I get so caught up in the great fiction titles we publish, that I forget about my love for non-fiction, so I figured it was about time to read something…enter Miss Anne in Harlem by Carla Kaplan.
Miss Anne refers to a group of white women – many of whom were educated and wealthy – who participated in the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. They were often portrayed as either manipulative or crazy, and misunderstood by both black and white people. At a time when social respectability was so important, they eschewed (I don't use that word enough) the norm, and often risked complete ostracism to embrace the culture Harlem had to offer.
Miss Anne in Harlem is the first book to tell the vibrant story of this small band of white women, and Kaplan does an impeccable job with her research. She follows a select group of them from Anne Nathan Meyer, who founded Barnard College to Josephine Cogdell Schuyler, a liberal white Texan heiress who married George Shuyler, one of the most important figures of the Harlem Renaissance.
Publishers Weekly gave Miss Anne a starred review and said, “an empathetic and skillful writer, Kaplan has produced a valuable addition to the history of the period.” She certainly introduced me to a part of it that I wasn't aware of.
Miss Anne in Harlem is out in September, but you can download an egalley on Edelweiss.
– Annie