While working as a nurse and as a librarian, Nella Larsen also managed signifcantly to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s with two novels: Quicksand and Passing. The latter is still often taught in classrooms today, for its heartrending treatment of a character compelled to hide their race and heritage to avoid the perils of early 20th century American racism, and the difficulties with questions of identity and belonging that arise as a result.