Loving Day (novel)
Loving Day is a 2015 novel by Mat Johnson, published by Speigel & Grau.
Johnson described the book as "my coming out as a mulatto" and Baz Dreisinger of The New York Times described Loving Day as "a semi-autobiographical" "extended literary metaphor about race and mixed-race in America."[1]
The novel's title refers to Loving Day, when the U.S. Supreme Court nullified bans on interracial marriage.[2]
Plot
The novel, set in the Germantown section of Philadelphia,[3] is about Warren Duffy, a comic book artist who received a mansion from his deceased father, an Irish-American. Duffy's mother, who was black, had died long ago.[2] Warren had been in a marriage with a Welsh woman and managed a comic book shop in Cardiff, Wales; the marriage ended in divorce and the shop had closed, so Warren is back in Philadelphia.[4]
He reunites with his daughter, Tal,[1] who was conceived after a romance he had in his teenage years. Tal, raised as a White girl,[4] had been in the care of her Jewish grandfather.[2] Warren is unaware of Tal's existence until he meets her during the course of the novel.[3]
Warren enrolls Tal in the Mélange Center, an organization for mixed-race people. He dates Sunita "Sun" Habersham, a comic book aficionado who is a member of the center.[3] As the novel progresses Warren finds his views on race challenged and questioned.[2]
Academic reception
Bucknell University chose it for the first year common reading for the Class of 2020. [5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dreisinger, Baz. "‘Loving Day,’ by Mat Johnson" (Archive). The New York Times. June 7, 2015. Retrieved on March 2, 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Michaud, Jon. "Book Review: A gently funny exploration of biracial identity" (Archive). Washington Post. June 11, 2015. Retrieved on March 2, 2016.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Nereim, Michele. "Burnin’ It Down: A Q&A with Mat Johnson " (Archive). Brazos Bookstore. Retrieved on March 2, 2016.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Loving Day." Mat Johnson Official Website. Retrieved on March 2, 2016.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Loving Day - Mat Johnson Official Website
