The Gilded Years: A Novel

I can say without reservation that if you like historical fiction, The Gilded Years is a must read. Anita Hemmings, the first African-American to graduate from Vassar College, has a story that should be widely known, yet until now she has passed through the annals of US History with little fanfare. Thankfully, author Karin Tanabe has made a giant step in rectifying this error of omission with an insightful, poignant novel about one woman straddling two worlds in order to achieve her greatest ambition: an education.While The Gilded Years thoroughly engaged me, it was difficult to watch the blatant hypocrisy displayed by many characters. Erstwhile friends, teachers, and suitors alike are depicted as being part of an ostensibly liberal world, one in which they give lip service to social justice as if it were a passing fashion, but when confronted with the truth of Anita’s situation, they reveal their inner prejudices (some more virulently than others).The book is rich in detail, and if you are not familiar with the Gilded Age, Tanabe provides a thorough grounding with her research to see you through. There is an almost cinematic quality to the writing whereby you can imagine scenes as if they were playing in front of you at the movie theatre. I suppose much of that is due to the author’s brilliant dialogue, which sparkles and jumps off the page. For what it’s worth, I’d also like to throw my hat in support for a Bessie Baker sequel! I loved the friendship between her and Anita, and I would be interested to know more about her experiences with higher education, especially since she did not pass while attending Wellesley.

This is a well researched and very engaging novel based on the life of Anita Hemmings, the first African-American to graduate from Vassar College. As a Vassar Alum, I found it especially interesting, and I'm grateful that Tanabe sorts out fact from fiction for her readers in the afterword. I'm not proud of the fact that Vassar was the last of the "Seven Sisters" colleges to admit blacks. Anita gained her degree in 1897 only by passing as white. But that, of course, is what made this novel so suspenseful!

I found this story to be both challenging and emotional. The story of Anita Hemmings the first African American to graduate Vassar College. Going back in time to an era when people had to hide the fact that they were African-Amercan and those with lighter skins (almost white) had to cross over the color lines, be accepted as white, so they could get better educated, was an emotional read. Yet, it is a must read.As I put myself in the shoes of Anita Hemmings, I felt her difficulties,her frustration and her trepidation that she would be found out and not only be humiliated but dishonor her family. The fact that yes there were other higher institutions allowing African-Americans to enroll, it was not the same at Vassar College, the place Ms. Hemmings dreamed of going to since she was a little girl. The prejudice of that college and some of their students was shameful. It was good to know that not everyone felt the same, but they were not the majority .Once the truth of her ethnicity surfaced, the inner prejudices of her so-called friends also surfaced. I cannot imagine living between two worlds, not be true to oneself and always looking "over your shoulder" lest you be found out and ostracized. Yet to the credit of Vassar College, she was allowed to complete her education and graduate with her class.While reading the book I took to google to read about Ms Hemmings and while her story was fictionalized, the author remained true to her research and to Ms. Hemmings. The book was excellent,one I couldn't put down.

What an interesting topic to read about, and neat that it's based on a true story. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as I would have liked, it moved very slowly and had a ton of detail that I didn't care for and which made me want to keep skipping ahead. It finally gets interesting in the last quarter or so of the book, but then all the character build up of Lottie until that point seems incongruous with her actions, so I just ended up feeling confused. I applaud the author for doing the research and bringing Anita Hemmings and her history to light, but wish she'd had a more judicious editor. I later realized that the author was a Vassar alumna herself, which might explain the super detailed Vassar accounts which I felt were kind of boring and unnecessary at times.I wish there was more info on what became of Anita and her descendants, but I suppose some of that may have been hard to dig up.

This story is loosely on the true story of Anita Hemmings, the first African American woman to attend Vassar College - an all white college. She's gone through 3 years of college passing as white by keeping to herself and drifting along with her studies keeping herself out of the limelight; however, all that is about to change in her senior year when she rooms with Louise "Lottie" Taylor, who is the richest woman in the class and is well-known in high society. Lottie befriends Anita and the two become inseparable, spending most their times on and off campus together, especially on a trip to New York City to Lottie's large mansion. Anita's friendship with Lottie exposes Anita to the things within her reach for her future - pursuing her career in education, traveling to Europe, and eventually marrying a rich gentleman; however, her anxiety of getting caught takes up most of her thoughts and she wonders if she can continue this charade of passing as white.

The book is a compelling read and explores the limitations placed on a woman of color in 19th century America. This is a true story about Anita Hemmings who is forced to pass off as white in order to attend Vassar College. Both her mother and father were mulattos.Anita Hemming’s story was fascinating and I could not put the book down. It is interesting to note that although she graduated in 1897, Vassar officially did not admit black students until much later. The first black student to graduate was in the 1940’s.

Beautifully written, engaging and thrilling. Karin Tanabe confirms to be the wonderful writer she proved already to be.

Easy reading.

Really enjoyed this book and was very surprised to find it was based on a true story

All age groups would like this book. At times it's suspenseful, and always poignant. Not until the end did I realize it was based on a true story, and that most of the characters were people who had actually been a part of the situation recounted by Tanabe.

A wonderful little story, insightful and thought provoking.I will never understand how people can think they are above others.A perspective I'd not considered. The lengths people have to go to for what should be an equal right.