The groundbreaking Harlem Renaissance novel about prejudice within the black community Emma Lou
Morgan s skin is black. So black that it s a source of shame to her not only among the largely
white community of her hometown of Boise Idaho but also among her lighter-skinned family and
friends. Seeking a community where she will be accepted she leaves home at age eighteen
traveling first to Los Angeles and then to New York City where in the Harlem of the 1920s she
finds a vibrant scene of nightclubs and dance halls and parties and love affairs . . . and
still rejection by her own race. One of the most widely read and controversial works of the
Harlem Renaissance and the first novel to openly address prejudice among black Americans and
the issue of colorism The Blacker the Berry . . . is a book of undiminished power about the
invidious role of skin color in American society. For more than seventy years Penguin has been
the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1 800
titles Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and
across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced
by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors as well as
up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
