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The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson is a very important story that needs to be told. Though for me, it has its ups and downs, I do still recommend it for middle and high school libraries. This will be easy to booktalk, and the dangers of “white-passing” during the civil rights era is definitely something today’s students need to know about.
Calvin knows how to pass for white. He’s done it plenty of times before. For his friends in Chicago, when they wanted food but weren’t allowed in a restaurant. For work, when he and his dad would travel for the Green Book.
This is different.
After a tragedy in Chicago forces the family to flee, they resettle in an idyllic all-white suburban town in search of a better life. Calvin’s father wants everyone to embrace their new white lifestyles, but it’s easier said than done. Hiding your true self is exhausting — which leads Calvin across town where he can make friends who know all of him…and spend more time with his new crush, Lily.
But when Calvin starts unraveling dark secrets about the white town and its inhabitants, passing starts to feel even more suffocating–and dangerous–than he could have imagined.
First and foremost, this is an incredibly important story that needs to be told. There were parts of the story where I really felt the fear and danger that the Black characters must deal with every minute of every day. Calvin’s family is passing as white, and wow, that seems like it would be even more scary and stressful.
I’m not sure how many teen readers will have prior knowledge about white-passing during the civil rights era. I asked my (White and Hispanic) teen sons if they know what “white-passing” is. While both knew it had something to do with race/racism, they did not know exactly what it was. Note that both my boys have been raised outside the US since they were young, so maybe they aren’t the best example of your average US high school student. But I suspect plenty of American teens will have a similar response.
Even if teens know what white-passing is, they probably don’t much understand it unless they themselves are African Americans who have had to do it. And today, the repercussions of white-passing are nothing like what they would have been in 1955. At least I don’t think they would be – I also haven’t lived in the US for a long time.
It seemed a bit far-fetched to me that Calvin, the teen protagonist, knew Emmett Till personally and later helps Thurgood Marshall escape a tenuous situation. But the inclusion of these two people as characters does introduce them to teen readers. So while it seems highly unlikely that an ordinary boy would personally know not one but two famous civil rights icons, I did like that they were included.
Ending is hopeful, and I did like it. I did not like that the ending was happy because another very serious event was covered up and never spoken of again.
I listened to The Color of a Lie on audiobook, which I really enjoyed. The narrator, Kevin R. Free, does a nice job with pacing and gives characters different voices. I especially liked the voice for Calvin’s classmate and “friend” (but not really), Ben. The voices of the racist Virginia police were also well done.
While I really think this book is important, I didn’t love it. I didn’t connect with the protagonist, Calvin, or really any of the other characters.
Calvin seems to have a hero complex where he is the ONLY PERSON who can rescue people in bad situations. I would have preferred to see the other characters do some rescuing of their own.
It seems only Calvin is capable of doing any rescuing, and he knows it. How many times did he say “It’s too dangerous!” when someone wanted to come with him on a dangerous mission? And then they just said okay and went along with what Calvin said. Like, if Calvin says it’s too dangerous, then it’s too dangerous, end of discussion.
Only Calvin is special enough to solve the problems. Only Calvin can do the rescuing. Even the famous Thurgood Marshall needs Calvin to get him out of a jam. I just don’t buy that. Once I noticed this (early in the story), I couldn’t NOT notice it.
The villain is a bit cartoonish. I kept picturing Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life or Mr. Burns in The Simpsons, scheming and rubbing his hands together. Why did Calvin’s dad arrange for him to work for such a racist man? Maybe I missed something about why the father would put his son in such a situation. If it’s to do with the father’s own real estate job and secret mission, then I must have missed why Calvin’s job there is necessary to the mission.
Timing seems off. Calvin’s sister, Charlotte, was killed before the start of the story. Calvin’s family fled Chicago after her murder, and they came to Levittown for a fresh start. So how long was it between Charlotte’s death and the family’s move to Pennsylvania? Where did they go after their house was burned down? How did the father find a job and house so quickly? There isn’t a mention of anything in between Charlotte’s death and their sudden move to Pennsylvania. The story begins with their arrival in PA.
Also about Charlotte, why isn’t anyone grieving her? She is mentioned several times, but we know almost nothing about her because she’s only talked about in terms of her tragic murder. How can they even breathe after such a recent tragedy? It seems everyone except maybe the mother is moving on with life without giving her death a second thought.
Protagonist and his parents are Black but passing as white. Other characters are Black or white. One white teen character is Jewish.
Would adults like this book? YES, I think many adults would enjoy this story.
Would I buy this for my high school library? 100% yes, without reservations.
Would I buy this for my middle school library? Yes, I would buy it for middle school. Professional reviewers recommend Grades 7+, and I agree with that.
Would I buy this for my elementary school library? No, this is not an elementary book.
Language: I listened to the audiobook. I do not remember any profanity. No use of the N-word that I remember, either.
Sexuality: mild; some kissing. Once “fade to black” scene could have been intercourse, but I’m not sure. The characters both say they “have never” but that’s the closest they get to talking about sex.
Violence: high; multiple incidents of racism, Emmett Till’s death is discussed with few details, police violence, lynch mobs, previous murder of family member, highlight below to view spoiler –>
one character is knifed in the stomach, self-defense murder of a minor teen character (murder is covered up and never spoken of again)
Drugs/Alcohol: none
Other: 1950s prejudice, racism, school segregation, community segregation
