THE SOCIOLOGY PROJECT

Two college students fake an interracial relationship during the civil rights era in this debut novel.

Wisconsin Christian University, 1967. Stan Carlson and Cleo Jones have cooked up something daring for their “Senior Sociology Seminar Project.” For three months, the White farm boy from downstate Illinois and the Black city girl from Chicago will pretend to date each other. “We could act like an actual couple, go on dates, hold hands, maybe even kiss, and so on,” suggests Cleo. “We could study people’s reactions, take notes, and write our paper based on those notes.” The two are already friends, though their flirtatious relationship suggests each may have ulterior motives for suggesting such a bold project. At first, they are met with the expected uncomfortable looks, lewd comments, and hostility from both White and Black people. As the two begin to realize that their feelings for each other are not just for show, the stakes of the enterprise suddenly feel a lot higher. Are they prepared to deal with society’s reactions—and specifically, the responses of their families—if they start dating for real? The book’s premise is an intriguing one, and the way it unfolds is half rom-com, half social novel. Hendricks’ heart seems to be in the right place, but his treatment of race is sometimes clumsy. He identifies the race of Black characters (but not White ones) upon introducing them and describes the shades of their complexions. (He reflexively gives the height, build, and hair color of all his characters, regardless of their race.) The writing is often wooden, especially the dialogue, as in this back-and-forth between the protagonists. Cleo: “Even though it’s 1967, blacks are still discriminated against today. I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be white.” Stan: “But if you were white, I wouldn’t have a black girl to call brown sugar….I was just getting ready to head back to the cafeteria for supper. You want to join me?” The story is surprisingly free of incident, and as it chugs toward a highly predictable outcome, some readers may lose interest.

An intriguing but uneven tale about an interracial couple in 1960s Wisconsin.