Mary Magdalen Ledbetter/Kitty Lane Karr Tate

Kitty Karr is the protagonist of the novel. She starts out the story the product of the rape by her father Teddy Lakes of her mother Hazel. She is mixed race because her mother is Black and her father is white. She is raised in Cottonwood, but her mother frequently takes her to Charlotte so that Mary can spend some time passing as white and learning what that is like. Mary becomes engaged, but her mother sends her to California for a trip. When Mary gets to California, she realizes that her mother wants her to stay there forever and pass as white. Lillian has changed her name to Emma Karr at this point, and she introduces Mary to everyone as her sister, Kitty Lane Karr. From this point on, Mary is known and lives her life as Kitty.

Kitty begins a...