Kingsblood Royal

Kingsblood Royal, a novel by Sinclair Lewis, was published in 1947. In it the protagonist Neil Kingsblood, a white middle class man, discovers that he has African American heritage while researching his family background. He then begins to see himself as black, despite his lack of racial features, and is forced to choose between continuing what he now sees as a hollow existence in the white community and the oppressed minority of the black community. After admitting his heritage to several white friends, the news quickly spreads, and he engages in a quixotic struggle against the racism prevalent in the community. The climax of the novel comes when a mob comes to evict Neil from his house in the white suburb, and he is able to stand them down.

References

Fleming, Robert. "Kingsblood Royal and the Black "Passing" Novel". Critical Essays on Sinclair Lewis. Ed. Martin Bucco. Boston: G. K. Hall & Company, 1986.