Brit Bennett - Blog Draft

 Brit Bennett - The Work of a Great Modern Author

Who Is Brit Bennett?

Literary Arts (5)

    Brit Bennett is an African American novelist who was born and raised in Southern California. Originally, she began writing stories at seventeen. Ever since she was young, she had a strong connection to reading and writing, but becoming an author just seemed like a dream. "I knew I wanted to be a writer, but it was always a pipe dream" (6). The stories and themes of identity that Bennett has written seem to be inspired by her family's experiences, especially in her novel, The Vanishing Half. Bennett grew up in a hardworking middle-class family. Despite growing up with advantages that less fortunate families lacked, her parents originally came from poverty. Their hard work and dedication to their degrees and careers laid out the foundation for her to earn her own degree. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from Stanford University, followed by a Master of Fine Arts in fiction from the University of Michigan. During her time in graduate school, she won the prestigious Hopwood Award for graduate short fiction, and in 2014, she received the Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers. 

Bennett's Work

Just Read It (2)

    The Mothers - 2016

   One of Brit Bennetts major pieces of work is her debut novel, The Mothers. This story is about grief, love, and betrayal. All of this is tied together by one significant secret that impacts the characters community greatly. This book covers the story of a seventeen-year-old that griefs the death of her mother. She begins a secret relationship with the pastor's son. She became pregnant, and together these teens decided to have an abortion in secret. The novel centers on the severity of the void that was left when someone is left without a mother, especially when a mother is taken away from the world in a tragic way as well as how unspoken choices can later cause relationships to be destroyed. This suspenseful piece of work became a New York Times bestseller. On top of that accomplishment, the book became a finalist for debut fiction awards. Specifically the NBCC John Leonard First Novel Prize and the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction. 

What Did The New York Times Say About This Bestseller?

    The New York Times Book Review had called this novel a "ferociously moving debut that lives up to its title, never once allowing readers a simplistic view of the maternal pain at its center" (1). The key points talked about through this review were the technique of the style of writing, the underlying message made from this novel, and the character depth. The writing style changed by the church women acting motherly and gossiping the switching over to the perspectives of the lives of teenagers. The story revolves around a seventeen year old, who is grieving over the death of her mother. It deals with unplanned pregnancy and an abortion, and this young adult navigating her life through her community and her faith. This novel is fast paced but with the strong plot the reviewer noted that the changing characters made the story more urgent. 

The Vanishing Half - 2020

The Adroit Journal (4)

    This is Bennett's second novel. A multi-generational story about two identical twin sisters who are not so identical. Their slight difference in features allows for a separation between their lives after running away from their small community. Differences like this cause a huge change and a chain of lies that follow. These lies will surface later on and break apart the family picture. This piece of work got her on The New York Times best sellers list once again. The New York Times had debuted it as another bestselling book of hers. Along with that they said it was named one of the ten best books of 2020. Another novel by Bennett that is moving for all ages. A beautifully written novel that goes deeper into the identity, race, and family set ups.

                

The Adroit Journal "NO GOING BACK" Review

    According to The Adroit Journal this novel "offered everything a reader could hope for in a debut: a focused, clear plot, strong character development" (4). This novel is said to be seamless and incredibly emotional. The book has a striking first line that helps to prepare the reader for the quick shifts in the timeline and perspectives. They highlight the multi- generational structure. This style was set up so well it smoothly shifts across the story without feeling rushed. Highlighting the intense emotional drama with the twins. One of the sisters chooses to live in the south as a black woman, while the other is able to pass as white. These choices completely reshape and change their lives. 

More Than a Story: 

What Has This Author Taught Me

    These novels have taught me that our secrets, communities, generations, and choices we make early on are what help to shape us into who we will become and what type of person we leave behind. Both of these books show how we can change under pressure through a choice we make. In The Vanishing Half, a character reestablishes herself and her entire racial identity by being a white passing woman. This shows how identity can be chosen in a certain type of way. A single decision that is made especially when you're young has major effects. The pregnancy in The Mothers, or the running away scene in The Vanishing Half, creates a generational trauma that descends from one family member to another. Our communities are able to give a sense of safety, but they do seem to demand a lot of us especially with parts of ourselves they feel we should hide to comfort the thoughts of others. Ultimately we cannot run away from ourselves without leaving a part of us behind or a ghost of ourselves. 

References

1          Jacob, M. (2016, November 2). A town’s secret propels ‘the mothers,’ a lauded debut novel. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/06/books/review/brit-bennett-mothers.html

2          Just Read It. (2020, May 9). Review: The mothers by Brit Bennett. Just Read It. https://justreadit.co.uk/2020/05/09/review-the-mothers-by-brit-bennett/

3          magazine, S. (2023). The daring bestsellers of Brit Bennett. Stanfordmag.Org. https://stanfordmag.org/contents/the-daring-bestsellers-of-brit-bennett

4          Mrjoian, A. (2020, August 23). No going back: A review of Brit Bennett’s the vanishing half - the adroit journal. The Adroit Journal. https://theadroitjournal.org/2020/08/23/no-going-back-a-review-of-brit-bennetts-the-vanishing-half/

5          Olufson, L. (2022, February 2). Get to know Portland Arts & Lectures author Brit Bennett. Literary Arts. https://literary-arts.org/2022/02/get-to-know-brit-bennett/

6          Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau. (2026). Brit Bennett: Literary author, speaker | PRH speakers bureau. Penguin Random House SPEAKERS BUREAU. https://www.prhspeakers.com/speaker/brit-bennett