is ready to hear it. Stella and Desiree’s daughters must navigate the path created by their parents and determine for themselves how to live their lives. Read this and find out where their choices take them.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:
I am sure someone could fixate on the character who chooses to undergo top surgery, another could take issue with the idea that there passing should not be a dilemma now but the thing to remember about this work of fiction is that it is not out to solve anyone’s issues. It is a well done presentation of social issues that still pervade our country. Everyone should have the opportunity to read this book not just for the sake of representation but because the ethical and moral issues raised here are worth ruminating and discussing.
I am sure someone could fixate on the character who chooses to undergo top surgery, another could take issue with the idea that there passing should not be a dilemma now but the thing to remember about this work of fiction is that it is not out to solve anyone’s issues. It is a well done presentation of social issues that still pervade our country. Everyone should have the opportunity to read this book not just for the sake of representation but because the ethical and moral issues raised here are worth ruminating and discussing.
Reason for Inclusion:
This book is the first one I’ve read that looks at the complex issue of race within the black community itself. I think everyone needs to read this.
This book is the first one I’ve read that looks at the complex issue of race within the black community itself. I think everyone needs to read this.
REFERENCES
Bennett, B. (2015, May 28). Addy Walker, American Girl. The Paris Review. https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/05/28/addy-walker-american-girl/.
Lundquist, M. (2020). Vanishing Half (Bennett) - Author Bio. LitLovers. https://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/fiction/11747-vanishing-half-bennett?start=1.
National Book Foundation. (2016). Brit Bennett, author of The Mothers, 5 Under 35, 2016, National Book Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20170416125743if_/http://www.nationalbook.org/5under35_2016_brit-bennett.html#.WPNqTJP7RBx.
SoundCloud. (2020). The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, read by Shayna Small. SoundCloud. https://soundcloud.com/penguin-audio/the-vanishing-half-by-brit.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. (2020, December 3). Brit Bennett - Colorism & Racial Passing in “The Vanishing Half” | The Daily Social
Distancing Show [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Smj3I8Co9cM.
The New York Times. (2020, November 23). The 10 Best Books of 2020. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/books/review/best-books.html.
Lundquist, M. (2020). Vanishing Half (Bennett) - Author Bio. LitLovers. https://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/fiction/11747-vanishing-half-bennett?start=1.
National Book Foundation. (2016). Brit Bennett, author of The Mothers, 5 Under 35, 2016, National Book Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20170416125743if_/http://www.nationalbook.org/5under35_2016_brit-bennett.html#.WPNqTJP7RBx.
SoundCloud. (2020). The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, read by Shayna Small. SoundCloud. https://soundcloud.com/penguin-audio/the-vanishing-half-by-brit.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. (2020, December 3). Brit Bennett - Colorism & Racial Passing in “The Vanishing Half” | The Daily Social
Distancing Show [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Smj3I8Co9cM.
The New York Times. (2020, November 23). The 10 Best Books of 2020. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/books/review/best-books.html.
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