USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Passing is a novel by American author Nella Larsen, first published in 1929. Set primarily in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City in the 1920s, the story centers on the reunion of two childhood friends-Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield-and their increasing fascination with each other’s lives.

Detailed explanation-2: -Passing was first published in 1929, and its cover has changed many times over the years. It is a book that is studied in school and reread by many as it continually compels the reader to challenge assumptions about race. Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield, both biracial, were childhood friends.

Detailed explanation-3: -Passing is about hypocrisy and fear, secrecy and betrayal. It is a universal story of the messiness of being human as it is portrayed in the particularly explosive relationship between two black women, Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield.

Detailed explanation-4: -Published in 1929, during the Harlem Renaissance-a movement its author was deeply entrenched in-Passing caused more of a ripple than a sensation at its release, with critical acclaim far outstripping its sales.

Detailed explanation-5: -In Passing, for example, understanding that Irene Redfield, from whose perspective much of the novel is told, is an unreliable narrator, is key to understanding the novel.