Nella Larsen

Passing: Official Netflix tie-in edition Nella Larsen

Light-skinned Clare Kendry married a racist white man unaware of her African American heritage after deciding to 'pass' as a white woman. Clare's childhood friend, Irene Redfield, just as light-skinned, chose to remain within the African American community, and is both allured and repelled by Clare's racial masquerade. Clare's own interest in Irene turns into a homoerotic longing for the identity she abandoned and can never regain, and forces her to grapple with her decisions in a way that is both tragic and telling. First published in 1929, Passing feels just as timely as ever today.