Every day, people all around the world try to pass themselves off as something they're not. A member of middle management lies about his credentials to become a member of the executive elite; a woman dresses like a man to avoid discrimination in the workplace. In Mat Johnson's Incognegro, a man's decision to cover up his true identity leads down a mysterious path to fatal results. Incognegro tells the story of Zane Pinchback, a light-skinned African American news reporter from 1920s Harlem. Zane makes quite the dichotomy out of his racial status: posing as a white man, he writes a syndicated column under the guise of "Incognegro," traveling to the segregated South to provide a bird's-eye view of lynchings and racial terrorism. When Zane's darker-skinned twin brother is accused of the murder of a white woman, Zane must adopt his white persona to save his brother from becoming fodder for his newspaper column. Along his journey to Mississippi to save his brother, Zane encounters the Ku Klux Klan, backwoods hillbillies, and attempts to keep his pseudo-British sidekick in check. In the end, there is both vindication and tragedy--showing that no nearly-true story can have an entirely happy ending.
I think Incognegro would be a great addition to the classroom. It would be a great companion piece to many pieces of literature commonly taught in English classes--from A Raisin in the Sun to the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I was especially reminded of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man while reading this novel; Incognegro delves into the issues of black-white racism without being too preachy or heavy-handed, and provides a historically accurate view of what life was like in the South in the early 1900s. Again, as with many books I've read for this unit, this novel would be well used to make cross-curricular connections with a history class--or even an ethics class, for that matter.
I suppose the one downfall of Incognegro is the fact that it's a graphic novel. The "comic book" format just isn't for everyone; I can think of a few students who dismiss graphic novels as "not real books." That said, the book is a short, lightly humorous take on an intelligent young African American man attempting to make his way in a white-centered world.
3 comments:
This sounds like a very interesting read. It sounds like it would also be a great addition to teaching Nella Larsen's _Passing_.
In the recent observations I've done at a local high school, a team taught Sophomore class populated with students with behavioral and learning disabilities was reading Hamlet as a graphic novel. (Wow, that was a long sentence.) I have to say it seems to work because it can be read outloud by students or the teacher as a play and reluctant students can follow along. It also can engage auditory and visual learners both. For Hamlet, the teachers acted out the duel at the end--so bringing a graphic novel into the classroom could actually grab the attention of kinestetic (sp?) learners too. They are different--but I kinda like them.
Hi Tara--I am with you on this one. I could easily see a group of honors students enjoying Incognegro after reading The Invisible Man, which is not at all easy to read (or even Passing, too). The differences between the text might enable a larger number of students to connect with the issues at hand. Not to be too flip, why let the disparagers of graphic novels rule the roost?
In any event, again, nice job here Kate--I hear your enthusiasm, and appreciate the many connections. Especially with the debate about Obama and the significance of his racial background over the last year or two, this might be a very useful novel to explore our shifting understandings of race and its implications.
Best,
TP
I really enjoyed your review, Kate. I am a fan of history so this g. novel will be a good way to expose an african americans experience in anti-black groups. The infiltration idea is really interesting. Thanks for the great review.
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