B.O.M. duel selection (with Apartment in Athens) will help override
the bad taste in the mouth that this leaves and push it into the
ranks of best seller. We reported it originally on June 15th (P.
271) as follows:-"This autobiography might almost be said to supply
the roots to Wright's famous novel, Native Son. It is a grim
record, a disturbing one, this story of how - in one boy's life -
the seeds of hate and distrust and race riots were planted. Wright
was born to poverty and hardship in the Deep South; his father
deserted his mother, and circumstances and illness drove the little
family from place to place, from degradation to degradation. And
always there was the thread of fear and hate and suspicion and
discrimination - of white set against jew - intolerance. Driven to
deceit, to dishonesty: ambition thwarted, motives impugned, Wright
struggled against the tide, put by a tiny sum to enable him to move
on, and finally reached his goal - Chicago - and there, still
against odds pulled himself up and acquired some education through
systematic reading, allied himself with the Communists, only to be
thrust out for non-conformity, and wrote continually. The whole
tragedy of a race seems dramatized and high (or low?) lighted in
this record; it is virtually unrelieved by any vestige of human
tenderness or humor; there are no bright spots. And yet it rings
true. It is an unfinished story of a problem that has still to be
met. Perhaps this will force home ??latable facts of a submerged
minority, a problem far from being faced squarely "....This is
probably the first volume of what will be a two volume
autobiography, as it covers only boyhood and early youth. (Kirkus
Reviews)
At four years of age, Richard Wright set fire to his home in a moment of boredom; at five his father deserted the family; by six Richard was - temporarily - an alcoholic. Moved from home to home, from brick ten ement to orphanage, a grandmother in Jackson, an aunt in Arkansas he h ad had, by the age of twelve, only one year's formal education. It was in saloons, railroad yards and streets that he learned the facts abou t life under white subjection, about fear, hunger and hatred, while hi s mother's long illness taught him about suffering. The same alertness and independence that made him the 'bad boy' of his family and the vi ctim of endless beatings and remonstrance's, lost him numerous jobs. G radually he learned to play Jim Crow in order to survive in a world of white hostility, secretly satisfying his craving for books and knowle dge until the time came when he could follow his dream of justice and opportunity in the north.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(7)
(1)
