A true account that is heartbreaking and inspiring at once.
Originally published in 2016, The Gilded Years tells the true story of Anita Hemmings, the first African-American woman to attend and graduate from Vassar College, a private higher education institution in Poughkeepsie, New York. Hemmings is remembered not just for the achievement of being the first African-American woman to attend and graduate, but because she did so in secret, at a time when Black women were not permitted at Vassar, or at many other prestigious universities.
Anita’s story, elements of which were imagined or embellished by author Karin Tanabe, is a thrilling one. The stakes are high from the beginning as she risks being ostracised and losing all that’s important to her if her true identity is revealed. Despite some of the chapters moving slowly, Tanabe has a way of keeping the reader hooked. The tension steadily builds until the book’s climax, when it becomes hard to stop reading.
The characters are particularly wonderful—even the horrible ones are interesting to read. While Anita herself and a few other characters, like her roommate Lottie Taylor, are based on real people, others, such as Anita’s love interest Porter Hamilton, were completely made up. Through the intricate details, it’s obvious that the book was well-researched, but there’s a distinct lack of records regarding Anita and those in her circle, leaving Tanabe no choice but to rely on her imagination.
Anita is a likeable protagonist, and Tanabe portrays her in such a way that I felt many of her emotions along with her. In certain parts of the book, I was brimming with fury or sadness on her behalf and found myself wishing I could teleport into the pages and comfort her. Anita’s actions are mostly predictable, while those of the secondary characters completely caught me off guard at times.
Vassar College, and a few other locations that Anita visits during her final year there, including Lottie’s extravagant New York City house, are painted in such detail that the reader is transported back to the 19th century. The building blocks Tanabe uses to depict Anita’s world demonstrate the gross inequality present within it, not just in the law but in the attitudes of everyday people. It was especially difficult to read the dialogue of some of the white students as they regard their Black classmates.
Though the focus of the book is on Anita’s experience at college, it would have been nice to gain more of an insight into her family and home life, and thus the average African-American experience in Boston at the time the novel is set. Tanabe sufficiently exhibits the inequality present, but I found myself wishing there were fewer scenes set at Vassar or fixated on Lottie Taylor, and more involving Anita’s family and friends.
The Gilded Years is set to be adapted to film, with Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya reportedly attached to the project. Whether presented through text or motion picture, Anita Hemmings’ achievements have the potential to inspire generations to come and deserve to be shared.
Reviewed by Vanessa Elle
Instagram: @vanessaellewrites
This review is the opinion of the reviewer and not Glam Adelaide.
Distributed by: Simon & Schuster
Released: February 2022
RRP: $29.99
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