Bibliographic Information:
Title: The Color of a Lie
Author: Kim Johnson
ISBN: 9780593118801
Publisher: Random House, New York
Copyright Date: 2024
Genre: Historical Fiction/Thriller
Format: Print Book/eBook
Awards/Honors: None as of publication of this post.
Reading Level/Interest Level: Grade 7+
Plot Summary: When Calvin Greene and his parents move to Levittown, Pennsylvania, he knows he is going to have to be careful to protect their white lie. For his neighbors, a white lie is that it was them who accidentally scratched someone’s car - for the Greenes it’s that they aren’t white. Passing as white in a segregated neighborhood in 1955 isn’t easy, and it certainly doesn’t get easier when Calvins new school, Heritage High, accidentally becomes integrated with Lily, Calvins newest crush. As Calvin begins work with Mr. Vernon, the realtor who oversees that only the right (white) people move into town, he learns that there is far more to Levittown than just cookie-cutter houses, including dark secrets hidden beneath fire-burned, manicured lawns.
Author Background: Kim Johnson is an author who worked in administration in higher education for twenty years, working towards improving equity and access for students of color. Since she became an author Johnson has focused on social thrillers that deal with justice issues that are still pervasive in society today. The Color of a Lie is her latest novel and first historical fiction, and is important as Johnson herself struggled with balancing doing what is right and trying to fit in just as her main character Calvin struggles with in her novel (Kim Johnson).
Critical Evaluation: The Color of a Lie starts out intense and dramatic and does not let up at all as the story progresses. Calvin’s paranoia of being found out seeps through the pages of the book and causes readers to feel just as scared for him. Realizing that he must do things that make him uncomfortable in hopes that tomorrow will be better unravels his courage as fast as he gained it while volunteering to impress his crush Lily. His anxiety cannot be ignored and with the way Johnson writes, made me even scared to turn the page in fear of something happening to Calvin.
When you know the historical importance of segregation, Levittown, passing, and the period of the Civil Rights era in the mid-to-late 1950’s, you know if something happens to Calvin - if he’s found out - that he would be the one printed in Jet magazine. Johnson did not need to create a world full of horrors - she simply had to make a new character and place him in a world that existed less than a century ago, which is probably the most chilling part of the entire book.
Creative Use for a Library Program: This would be great as a book to be used in a research guide for students in their 8th or 11th grade of school, when US History is the historical focus of the year. Students could be tasked with researching the names and organizations mentioned in the book to validate whether or not they were real or fictional, and if real their historical significance. This could be a collaborative project with the local schools to give students a chance at a different form of reading and research than they may typically do, in lieu of a regular research paper. Collaborations between local libraries and educational institutions are important, and having projects like this would be a great way to nurture those connections.
Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer: Moving anywhere new isn’t fun right before junior year of high school - even less so as a Black young man moving into an all-white neighborhood in the 1950’s. Then again, his neighbors have no idea Calvin is Black because he passes. He passes as white, he passes as a student at Heritage High, he passes as an employee of the racist Mr. Vernon who vows to run any Black citizens out of Levittown. He just can’t pass up his feelings for Lily, the only Black girl to attend Heritage High, who gets bullied everyday, who has protestors on her front lawn, who has a Black boy who looks white in love with her. Calvin has to keep up his “white” lie to protect his parents, but when the Civil Rights movement needs his help, it’s hard to say no to Lily’s face.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: It is no shocker that a potential challenge for this novel’s inclusion is historical erasure. There is a reason why there are constant headlines telling of the outcry from parents who do not want their children to learn about segregation, the troubles of integration, or the history of redlining suburbs. Simply put, it makes them uncomfortable because it is a history that shows the darkness of the United States, a part that people would rather forget. Yet, that is the point of history, it is not meant to be forgotten, it is meant to be taught so that those same mistakes do not reoccur. To say, “I don’t want my child to learn this” is to say, “I don’t want my child to learn”. Prohibiting a book does not erase the past, it just makes it repeatable.
Reason for Inclusion: There are many reasons to include this title in my collection: the diversity of the main character and author, the fact it is historical fiction that is historically sound, a thriller that paces itself well without giving away too much at any time. Yet, the most important reason is because it is simply a great book. Johnson writes Calvin Greene’s tale skillfully, includes historically accurate information and events, and most importantly creates a character in a world that as a reader makes us scared for him.
References:
The color of a lie. School Library Journal. (n.d.). https://www.slj.com/review/the-color-of-a-lie
Kim Johnson. KCJohnsonWrites. (n.d.). https://www.kcjohnsonwrites.com/
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