Showing posts with label Wonders and Marvels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wonders and Marvels. Show all posts

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Martha Sandweiss' PASSING STRANGE Book of the Week at Wonders & Marvels



Book of the Week: PASSING STRANGE

Wonders & Marvels most often profiles history and historical fiction on pre-1800 topics. But Martha A. Sandweiss' Passing Strange: A Gilded Age Tale of Love and Decption Across the Color Line is just too good to pass up. And it's always a treat to help spread the word about well-written books by fellow academics. (Sandweiss is a Professor of History at Princeton.)

Passing Strange tells the story of Clarence King who is best known for his work as a geologist and writer. But King had a secret--a big one. In order to marry the woman he loved, he lived a double life as a black man. Sandweiss' book presents King's work, love, and life, in the context of racial politics from the late 19th century into the 1960s. An extraordinary story told by a writer with a keen historical eye and deep respect for her subjects.



For the full post, click here.

To read Wonders and Marvels' brief interview with the author, click here.