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  • The Vanishing Half

  • A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)
  • Written by: Brit Bennett
  • Narrated by: Shayna Small
  • Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,431 ratings)

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The Vanishing Half

Written by: Brit Bennett
Narrated by: Shayna Small
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Publisher's Summary

Number one New York Times best seller

One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of the Year

Named a Best Book of 2020 by The New York Times * The Washington Post * NPR * People * Time Magazine * Vanity Fair * Glamour

“Bennett’s tone and style recalls James Baldwin and Jacqueline Woodson, but it’s especially reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s 1970 debut novel, The Bluest Eye.” (Kiley Reid, Wall Street Journal)

A story of absolute, universal timelessness.... For any era, it's an accomplished, affecting novel. For this moment, it's piercing, subtly wending its way toward questions about who we are and who we want to be.” (Entertainment Weekly)

From The New York Times best-selling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one Black and one White.

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, Southern Black community and running away at age 16, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her Black daughter in the same Southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for White, and her White husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect?

Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins. 

As with her New York Times best-selling debut The Mothers, Brit Bennett offers an engrossing pause resister about family and relationships that is immersive and provocative, compassionate, and wise.

©2020 Brit Bennett (P)2020 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"[Bennett’s] fiction is filled with very simple truths that are extremely wise." (Kiley Reid, Wall Street Journal)

"Not to be missed." (Harper’s Bazaar)

"Here, in her sensitive, elegant prose, [Bennett] evokes both the strife of racism, and what it does to a person even if they can evade some of its elements." (Vogue)

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The Alchemist is one of the most beloved releases of the past century, largely thanks to its allegorical lessons about following one’s dreams, living a satisfying life, and taking a journey of discovery about oneself and the world around us. Fortunately, there are many more titles that offer similar life lessons that can help us expand our horizons, learn about life, and see things from completely new perspectives. Take a look at our list of the best audiobooks to expand your horizons.

What listeners say about The Vanishing Half

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Couldn't put it down

I absolutely loved this book and all of the praise and 5 star reviews are completely justified. a beautifully told story that captured the personality and motivation of each character.

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7 people found this helpful

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Beauty Is In The Eyes of The Beholder

Very interesting book.

I can't wait to discuss it at bookclub with all the girls.

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Amazing book!

I absolutely loved this book from the first line to the last. I was so sad when it ended, I just wanted the story to continue on and on. The character development was wonderful, the story line gripping, while the words flow like prose! A must read/listen!!

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    3 out of 5 stars

it kind of went on to much about shades of black..

struggled to finish it...had its moments. narration was good. it was just so so. you be the judge!

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1 person found this helpful

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excellent reading

Truly loved listening to this book. The narrator was amazing. The novel was very good. A bit of an abrupt ending but I'm not sure how it could have ended differently.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A bit anti climactic

I really enjoyed the first half of this story. It felt like it was building to something exciting and unique. By the end the story sort of plateaued, the characters stopped evolving and then the story just stopped.

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Interesting idea but...

The storyline was intriguing but I found the book itself to be lightweight. Disappointing.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting book well narrated

It is a bit slow until you get to the middle then it becomes interesting.

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Captivating

I was captivated by the characters, not the usual run-of-the-mill story, scenes or characters.
Loved it.

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  • Overall
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Amazing Read!

This book is one you won't be able to put down. Brit Bennett weaves her characters through a timeless story. One of my fave books! The narrator is fantastic and makes this story come alive in a way that I couldn't reading it on my own. Every time I stopped listening I couldn't wait to return to it. well worth it- you won't be disappointed.

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