Unicorn Library: Caucasia

a look at the novel by Danzy Senna

2 years ago

In this episode we discuss Danzy Senna's first novel, Caucasia.

We are in the Unicorn Library with Caucasia by Danzy Senna. This book is part of our June toolkit, please make sure to check out the rest of June’s toolkit resources. This stores is told from the perception of Birdie, a white passing mixed-race girl from Boston in the mid-1970’s. Birdie and her darker complected older sister Cole are so close they even have their own language. As racial tensions swell in the sister’s home time and their parents spilt, the two sisters are separated. Cole goes off with their father (who is black) and Birdie goes with their mother (who is white). The story follows Birdie as she is forced to pass as white while she and her mother are on the run. This heartbreaking and provoking story allows us to ask the hard question about race, identity, and perception. In this episode you’ll hear us discuss:

  • Who is Danzy Senna?
  • Seeking parent approval.
  • The dynamics of interracial marriage. 
  • Raising mixed race children.
  • A dive into the identities of the main characters. 
  • Can you love someone when you don’t love yourself?
  • What is passing
  • Wanting to be seen
  • What or where or who connects us to our identity 

We spend some time in the episode to say Happy Pride!! We also encourage our listeners to support their LGBTQIA2+ family. We then urge you in Getting Mad At The World not to “buy in” to rainbow capitalism. 

We end our episode in our Happy Place, hint* Dameca is playing with death, and Dani can’t put down the books. 

Thanks to Josef Scott of Citizens of Tape City for our theme music and Dollipop Art for our podcast artwork - you can find her on instagram @dollipop.art.

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