Hello Readers!

For the month of January, I selected the Vanishing Half, after updating my Goodreads account and discovering this recommendation from a GR’s friend. I’d seen the title come across my newsfeed in the multiple book groups on Facebook and decided to read. The Vanishing Half trails the lives of the Vining twins, born in a small Louisiana town. The Vining twins ( Stella and Desiree) experience a timeline of challenges as children and decide to escape a life of hardship, leaving home. One twin decides to live her life as a white woman, while the other returns home to a life she’s always known. This book explores, colorism, family secrets, grief, pain, and suffering. The author did a good job of character development and expressing the characters’ points of view. My only con to this book is the ending. I would’ve like to see a different ending. However, overall I loved this book.

Things to Ponder:

1. Consider the impact of your childhood, how has childhood traumas, triumphs, and triggers show up in your life at the very moment.
2. Have you ever wanted to be White? Why do you think Stella chose to live life as a white woman?
3. Who’s right and responsibility is it to expose family secrets?
4. Do you agree on the act of lying is an ACT of LOVE??
5. Have you ever felt excluded by your own family, community, church for the color of your skin?
6. Have you ever felt your hometown, family, tradition etc, was holding you back? Why or Why not?

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.