Science Fiction: We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

Almost every book list, no matter what kind and what types of books are being listed, makes me both nervous and excited. The excited part is easy to grasp, sure. But I also get nervous because I know I will find something else - probably a lot of somethings - that I will want to read and somehow shoehorn into an already full blog schedule. Ultimately, it is a good thing, but it can quickly become overwhelming. One such list led me to We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin. I could not reason my way out of picking up a book by a person of color that can also be categorized as science fiction, and explores a world where black people regularly turn themselves white. And so, the lists win again, as they usually do.

The Situation: The unnamed narrator, in a not-so-distant future, is a black man wanting to desperately receive a promotion at his law firm. Obviously, being able to advance in his career and earn more money would be fantastic, but it is what he plans to do with that money that drives him. His son, Nigel, was born with a birthmark on his face. With a white mother, Nigel does not have skin as dark as his father, but the birthmark on his face has grown and changed over the years, becoming bigger and darker as the boy gets older. One of the newest trends among black people is the process of demelanization, and also the reshaping of distinctly African-American features such as big noses and lips. With a promotion and a bonus from his firm, Nigel's father is hoping to have his son undergo the procedure, but for now he sticks with whitening creams and serums.

The Problem: Getting that promotion and bonus at his firm will be no easy thing. For one, there are currently no black men up on the top floor, and the people that are already there do not have much interest in changing that. The narrator must essentially give the higher-ups what they want, even if that means pretending to believe what he doesn't. Meanwhile, his wife Penny has never been okay with the plan to demelanize their son, and the creams are something she does not know about. It becomes pretty clear that Nigel, even at his young age, is not all that keen on it either. Even so, the narrator is determined, looking to the procedure as a surefire way to save his son and guarantee his success. He has seen enough in his life to know that the only way to survive as a black person in America is to not look like one. But is it always a good thing when parents are willing to do anything for their children?

Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel that takes place at an untold point in the future of the U.S. Though not every book set in the future qualifies as science fiction, I placed this one under that heading more because of the idea of demelanization becoming a normalized thing, as well as a few other details concerning the world that the narrator lives in. What Ruffin presents is a country that has continued to both take away the rights and protections of black people, while simultaneously adding new ones that are somehow just as bad and dangerous. Any area that houses a black family, even just one, receives extra security under the pretense that it is for their protection. And hot topics of today, such as voter registration laws, are taken to the extreme, and no one is even trying to hide what they are really about. The result is people like the narrator: paranoid fathers of young black boys who only want their sons to survive, but somehow end up turning into agents of the enemy. Even Penny, the narrator's wife and Nigel's mother, is against the demelanization of her son. The narrator is a desperate man living in fear, and while I cannot agree with 90% of his logic and reasoning, I certainly understand how he got there. And while I am sure there are literary references I missed, there are some definite moments that point directly to Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, such as the nameless narrator, and the mention of a boiler explosion at a paint factory.  

My Verdict: This one is going to be tough for a lot of people, of all colors and ages. The idea of being afraid to live in your own skin is not new of course, and maybe the reality of that is what is so unnerving. The narrator truly believes that his plan is the way to save his son, despite the mounting evidence that he is going in the wrong direction. The novel made me think, made me anxious, and had moments of true horror without actually being scary per se. What took away from all of this was the actual writing, and the moments when I could not tell if the narrator was simply losing it, or if the writing was just that clumsy. It was often hard to tell, and there are whole passages that beg for more explanation without receiving any. I also worry that the book may be vilifying black men who date or marry white women. I will say this though: I do appreciate the book making the point that a life lived in fear is not a life.

Favorite Moment: *spoiler alert* At no point in any one's life should the words "You are my father" need to be used to stop someone from shooting you.

Favorite Character: Both the narrator's mother and his wife Penny are no fools. Neither approved of what the narrator was trying to do and saw the situation for what it was.

Recommended Reading: This book was compared to The Sellout by Paul Beatty, which in my mind is a masterpiece of a book that deals with racism with both satire and humor. I also recommend Shelter by Jung Yun, or The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.