This narrative of a mulatto man who is able to pass as while is an illuminating look into his journey across color lines. Johnson believed that the status of the American Negro would be improved by making their literature known to the general public. His journey takes him from a Negro college to a nightclub in New York. The culture shock of traveling from the rural South to the urban northeast is fascinating to read. This is an unsentimental examination of race in America. Although written decades ago the book has a current flavor.