Passing: When People Can't Be Who They Are

ISBN-13: 9781586482879 / Angielski / Miękka / 2004 / 288 str.

Brooke Kroeger

Opis

Despite the many social changes of the last half-century, many Americans still "pass: " black for white, gay for straight, and now in many new ways as well. We tend to think of passing in negative terms-as deceitful, cowardly, a betrayal of one's self. But this compassionate book reveals that many passers today are people of good heart and purpose whose decision to pass is an attempt to bypass injustice, and to be more truly themselves. Passing tells the poignant, complicated life stories of six present day "passers" whose stories, interwoven with others from history, literature, and life, explore the social realities which make passing an option in our culture and its logistical, emotional and moral consequences. They also raise fascinating questions about both the nature of identity and the structure of society.