What makes this text stand out is the dark sarcasm it employs to describe the cynic dynamics of structural racism, thus highlighting its absurdity and the maze-like logic of a hate that connects melanin levels to the value of a human being. I found myself alternately appalled and enraged at a world that would make such a solution desirable. I confess. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. As we read in we discover the horrible ways minorities in particular black people are treated. We’d love your help. Though ending in sorrow, you realise that being a parent isn't easy and especially if you have a racial divide in yourself. Can racism even be satirical? One of my books clubs chose this newly released debut, We Cast a Shadow, by Maurice Carlos Ruffin for our March monthly read. The exaggeration of our southern culture’s insidious racial prejudice barely misses being over the top, staying well within the range of hilarious. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. I highly recommend this book. 1 likes. Maurice Carlos Ruffin has been a recipient of an Iowa Review Award in fiction and a winner of the William Faulkner–William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition for Novel-in-Progress. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. He wants the promotion so that he can finally afford to pay for a demelanization operation for his mixed race son Nigel. Characters of all races and colors in the book engage the issue in a full, spectrum of complex ways, from protest, to malicious compliance, to defiance, to outright radicalization. “An incisive and necessary work of brilliant satire.”—Roxane Gay “You can be beautiful, even more beautiful than before.” This is the seductive promise of Dr.… We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. This year is proving to be an amazing time to discover debut authors. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. I'm not going to go into detail about this one because I don't have particularly strong feelings one way or another for it. His only de. Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of We Cast a Shadow, which was published by One World Random House. It is this desperation that drives this novel, that haunts this novel and in this desperation, we see just how pernicious racism is, how irrevocably. Set in the post-post-racial South, We Cast a Shadow tells the story of a man, one of the few black men at his law firm, desperate to pay for his biracial son to undergo demelanization, desperate to “fix” what he sees as his son’s fatal flaw. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. 7 talking about this. This isn’t heavy reading because Mr Ruffin is too good a writer to fall back on dense prose to hide the absence of a story. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. He wants to buy his son a medical procedure that will make him white. Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of We Cast a Shadow, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the PEN/ Open Book Award and longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. The premise was intriguing - a black father who is essentially trying to save his son from himself. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. This debut novel explores racism in the United States through an unknown black man. Some high school teachers have used the book in their lesson plans. We Cast a Shadow: A Novel (Hörbuch-Download): Amazon.de: Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Dion Graham, Random House Audio: Audible Audiobooks This is the latest novel to explain and deal with the issue of racism in America employing fantasy, magic realism, dystopian concepts, call it what you will. Lee "We Cast a Shadow A Novel" por Maurice Carlos Ruffin disponible en Rakuten Kobo. We Cast a Shadow: A Novel: Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Dion Graham, Random House Audio: Amazon.fr: Livres Saltar al contenido principal.com.mx. Instead, it is a chilling, unforgettable cautionary tale, and one we should all read and heed. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s debut novel, We Cast a Shadow, follows one father’s quest to protect his mixed race son from white supremacy. I thought it would be a very long time before I could say of a new book, "If you enjoyed how uncomfortable THE SELLOUT made you feel, have I got a book for you!" Jason Reynolds We Cast A Shadow Maurice Carlos Ruffin The Hate U Give Angie Thomas The Paragon Hotel Lyndsay Faye (white author) On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous Ocean Vuong . A recipient of an Iowa Review Award in fiction, his work has appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review, AGNI, Kenyon Review, Massachusetts Review, and Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. The premise was intriguing - a black father who is essentially trying to save his son from himself. 13 talking about this. My actual rating of this book is 3,5 stars. What levels of sex, language, violence are present? ― Maurice Carlos Ruffin, We Cast a Shadow. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. In the opening scene of “We Cast a Shadow,” New Orleans author Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s satirical debut novel, a black junior associate at a law firm is competing against two Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Maurice Carlos Ruffin's highly anticipated novel We Cast A Shadow comes out from One World Random House January 29th. Maurice Carlos Ruffin's work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. Like “As soon as Mama announced that I could no longer just give Sharane half our stock, the girl’s presence became scarce. In Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s first novel, We Cast a Shadow, the reader meets a complex and unnamed protagonist.The main character of this futuristic novel is an educated attorney who is “woke” to the restraints of American racism, but despite his tuned-in Black consciousness, he believes the capitalist arena is the best choice for any American. Some high school teachers have used the book in their lesson plans. He applies whitening cream on the boy’s skin to burn out birthmarks, causing young Nigel to double over in pain. Now he's up for a big promotion, one that will give him the financial resources to give his son the one thing that will save his life and allow him to succeed. We Cast a Shadow: Ruffin, Maurice Carlos: Amazon.nl Selecteer uw cookievoorkeuren We gebruiken cookies en vergelijkbare tools om uw winkelervaring te verbeteren, onze services aan te bieden, te begrijpen hoe klanten onze services gebruiken zodat we verbeteringen kunnen aanbrengen, en om advertenties weer te geven. