American Writers (one Hundred Pages At A Time)

The conclusion to my thoughts on the wonderful short story collection, UNCLE TOM'S CHILDREN by Richard Wright. In the second half of this collection we move to a proposed (if maybe futile) response. The last two stories have moments of resistance culminating in sacrifice but not victory or a promise of change.

A very brief look at the short story "Sky-Lift" by Robert A. Heinlein. It is mostly a technical piece on the dangers of space flight and works as a sequel to the GREEN HILLS OF EARTH stories.

Richard Wright's first published book was a series of short stories called UNCLE TOM'S CHILDREN. They are wonderful stories looking at the brutality of race relations in Great Depression-era America and good preparation for NATIVE SON.

The conclusion to my look at STARMAN JONES by Robert A. Heinlein. This one clearly stands out among the Heinlein juveniles by branching out into new themes and new geographies.

The conclusion to my review of Richard Wright's first novel, LAWD TODAY. It is a great way to start digging into Richard Wright, and I think a good contrast with NATIVE SON, which we will look at in a few weeks.

In 1953, Heinlein wrote his 7th juvenile in STARMAN JONES. He always seems to have something new to say in each of these novels, even if the main characters are always a little bit cookie cutter. He does try to give this young man a bit more differentiation. Nevertheless, this is another good example of world building. I enjoy how each of these novels feels lived in.  

Today I start a new series looking at the major works of Richard Wright. We begin with LAWD TODAY!, which was published in the 1960s, but was actually the first book written. It is an amazing modernist text looking at the working class black life in Chicago during the Great Depression. It is also one of the bleakest books we have looked at in a while.

"The Year of the Jackpot" is a fascinating story by Heinlein published in GALAXY in 1952. It deals with sexual morality, normalcy, survival, historical cycles, and the end of the world. A must read.

The final episode in my review of BLACK RECONSTRUCTION by W. E. B. Du Bois. These final three chapters summarize the major themes of the book quite well. One of the best books on the topic, even a hundred years after publication.

The conclusion to my review of THE ROLLING STONES by Robert A. Heinlein. An overall great book in this juvenile series.

Part 6 of my review of W. E. B. Du Bois' BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA.

We are in the meat of the book BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA by W. E. B. Du Bois. In these chapters, he looks into the revolution and counter revolution of property in Mississippi and Louisiana and then Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. We see how different demographic structures led to different reactions by the ruling planter class. 

In this episode we get introduced to the Stone family and watch them becoming THE ROLLING STONES. This 1952 novel has some of the most well drawn of Heinlein's characters, but it is not the major young man protagonist who are pretty much interchangeable in this one. Some meta commentary on his juvenile novel heroes, I reckon.

The second part of my review of THE PUPPET MASTERS by Robert A. Heinlein. While I love a lot about this book, it ultimately falls far short of what it could have been.

In this episode look at the middle chapters of BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA, exploring the broader questions at the heart of the 15th Amendment and the impact of black voting rights on the Reconstruction politics of South Carolina.

It is kind of nice to have old Heinlein back. After writing those juveniles and mainstream science fiction stories, THE PUPPET MASTERS allows Heinlein to bring back hot women, nudity, and individualist philosophy. I am not sure this novel is a success yet, but it is lots of fun.

One of the most fascinating looks at Andrew Johnson is made by Du Bois in this section of BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA. I also discuss his sources and unique bibliography in this episode.

The conclusion to my coverage of BETWEEN PLANETS by Robert A. Heinlein.

The Civil War ends and the reaction to emancipation starts. In the second part of my coverage of W. E. B. Du Bois' BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA, I look at chapters 5-6 and the beginning of the conservative reaction to the second American Revolution.

Once again, we begin a look at what turns out to be my favorite of the juveniles by Robert A. Heinlein. BETWEEN PLANETS is the best yet. Can they keep getting better? The lesson in this book is courage and honor in the face of fate.