"The Black Flemings" is a novel by Kathleen Thompson Norris, a prolific American writer known for her romantic and family-centered fiction in the early 20th century. Published in 1926, the book explores themes of race, identity, and social class in America.
The novel follows the Fleming family, who are wealthy, educated, and light-skinned Black Americans "passing" as white in high society. The story centers on Clare Fleming, a young woman raised unaware of her Black ancestry, who discovers the truth about her heritage. This revelation forces her to confront societal prejudices, family secrets, and her own identity.
As Clare grapples with her newfound knowledge, she faces difficult choices about love, loyalty, and whether to continue living as white or embrace her Black heritage. The novel examines the psychological and social consequences of racial passing, a common theme in early 20th-century literature.
The Black Flemings reflects the racial anxieties of its time. Norris, a white author, approached the subject with a mix of sympathy and melodrama, typical of mainstream fiction in the 1920s.
About the Author
Kathleen Thompson Norris (July 16, 1880 - January 18, 1966) was an American novelist and newspaper columnist. She was one of the most widely read and highest paid female writers in the United States for nearly fifty years, from 1911 to 1959. Norris was a prolific writer who wrote 93 novels, many of which became best sellers. Her stories appeared frequently in the popular press of the day, including Atlantic, The American Magazine, McClure's, Everybody's, Ladies' Home Journal and Woman's Home Companion. Norris used her fiction to promote family and moralistic values, such as the sanctity of marriage, the nobility of motherhood, and the importance of service to others.
Kathleen Thompson Norris was born in San Francisco, California on 16 July 1880. Her parents were Josephine (n�e Moroney) and James Alden Thompson. When she was 19 both her parents died. As the oldest sibling she became effectively the head of a large family and had to work. Initially, she found employment in a department store, which was soon followed by work in an accounting office and then the Mechanic's Institute Library. In 1905, she enrolled in a creative writing program at the University of California, Berkeley and began writing short stories. The San Francisco Call, which had published a few of her stories, hired her to write a society column in September 1906. In the course of that work she met Charles Gilman Norris (whose late older brother was the famous novelist Frank Norris), and they soon fell in love. He moved to New York to be art editor of The American Magazine. After eight months of daily correspondence and some improvements in her family's financial situation, she joined him there and they were married in April 1909.
Norris became involved in various social causes, including women's suffrage, Prohibition, pacifism, and organizations to benefit children and the poor.
Kathleen Thompson Norris died January 18, 1966 in San Francisco at the home of her son Dr. Frank Norris. She was 85. (wikipedia.org)
