Genre: Book
Grade: A
Notable People: Britt Bennett
Title: The Vanishing Half
Review: Absolutely marvelous second novel by this California wittier, who won all kinds of awards for her first effort “Mothers”, which I loved and reviewed here last year. The second book is even better. Gripping from the very start, with great plot twists, dead on psychological insights and a challenging forum for looking at racism through a variety of lenses. The book travels from rural Louisiana to DC, Los Angeles and New York and back in this radiant story of two twin sisters raised in a community exclusively of extremely light skinned black people (fictional Mallard, LA.), who pursue their adult identities in dramatically different fashions, and the effects on their lives, their daughters, their communities and each other. Very, very powerful and exceedingly well written book that was a gift from my daughter, who continues to challenge me on issue of social significance.