GENERAL TRACK

THE VANISHING HALF SYLLABUS DECEMBER 2020 © 2019 BHK LLC. All Rights Reserved. #SmartBrownGirl is a Registered Trademark of BHK LLC. For the Black girls in the forgotten spaces. Bringing together an international community of women of color through reading and dialogue. All SmartBrownGirl® Book Club syllabi and reading guides are curated by a cohort of graduate level #SmartBrownGirl researchers. Your membership and participation in the #SmartBrownGirl Book Club ensures that we can pay all Black women who help run this book club an equitable rate.

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The Vanishing HalfSyllabus Author: Morgan Holloman-Bryant Editor: Danielle Slaughter

Facebook | Instagram Table of Contents

06 Author History

07 Book History

08 Reading Tips

09 Themes/Motifs

10 The Discussion

21 Final Thoughts

23 Further Reading/Resources Author History

Born and raised in Southern California, author Brit Bennett graduated from and earned her MFA in fiction at the . While there, she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction and the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Paris Review and Jezebel. She currently resides in New York where she teaches writing on the university level.

6 Book History

Released in June of 2020, The Vanishing Half is author Brit Bennett’s second novel, following the equally successful novel, “The Mothers” (2016). Since its summer release, the novel has received praise from rea- ders and critics alike, with many citing the timeliness of its captivating storyline. It debuted at number one on The New York Times best-seller list and HBO has since acquired the rights to develop a limited series on the novel with Bennett as the executive producer.

7 TIPS FOR READING TIPS RETURNING Tips for Fresh Readers READERS 1. You do not have to have profound thoughts right away: Everyone reads and digests at a different pace. Take your time in understanding the text but you do not need to 1. Put the book in context: Times have dissect it immediately. Make a note of any points that are changed and so have you. Before rereading significant to you and move on. think about who you were, and where you were in life the first time you read the book. 2. Set aside 15-20 mins a day to read: Much like power Think about who was influencing you/your nap — a power read — can energize your reading and thoughts. (School, friends, family, news etc.) help you focus. You do not need large chunks of time. Set aside 15-20 mins to read a day and make sure you have no 2. Be Critical: First reads are a time to be distractions during this time. open-minded and give the author lead way to understand their thoughts. Second 3. Reflect on what you read: a) What were the reads you can be much more critical of themes and/or major events that had taken place in the work and its intentions. So get on your your selected readings? soapbox boo we got some boxes on reserve too. 4. Take notes: a) Highlight terms, phrases, quotes etc that may immediately grab your attention 3. Focus on Few Chapters at a Time: For non-fiction (and some fiction) it’s not 5. Build a personal glossary: If you don’t know a word, totally necessary to reread the book circle it, get the definition and reread the section in chronologically from start to finish. Try context. This may help you come to a new understanding focusing on themes that you may have of the text or discover concepts you didn’t notice before. grazed over the first time around and choose a few chapters to lean into at a time. 6. Discuss the book: Healthy discussion on what you already know can entice you to read more and that’s what the #SmartBrownGirl Book Club is here for. Join in on our discussions. Post your questions to the Facebook Group.

7. Author Background: When approaching a text that you’re unfamiliar with, it may be beneficial to do some quick background research on the author, as it can help provide insight on what the text may be discussing.

8 Terminology:

Colorism: prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color; skin tone bias, preferring those of lighter complexions

Passing: the ability of a person to be regarded as a member of an identity group or category different from their own, which may include racial identity, ethnicity, caste, social class, sexual orienta- tion, gender, religion, age and/or disability status.

Themes/Motifs:

• Racism

• Colorism

• Misogynoir

• Motherhood

• Passing and Racial Identity

• Darkness and Light

• Self preservation

• Manipulation

• Classism

• Social Equality

9 The Discussion

Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett is a 2020 best-selling novel divided into six parts, each comprised of related chapters and stories. As you journey throughout this novel with Stella and Desiree, pay attention to markers of time, historical happenings and important themes. It is important that you take the time to consider each character’s decisions as central to the demise of their relationship. Use the discussion questions to further interrogate the reading.

PART I: The Lost Twins (1968) • Mallard, Louisiana is a farm town founded by a light-skinned Black man, exclusively for other light-skinned Black people. ‣ What do you think it says about the town, its founders and present day (‘68) occupants that it was created for light-skinned Black folks and has remained as such? ‣ How does the town and its values impact the twins as individuals and as sisters? ‣ What does the depiction of Mallard tell readers about home, belonging and community?

Desiree is described as the “fidgety twin” and Stella the “smart, careful girl,”. How do you believe that this will potentially play out as the novel progresses, considering the fact that they are both light-skinned Black girls? Consider possible relationship dynamics, friendship circles, etc.

10 After Stella leaves Desiree alone in Louisiana, Desiree moves to Washington DC and begins working as an FBI fingerprint analyst using scientific methods to identify people through physical and genetic details. • What does the specificity of this career choice add to your understanding of Desiree’s identity?

How does witnessing the brutal murder of their father inform both Stella and Desiree’s understanding of race and racism? • Return to this question towards the end of the novel and think on how witnessing this act impacted them into their adulthood.

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Assess Stella and Desiree’s relationship with their mother, Adele. How does their relationship with their mother eventually inform their method of mothering their young daughters?

What do you make of the twins’ decisions to date/marry the men they each choose? • What do you think of Desiree’s decision to marry a dark-skinned Black man juxtaposed alongside her sister’s decision to pass as white?

12 PART II: MAPS (1978)

Jude’s experience with colorism is marked by comparisons to her mother and foul name calling in the small town of Mallard. • Consider your personal experiences with colorism. How have you experienced and/or perpetuated harmful biases rooted in skin tone discrimination towards darker-skinned individuals? Consider this in tandem with your gender identity? • Why does Jude decide to attend UCLA and what is her relationship with Mallard after leaving for college?

