Claire Affield’s Reviews > The Vanishing Half > Status Update

I think Kennedy’s perspective on black people is very interesting, it’s like her moms. Even Kennedy’s boyfriend knows she doesn’t “have black friends (Bennet 290).” She doesn’t like Jude and Reese and refuses to let them into her life, just like Stella did with Desiree.

I can relate to Kennedy when she is struggling with school and feels like she wants to drop out. Kennedy “managed a better showing than two C minuses, two Ds and a lone B minus (Bennet 228).” While my grades may not match these I feel like it is a bit of a mirror and a window because sometimes I feel like my grades do define me.

Stella feels she is becoming a victim of unspoken rules. Stella who has a white daughter does not want her to know about her black family. She has lied to her daughter her whole life and “like anything, lying to her daughter became easier over time” (Bennet 175). She is even lying to her black neighbor about her true identity.