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. One World; 1st Edition (January 29, 2019). The unnamed narrator decides, for his son - Nigel, to reach his fullest potential he must undergo a extreme surgical procedure coined demelanization to rid himself of the dark, pigmented birthmark on his otherwise fair, biracial skin. Through sloppy copyediting, our illustrious forefathers set off the human rights skirmishes that would beset the nation all the way to the present. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s debut novel, We Cast A Shadow, is an incisive and necessary work of brilliant satire. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, No Import Fees Deposit & $7.98 Shipping to Italy. This debut novel offers a bleak satirical depiction of a man mentally (and physically) warped by … Across genres, readers have found and championed work by... To see what your friends thought of this book, PG-13. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s debut novel, We Cast A Shadow, is an incisive and necessary work of brilliant satire. Please try again. The novel was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. You love and despise the Father in equal measure. If any of the seventy-plus delegates at the Constitutional Convention could have bothered to bring along a gray-wigged man of letters or even a lowly print shop owner, the document would have been clearer, so generations of people wouldn’t have spent their lives dreaming of rights they were never meant to have, wrongheadedly attending protests, getting beaten or killed.”, “felt guilty, of course, but for the love of Meadowlark Lemon, did the world really need another child of the diaspora with highly developed ball skills? But here we are, and WE CAST A SHADOW is that book. The demelanizartion proves will not only change his skin color but his facial features as well. Welcome back. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. Yet, the writing is profound as is the story, such a painful story, such a necessary story, and sad because it is both painful and necessary. Please try again. Maurice Carlos Ruffin finds haunting words and images to illustrate the alienation and suffering that racism causes, how people are forced to choose between their pride and their safety, and how dignity and compassion get crushed in an inhumane, white supremacist society. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. This is the latest novel to explain and deal with the issue of racism in America employing fantasy, magic realism, dystopian concepts, call it what you will. Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of We Cast a Shadow, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the PEN/Open Book Award and longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Maurice Carlos Ruffin Signs We Cast a Shadow Photo: Clare Welsh We are absolutely delighted to be hosting an award-winning writer and debut novelist this Spring Break: Maurice Carlos Ruffin, a skilled wordsmith and a rising star in the literary world. A recipient of an Iowa Review… More about Maurice Carlos Ruffin Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s aptly-named We Cast a Shadow is a harrowing exploration of the extremes that govern the psyche of the oppressed--light and shadow, good and bad, white and black. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. While set in the future, this satire doesn’t feel so distant. I’m proud to say that he’s a graduate of my alma mater: The University of New Orleans. I first saw We Cast a Shadow on @thestackspod's list of 'Read Black Stories' and thought it sounded intriguing, so I was excited when I saw it on my library’s audiobook app. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. … That said, I found the books plot muddy and messy, often finding myself lost at many points. What makes this te. From Underground Railway, to White Tears, to Underground Airlines, to Sing Unburied Sing, among others, authors have eschewed reality because the subject matter is too painful to deal with and offer alternative worlds in which to address the subject. At the opening of the book he attends a costume work party at one of the partners' home in hopes of maybe impressing them to get a promotion. We Cast a Shadow: Ruffin, Maurice Carlos: Amazon.com.mx: Libros. That was just spin Lincoln’s cronies put out to keep the Europeans from joining the Confederacy. Thank you to One World and Random House for providing a free copy via Netgalley. Like “high-country accent.” ― Maurice Carlos Ruffin, We Cast a Shadow. This book is taught in many colleges and universities. We Cast a Shadow: A Novel (Audio Download): Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Dion Graham, Random House Audio: Amazon.com.au: Audible Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s debut novel, We Cast a Shadow is several stories in one. Mostly, as here, they are satirical, thusly carrying an undercurrent of rage, quite appropr. January 29th 2019 Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Maurice Carlos Ruffin's highly anticipated novel We Cast A Shadow comes out from One World Random House January 29th. Set in the near future, the narrator has made it his mission to erase his son’s blackness through a new technology called “demelanization”. A black lawyer, living in the city in a near future United States, has worked his entire life to assimilate properly, obeying every rule. The nameless narrator’s love and concern for protecting his son in a near-future dystopia following oblique references to nuclear war, revolutions, and widespread civil unrest becomes the focal point for considering the issue of race in America. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Praise for We Cast a Shadow We Cast a Shadow: A Novel - Ebook written by Maurice Carlos Ruffin. