Black & White

Black & White is a powerful work of literary fiction by American author Lewis Shiner, set against the deeply divided racial history of Durham, North Carolina. The novel weaves together two timelines — the present day and the early twentieth century — to explore how the wounds of the past shape the lives of those living in the present.

The story follows Michael Cooper, a white architect who returns to Durham and begins uncovering the buried history of a Black neighborhood destroyed by urban renewal. As he digs deeper, he discovers unsettling connections between his own family legacy and the systemic racial injustice that reshaped the city. The parallel narrative traces the life of Robert Fullilove, a Black man navigating the brutality of Jim Crow-era America with dignity and quiet resilience.

What makes Black & White truly remarkable is Shiner's masterful balance of historical weight and intimate human storytelling. The novel does not preach — it reveals, slowly and painfully, how racism becomes embedded in architecture, memory, and family silence. The characters are drawn with compassion and complexity, making their struggles deeply personal for the reader.

This is a novel for readers who love socially conscious literary fiction, stories rooted in American history, and narratives that challenge comfortable assumptions about guilt, identity, and responsibility. Black & White is a rare book that lingers long after the final page.