Three-Fifths by John Vercher Published by Polis Books on September 10, 2019
Genres: Crime, Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Urban
Pages: 133
Format: Hardcover
Source: personal copy
Goodreads
Twenty-two year old Bobby Saraceno has passed for white his entire life. Growing up, the only glimpse Bobby had of is father's race and culture was through his grandfather's bigoted eyes. It wasn't until he was an adolescent that he uncovered the truth. Fearing his safety and freedom, he continued to live as a white young man, hiding this secret from everyone, including his childhood best friend Aaron.
Now, Aaron has been released from prison. They were once quite close; Aaron served as his protector and shield from bullies in school. The Aaron that returns home from prison is a newly radicalized white supremacist. The secrets that Bobby kept from Aaron come rushing forward, as he's now forced to confront the secret he's held so close for so long.
Yet on the night of their reunion, Bobby is a witness to Aaron brutally assaulting a young black man. Aaron claims he was doing it to protect Bobby, yet Bobby knows this attack was fueled by racism. Not only does he have to keep the secret of his mixed race from Aaron, he must too find a way to hide his involvement in the crime.
This is most certainly a one-sitting read. I read it during a particularly long (15+ hour) car ride. I was immediately drawn to it for personal reasons; my own two boys are biracial. Bobby’s character is a truly sympathetic one; despite the fact that he hid a large portion of his identity from those around him, I sympathized with him based on the world in which he was raised. To his grandfather, African American boys were trouble, free of any sort of good intentions. Though on some level his grandfather wanted to protect him from those seemingly destined to do him harm, the life he lived in was certainly more caustic and detrimental than the life he could have led with his father.
I personally felt that readers would benefit more if we were granted a deeper access into Bobby’s childhood and what shaped the young man he became. What we are granted just skims the surface; I feel there is much more there that could add Bobby’s overall character. While I did experience a sense of connection, it would have been stronger had there been more.
That’s not to say that I didn’t gain anything from reading this book, for I most certainly did. These are the type of books we should be seeing more on bookshelves, stories that, until now, haven’t been granted a voice. This is the sort of book that generates discussions, for race relations in our country during this time were riddled with memories of the Los Angeles riots and the OJ Simpson trial. Giving these stories voice will only aid in the progression and change that our country so desperately needs.
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