Incognegro- Mat Johnson

Interestingly, the Otis MFA course readings I'm assigned this semester include some graphic novels, which is a nice break from the traditional literary novels, and a fun return to form for me, going back to my adolescence. I loved comic books more than anything else, and missed that familiar language of illustrations setting tone along with words.
   This book is about a black man with light enough skin to "pass" for white in the early 1920s in America, and uses this advantage to journey south and write reports on lynchings taking place in the deep, rural south. He is a journalist based in New York, and publishes his stories there, to raise awareness. It's an interesting premise, and we get a chance to see the difference in lifestyles for black folks in New York versus down South. Not to mention the way he's received as a light skinned black versus someone who's brown.
   The main plot of the book is a murder mystery. The main character's brother, who still lives down south, is unjustly accused of murdering a white woman, having been found with the body by authorities. The woman was his clandestine lover, and he is brown skinned black. They two are twins, but do not look identical, so the main character shows up in the town, visits his dark skinned brother in a prison cell, and sets out to find the real killer before he is executed, hopefully being able to hang on to his secret identity in the meantime.
   It is fun to watch it unfurl, with all the tropes of that murder mystery, noir genre coming into play one by one. It wasn't terribly innovative or revolutionary, but still a fun read.
    It is kind of a strange thing, watching a light skinned black man put himself into that kind of danger, seemingly just to prove a point. I mean, it's important to have lead characters with flaws, to make them more relatable, but sheesh, going to those lengths...I'm not sure how heroic that is. It reads to me like reckless and a tad arrogant, even if his intentions were good.
  

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