This is a special re-airing to celebrate the paperback release of Britt Bennett's The Vanishing Half,

one of the most celebrated novels of 2020.

I'm proud to have had it on the show.

Britt Bennett deserves her acclaim.

Funds for Bookworm are provided in part by Lannin Foundation.

Boots!

Where would we be without boos?

Where would we be without good? No, Tenton to Bird.

It's a rhetorical question, sir.

But where would we be without books? From KCRW and KCRW and KCRW.

I'm Michael Silverblad and this is Bookworm.

My guest today, Britt Bennett, is the talk of the literary world.

Her book, The Vanishing Half, made its debut at number

one on the New York Times bestseller list. Now, like me, you may not think much of bestseller lists,

but my big surprise when I picked it up is that it's a wonderful book.

It's very enjoyable to read, and it's only Britt Bennett's second book.

What was the originating idea for The Vanishing Half, Britt?

Well, thanks for having me.

The book actually began with the conversation I had with my mother,

where she was telling me about this town.

She remembered hearing about from her childhood growing up in rural Louisiana,

and it was a town where it was a community of light-skinned black people

...