We Wear the Mask: 15 True Stories of Passing in America [Paperback]

Why do people pass? Fifteen writers reveal their experiences with passing.

For some, “passing” means opportunity, access, or safety. Others don’t willingly pass but are “passed” in specific situations by someone else.We Wear the Mask, edited byBrando SkyhorseandLisa Page, is an illuminating and timely anthology that examines the complex reality of passing in America.

Skyhorse, a Mexican American, writes about how his mother passed him as an American Indian before he learned who he really is. Page shares how her white mother didn’t tell friends about her black ex-husband or that her children were, in fact, biracial.

The anthology includes writing fromGabrielle Bellot, who shares the disquieting truths of passing as a woman after coming out as trans, andMG Lord, who, after the murder of her female lover, embraced heterosexuality.Patrick Rosalwrites of how he “accidentally” passes as a waiter at the National Book Awards ceremony, andRafia Zakariaagonizes over her Muslim American identity while traveling through domestic and international airports. Other writers includeTrey Ellis,Marc Fitten,Susan Golomb,Margo Jefferson,Achy Obejas,Clarence Page,Sergio Troncoso,Dolen Perkins-Valdez, andTeresa Wiltz.Editors’ Note

College Application Essay #2
Brando Skyhorse

Secret Lives
Achy Obejas

The Inscrutable Alexander Fitten
Marc Fitten

Letter to the Lady Who Mistook Me
for the Help at the National Book Awards—
or Some Meditations on Style
Patrick Rosal

Passing
Teresa Wiltz

Which Lie Did I Tell?
Trey Ellis

Negroland
Margo Jefferson

Slipping into Darkness
Lisa Page

Among the Heterosexuals
M. G. Lord

On Historical Passing anlÓ.