Scars: A Black Lesbian Experience in Rural White New England

by A. Breeze Harper

Scars is a novel about whiteness, racism, and breaking past the normative boundaries of heterosexuality, as experienced through eighteen year old Savannah Penelope Sales. Savannah is a Black girl, born and raised in a white, working class, and rural New England town. She is in denial of her lesbian sexuality, harbors internalized racism about her body, and is ashamed of being poor. She lives with her ailing mother whose Emphysema is a symptom of a mysterious past of suffering and sacrifice that Savannah is not privy to. When Savannah takes her first trip to a major metropolitan city for two days, she never imagines how it will affect her return back home to her mother … or her capacity to not only love herself, but also those who she thought were her enemies. Scars is about the journey of friends and family who love Savannah and try to help her heal, all while they too battle their own wounds and scars of being part of multiple systems of oppression and power. Ultimately, Scars makes visible the psychological trauma and scarring that legacies of colonialism have caused to both the descendants of the colonized and the colonizer … and the potential for healing and reconciliation for everyone willing to embark on the journey. As a work of social fiction born out of years of critical race, Black feminist, and critical whiteness studies scholarship, Scars engages the reader to think about USA culture through the lenses of race, whiteness, working-class sensibilities, sexual orientation, and how rural geography influences identity. Scars can be used as a springboard for discussion, self-reflection and social reflection for students enrolled in American Studies, Sociology, Women’s Studies, Sexuality Studies, African American Studies, human geography, LGBTQ studies and critical whiteness studies courses, or it can be read entirely for pleasure.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Feminism, Queer, Lesbian, Gender

232 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2014

Reviews

[Michele Dubois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Dr. Harper packs a lot into this story! I especially like the protagonist’s dual role of teacher and student as her unintended friendship with a privileged white male classmate develops. Scars is a propulsive narrative that is engaging and effective by way of forcing each of the characters to step outside of themselves. This book provides numerous topics of critical discussion in a classroom setting or even for book club discussion.

[Jim Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read regular novels, but I picked this one up because the author lives in the same town as I do. The characters are good, and I definitely became attached to the main character, Savannah, especially as the book progressed.

For fiction, I normally only read sci fi and fantasy. For me to read this book and like it definitely says something good about the author and the story. It is well written, interesting, and thought provoking. Definitely worth reading. :)