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Ever since they drafted that screed, no one wanted to admit that Washington, Jefferson, and the rest of those guys meant only to protect the rights of white, landowning men. Yes, in Ruffin’s expert prose. Start by marking “We Cast a Shadow” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Painfully funny satire, the kind where you don't know whether to laugh or cry so you end up doing both. At the opening of the book he attends a costume work party at one of the partners' home in hopes of maybe impressing them to get a promotion. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. My favorite thing about dystopian novels is how easily you can imagine them coming true. A native of New Orleans, Ruffin is a graduate of the … Praise for We Cast a Shadow In the tradition of Delicious Foods, The Sellout, Welcome to Braggsville and Blackass, We Cast a Shadow uses razor sharp satire to dissect racism in America. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Mostly, as here, they are satirical, thusly carrying an undercurrent of rage, quite appropriate especially here. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. Set in the post-post-racial South, We Cast a Shadow tells the story of a man, one of the few black men at his law firm, desperate to pay for his biracial son to undergo demelanization, desperate to “fix” what he sees as his son’s fatal flaw. New Orleans writer Maurice Carlos Ruffin on his new novel, 'We Cast a Shadow': about 'a very American city with a very American problem' BY SUSAN LARSON | … It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. LibraryThing is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers This particular novel has been compared to Get Out and The Sellout, both of which apply. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read We Cast a Shadow: A Novel. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. PG-13. Prime. Maurice Carlos Ruffin finds haunting words and images to illustrate the alienation and suffering that racism causes, how people are forced to choose between their pride and their safety, and how dignity and compassion get crushed in an inhumane, white supremacist society. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. A very timely book given the national atmosphere with hate crimes increasing. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. There was a problem loading your book clubs. 0 likes. There is implied sex that is not shown. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. With echoes that run the gamut from Ellison’s “Invisible Man” to Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark” (with multiple touches like references to Zamunda from “Coming To America” for good measure), Ruffin masterfully takes on the issue of race at the core of the American experience. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Most Anticipated Books of 2019 Not From a Series, We Cast A Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin / 4 stars, The 32 Buzziest New Debuts to Discover Now. He wants the promotion so that he can finally afford to pay for a demelanization operation for his mixed race son Nigel. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of We Cast a Shadow, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the PEN/Open Book Award and longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. The first is a story about a father wanting to do what is best for his son (in his eyes) because his son has is mixed race and has a large birthmark on his face. Cuenta y Listas Cuenta Devoluciones y Pedidos. The unnamed narrator of Maurice Carlos Ruffin's We Cast a Shadow has two great loves.The first is wife, Penny, with whom he enjoys a playful, passionate relationship. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s debut novel, We Cast a Shadow, is narrated by an unnamed black father who is desperate to protect his mixed-race son from white supremacy. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. His only desire is that his son Nigel not have to live under such harsh conditions. In the not too distant future, as the book describes it, somewhere in the United States, race relations has taken a terrible turn from bad to worse. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. “We Cast a Shadow” by Maurice Carlos Ruffin is a powerful novel exploring racism through a satirical format. Libros Hola, Identifícate. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. Assistant Professor JD, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law; MFA, University of New Orleans 225-578-3021 profruffin@lsu.edu 212-S Allen Hall Biography. 3 personas están hablando de esto. Buy We Cast a Shadow: A Novel by Maurice Carlos Ruffin (ISBN: 9780525509066) from Amazon's Book Store. I don't know if it's fair to compare anything at all to. His work has appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review, AGNI, The Kenyon Review, The Massachusetts Review, and Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas. Maurice Carlos Ruffin has been a recipient of an Iowa Review Award in fiction and a winner of the William Faulkner–William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition for Novel-in-Progress. Praise for We Cast a Sh… We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin available in Hardcover on Powells.com, also read synopsis and reviews. It’s funny and weird and disorienting. The only downside being that the narrator was a horrible person, but as the narrator he was able to justify his actions quite much, and that's what made the book interesting. It is this desperation that drives this novel, that haunts this novel and in this desperation, we see just how pernicious racism is, how irrevocably it can alter how a man sees the world, himself, those he loves. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s debut novel, We Cast a Shadow is several stories in one. This debut novel explores racism in the United States through an unknown black man. Please try your request again later. This is not for the faint hearted. My literary happy place – brilliantly cutting satire. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. Jason Reynolds We Cast A Shadow Maurice Carlos Ruffin The Hate U Give Angie Thomas The Paragon Hotel Lyndsay Faye (white author) On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous Ocean Vuong . Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s aptly-named We Cast a Shadow is a harrowing exploration of the extremes that govern the psyche of the oppressed--light and shadow, good and bad, white and black. Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2019. Come celebrate the launch of the paperback edition of Maurice Carlos Ruffin's stunning novel, We Cast a Shadow.Ruffin will appear in conversation with author Daniel José Older with a booksiging to follow.. A “razor-sharp debut from an urgent new voice of fiction,” (NPR) about a father’s obsessive quest to protect his son—even if it means turning him white. In that, We Cast a Shadow is not so much a work of satire. He takes satire to a whole new level. Maurice Carlos Ruffin's highly anticipated novel We Cast A Shadow comes out from One World Random House January 29th. https://www.nytimes.com/.../maurice-carlos-ruffin-we-cast-shadow.html Maurice Carlos Ruffin's work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. You know he's not doing good, but you can just see the reasons he paints quite artfully for us, the readers, and probably himself. Ultimately though, we see through the narrator’s actions and various description of his “fractured psyche” the true cost of the struggle that involves and implicates all of us as we look to the future of America and the world. The … In Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s first novel, We Cast a Shadow, the reader meets a complex and unnamed protagonist.The main character of this futuristic novel is an educated attorney who is “woke” to the restraints of American racism, but despite his tuned-in Black consciousness, he believes the capitalist arena is the best choice for any American. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. Assistant Professor JD, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law; MFA, University of New Orleans 225-578-3021 profruffin@lsu.edu 212-S Allen Hall Biography. The answer was in the question, and I made all indirect efforts to discourage his growing love of sports. He is one of very few blacks that works there. “Yes, the Founders had meant that all men were created equal, but they failed to include an index of defined terms. From Underground Railway, to White Tears, to Underground Airlines, to Sing Unburied Sing, among others, authors have eschewed reality because the subject matter is too painful to deal with and offer alternative worlds in which to address the subject. we cast a shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 29, 2019 As with Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man , the black narrator of this rakishly funny and distressingly up-to-the-minute debut novel doesn’t disclose his name, because, he says, “I’m a phantom, [and] a figment.” ABOUT WE CAST A SHADOW A bold, provocative debut for fans of Get Out and Paul Beatty’s The Sellout, about a father’s obsessive quest to protect his son—even if it means turning him white. Click to read more about We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin. Prueba. It may simply be that I don't enjoy satire as a means of telling a story since I didn't enjoy The Sellout much either. Maurice Ruffin tells a great story - really a lot of great stories - beautifully orchestrated into a tale as complex as it is enlightening. His solution is to erase his son’s blackness. Please try again. melyssa57 (A Page Before Bedtime dot com), Not my cup of tea, but that shouldn't dissuade you from reading, Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2019. by One World. Maurice Ruffin. The first is a story about a father wanting to do what is best for his son (in his eyes) because his son has is mixed race and has a large birthmark on his face. His work has appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review, AGNI, Kenyon Review, Massachusetts Review , and Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas . We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. Like “Sugar,” she said, “every schoolboy knows the Civil War didn’t start because of slavery. I don’t know how Ruffin does it. His work has appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review, AGNI, The Kenyon Review, The Massachusetts Review, and Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas. We Cast A Shadow: Amazon.es: Ruffin, Maurice Carlos, Ruffin, Maurice Carlos: Libros en idiomas extranjeros Unable to add item to List. About Maurice Carlos Ruffin. We Cast a Shadow fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love. This debut novel offers a bleak satirical depiction of a man mentally (and physically) warped by a lifetime of racism and brutality. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s debut novel, We Cast A Shadow, is an incisive and necessary work of brilliant satire. Maurice Ruffin. Refresh and try again. I will pick up another story written by Ruffin. There is implied sex. It’s piercing, perceptive and provocative. America could cheer someone else’s brown boy down a field and, after he’d wrecked body and mind, into an early grave.”, PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Nominee (2020), Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Fiction (2020), PEN Open Book Award Nominee for Longlist (2020). Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Something went wrong. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. ― Maurice Carlos Ruffin, We Cast a Shadow. It's been a long time since I read a book in first-person, so We Cast A Shadow was an apt choice, because the writing was quite good. We Cast A Shadow: Amazon.es: Ruffin, Maurice Carlos, Ruffin, Maurice Carlos: Libros en idiomas extranjeros Selecciona Tus Preferencias de Cookies Utilizamos cookies y herramientas similares para mejorar tu experiencia de compra, prestar nuestros servicios, entender cómo los utilizas para poder mejorarlos, y para mostrarte anuncios. Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of We Cast a Shadow, which was published by One World Random House. This is a fascinating take is how race impacts ones sense of self and how attempts to hide away one's identity may not be as liberating as hoped. The well meaning father here is trying to help his bi-racial son avoid the pain of being Black in America by seeking a bleaching treatment. Several curse words. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Click the link to here more of my thoughts: I really appreciated the themes of the story but I didn't love how it was told.