Quote:
Originally Posted by orlok
I was surprised by the seemingly common practice of "passing" as put forward in this book. Were there really that many people living a lie at that time? And I find it a bit difficult to believe that they wouldn't be "found out" eventually, unless they completely severed their roots and moved away from their home town.
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That's the more typical narrative, I think, but the key element is no contact with one's family and former friends. And for those in a position to know, I thought the book demonstrated the conflict well, whether to be loyal to an individual or to the race, to truth or to the right to choose. It's difficult to know whether it was easier or harder for those who didn't have the option to pass.
In one of those synchronicities common to readers, I recently read a biography of Babe Ruth (the American Don Bradman, for the Aussies), largely also set in New York in the 20s. Ruth famously grew up in a reform school in Baltimore. His nickname there, suggested by his facial features, was "Niggerlips," which he resented. But, the author added, the players in the Negro League tended to believe that he was mixed race and supported him as someone who had been able to cross the color bar to play in the majors.