Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
In The House Behind the Cedars, a novel about two African Americans who pass for white in post-Civil War North Carolina, Charles W. Chesnutt introduces a striking new hero in American fiction of the color line: John Walden, a young black man who decides to pass for white in order to earn what he feels is his rightful share of the American dream. Without sentimentality, Chesnutt's novel probes deeper than any before it into the white South's obsessions with race and privilege and still stands as one of the most authoritative and important explorations of miscegenation in all of American literature.
Is The house behind the cedars appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This 1900 literary novel explores racial passing in post-Civil War America, examining themes of identity, privilege, and racial injustice. Contains historical racism and the psychological toll of living a double life, presented through a literary lens appropriate for mature readers.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include racism, colorism, and identity struggle (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens interested in American history and complex questions about identity and social justice will find this thought-provoking.