THE COLOR OF A LIE

In Pennsylvania in 1955, an African American family passes for white in order to move into a segregated community.

Calvin Greene has experienced passing for short periods, but now his father has purchased a home in a restricted community, and everything depends upon their being accepted as white. For those allowed to live there, Levittown is the American dream, but Calvin can only think about what he’s leaving behind in Chicago. The one thing he’s looking forward to is seeing his brother, Robert, who’s estranged from their father and runs a small Black boarding school nearby. When Lily Baker, one of Robert’s students, integrates Calvin’s high school, Calvin finds himself caught between two worlds as never before. White community leaders are fiercely determined to maintain an all-white environment, and once Calvin starts a part-time job at a real estate firm, he learns how far they’ll go. Meanwhile, the Civil Rights Movement is gaining momentum, and he wants to be part of that change. The tension Calvin experiences is palpable in this highly detailed depiction of post–World War II Black life. From specifics around hair and skin to the constant threat of racial violence, Johnson captures the tenor and tone of the times by weaving historical events and strong characterization into her taut narrative.

A highly effective story of a young man’s journey in a time simmering with racial change and resistance.