13 Reese Carter, Jude’s best friend at UCLA is a transgender man from Arkansas who ran away from home, fleeing an abusive father, to live life on his own terms in LA. Jude shares more about her experience with colorism with Reese and their relationship begins to blossom romantically. • What do you presume is the purpose and impact of Reese not having to engage in a typical “coming out” conversation with Jude in regards to his trans identity? What does Reese’s trans identity add to the story as a whole? • What does this relationship dynamic offer to the story of Stella and Desiree? • Consider Reese and Jude’s relationship alongside the other romantic relationships in the novel? How does identity contribute to the foundation of their relationship?

14 PART III: HEARTLINES (1968)

At the homeowners association meeting in Brentwood where Stella resides with her family, she and her neighbors are shaken up after finding out that a Black family is set to move into the estate and prepared to sue if they are denied the opportunity to buy the home. Now married to her husband Blake, Stella is half of a wealthy white marital duo and has been passing since leaving her sister Desiree. Together, she and her husband have a daughter, Kennedy and when questioned about her past, Stella lies. She shows much disdain for Black people and coldly interacts with the new Black family in the neighborhood. • How does Stella’s relationship with her daughter mirror her relationship with her own mother? • In what ways does Stella’s past contribute to her present day decision to pass as a white woman? • When Loretta, a Black woman moves into Stella’s neighborhood, what does her presence begin to represent for Stella? ‣ How does the relationship between their children impact Stella’s ongoing struggle with her identity? • What do you think of Stella and Loretta’s budding relationship? What ideas or identities does Loretta symbolize? • Consider the picturesque performance of Blake and Stella’s relationship in contrast with the reality of their relationship and Stella’s feelings/role within it. ‣ How does her idealistic relationship with her wealthy white husband compare to her sister’s relationship with Sam? Why do you think author Brit Bennett placed them within these specific relationship dynamics?

15 PART IV: THE STAGE DOOR (1982)

• Jude is haunted by her encounter with Kennedy and Stella, and is hopeful that they will one day have yet another chance meeting. Kennedy and Jude do in fact meet again and the stark differences between the girls’ lives are explored even more. ‣ Kennedy has lived her life with the knowledge that she is a white girl, born to two white parents. Her father is extremely wealthy and she’s been afforded the privileges of a wealthy, white lifestyle. Jude, however, has lived as a dark-skinned Black girl and woman and can hardly relate to Kennedy’s upbringing. • What impact do their childhoods have on their adult lives? • How do these changes affect their relationships with their mothers and their understanding of home space?

16 PART IV: THE STAGE DOOR (1982)

In 1988, Kennedy has taken a three-season arc on a soap opera entitled “Pacific Cove”. Three years prior she was dating a Black man, Frantz and living in New York. • Consider both Kennedy’s upbringing (all-white neighborhood, friendships, etc.) and her understanding of her mother’s racial identity. ‣ Do you believe these factors played a role in Kennedy deciding to date a Black man?

How does Kennedy’s performance as Charity inform her life decisions?

17 How does the element of role play and performance appear throughout the novel?

What do you make of Kennedy’s relationship with her mother? Do you sympathize with either Kennedy or Stella? Do the new revelations on her mother’s racial identity impact Kennedy’s understanding of herself?

Evaluate Kennedy and Jude’s relationship in 1988 in relation to their mother’s sisterhood prior to Stella’s departure.

Does Kennedy’s acting career coming to an end in the early hold a symbolic meaning in regards to her life’s journey thus far?relationship she has with her mother?

18 PART VI: PLACES (1986)

What do you make of Stella & Desiree’s reunion?

Once again, Stella leaves without alerting anyone. How does this speak to her character? What purpose does this serve to the conclusion of the novel?

19 What is the importance of Jude and Kennedy’s relationship to the culmination of the novel?

Stella eventually shares her truth with Kennedy, but asks that it remains their secret. Why do you think Stella still wishes to hide her past from her husband? What does Stella believe she has to lose in California, if her truth is revealed to her family and community?

20 Final Thoughts

What is the ‘vanishing half’ referred to by the novel’s title?

How does the town of Mallard, an area founded exclusively for light skinned Black folks, act as a character within the novel?

Have you read or engaged with other novels on the topics of passing/colorism? If so, how do these novels compare to The Vanishing Half?

Why does the author remind of Jude’s dark skin and not the complexion of everyone else throughout the duration of the novel?

How does the author’s focus on Desiree’s association with dark skin Black people bringing misery to her life potentially appeal to a broader audience?

Were there any other problematic moments or themes in the novel?

How do you understand/perceive the “black/white” dichotomy throughout the novel?

21 Notes FURTHER READINGS/RESOURCES

Additional content & videos that relate to the reading.

Articles 'The Vanishing Half' Counts The Terrible Costs Of Bigotry And Secrecy Brit Bennett’s New Novel Explores the Power and Performance of Race The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett review – two faces of the black experience 'The Vanishing Half' Is a Brilliant Exploration of Race and Identity Brit Bennett on publishing The Vanishing Half during the George Floyd protests

Books Mothers by Brit Bennett Such A Fun Age Queenie Passing by Nella Larsen

Syllabi Author Bio Morgan Holloman-Bryant is a scholar, writer, and educator from Little Rock, Arkansas. She earned a degree in African/African-American Studies with a concentration in Black girlhood studies from Washington University in St. Louis. She’s an avid researcher, writer and cultural commentator with interests that focus primarily on the intersection of pop culture, race and history. She’s also a full-time mom and part-time blogger preparing to begin her joint J.D./M.A. in Africana studies. Morgan is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @themorganjael.

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