The Color Line

“[An] ambitious novel by one of Italy’s most important writers…In its reckonings with racism and colonialism, The Color Line explores the potential for artists to reclaim line and color in the name of justice.” —The Guardian

“Scego’s writing is deft and agile…rich and layered.” —Booklist (starred review)

“An engrossing tale of ambition, survival, and love.” —Publishers Weekly

“Richly observed…Fluid and refreshing…this work tells an important story.” —Library Journal

“Igiaba Scego has written an intense and evocative book about the lasting traumas of racial injustice, the healing power of creativity, and the importance of representation in history. This sweeping novel based on real events is also a reflection on how racism endures in today’s Italy. The Color Line is a love letter to Black female artists who are all too often erased from history.” —Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present

“Powerful, provocative, and unflinching, The Color Line might be Igiaba Scego’s best book yet—and that would be no small feat. In this strikingly lucid and compassionate novel, Igiaba uses her formidable talents to remind us that the so-called forgotten histories of Black women cannot be silenced forever. The Color Line is a love story, and it is an ode to sisterhood. It is also a testament to the possibilities of liberation that rest in every act against injustice, and in every moment of artistic creation.” —Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King, short-listed for the 2020 Booker Prize

“In Rome, an African-American woman artist finds freedom from America’s Reconstruction-era constraints; and a present-day African-Italian woman despairs over her Somali cousin’s quest to cross borders and reach Europe. Pressing themes of slavery’s legacies, colonialism, and citizenship rights shine throughout this beautiful tale of courage and tenacity.” —Mia Fuller, author of Moderns Abroad: Architecture, Cities and Italian Imperialism