Review By: Stephanie Kenific
Published: 2024
Genres: Historical Fiction, YA Fiction, Social Justice, Thriller
Audience: Grades 9-12
Goodreads Link: The Color of a Lie
Content Warnings: Racism, violence, minor sexual content, accidental homicide
Publisher’s Summary
In 1955, a Black family passes for white and moves to a “Whites Only” town in the suburbs. Caught between two worlds, a teen boy puts his family at risk as he uncovers racist secrets about his suburb. A new social justice thriller from the acclaimed author of This Is My America!
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.
Expertly weaving together real historical events with important reflections on being Black in America, acclaimed author Kim Johnson powerfully connects readers to the experience of being forced to live a life-threatening lie or embrace an equally deadly truth.
Review
The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson is an explosive piece of historical fiction focusing on the issue of housing and school segregation through the racist practice of redlining. Calvin’s family moves to Levittown, Pennsylvania, a development where the houses and the families all look the same. Except Calvin’s family is Black, light-skinned enough to pass as white. Relocating from Chicago to escape racist violence, Calvin’s father is hell-bent on assimilation, coaching Calvin on “how to be white” in his new all-white school.
Calvin is deeply conflicted about passing. He knows that revealing his true identity would result in immediate violence or being forced out. He finds solace in visiting his older brother in a neighboring town and through his friendship with Lily, a Black girl attempting to desegregate his school. The characters are well-crafted, and the tension of living a life-threatening lie is palpable throughout the narrative.
Critical Note for Educators: While the book is an excellent exploration of Northern segregation, there is a significant plot point in the climax involving the accidental death of a racist classmate. The characters hide the body and face no legal or psychological consequences, and the ending feels somewhat rushed in its resolution of this event. Because of this lack of fallout, I would hesitate to recommend it as a whole-class read, though it remains a compelling choice for independent reading or a classroom library.
