American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

This is the first episode of my review of Robert Heinlein's longest work, NO TIME FOR LOVE. We are reintroduced to an old friend, Lazarus Long, as he reflects on his life (but maybe not enough reflection for this reader).

THE DEVIL FINDS WORK was James Baldwin's final major essay and a fascinating exploration of how he has seen and experienced American (and some non-American) films over the course of his life, finding the problem at the heart of America's major cultural export.

The finale of my review of I WILL FEAR NO EVIL by Robert A. Heinlein. Next up, NO TIME FOR LOVE.

Part three of my thoughts on I WILL FEAR NO EVIL by Robert A. Heinlein.

My quick review of James Baldwin's excellent essay NO NAME IN THE STREET. The last 20 pages of this essay are particularly hard hitting and remain meaningful.

Boy does this book drag on. Lots of good stuff, but Robert A. Heinlein seems to take his precious time getting there. Is I WILL FEAR NO EVIL a sign of what will come later in his works?

Part 1 of 4 of my review of I WILL FEAR NO EVIL by Robert A. Heinlein. I wonder how other recent readers of this book look back on it. Obviously the novel deals with gender in sexuality in transgressive ways, but it also seems very old fashioned in its approach. 

Brief thoughts on James Baldwin's 1963 essay THE FIRE NEXT TIME and its place in American history. 

In this episode I review James Baldwin's collection of essays NOBODY KNOWS MY NAME: MORE NOTES OF A NATIVE SON. These essays bridge his time in Paris to his engagement in the discourse on civil rights in America. 

The conclusion to my review of THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS. In the next episode we will being a four part dive into I WILL FEAR NO EVIL. 

Part two of my review of THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by Robert A. Heinlein. In this episode, I cover the revolt on the Moon and some of the political theory at the heart of the novel, both the spoken and unspoken parts. 

Part 1 of 3 of my review of THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, one of Heinlein's most famous and well-regarded books. Often billed a libertarian novel, is it better to look at it as anti-colonial? Can it be both? 

We begin our look at James Baldwin's essays with his 1955 collection NOTES OF A NATIVE SON. Some of the topics explored in this collection are black representation in culture, expat life in Paris, and political life in Harlem. 

The second part of my review of FARNHAM'S FREEHOLD by Robert A. Heinlein. I really struggled with this book, but think it reveals the fundamental problem with Heinlein's relationship with the American past. 

I talk a bit about GLORY ROAD to finish up my thoughts on that novel, but I have decided to move onto Heinlein's FARNHAM'S FREEDHOLD. Is it his worst novel? Maybe not, but it is sure is trying hard. We will see what the second half gives us. 

I had hoped to talk about the first half of GLORY ROAD by Robert A. Heinlein, but I ended up talking about most of the events of the book. It is definitely one that needs to be unpacked for some of the larger discussions we are having about Heinlein. 

In this episode I review the final four stories of GOING TO MEET THE MAN by James Baldwin. This episode includes my look at the titular story, which remains one of the most well-known and widely read of Baldwin's works. 

In this episode I talk about the first four stories of the great collection by James Baldwin GOING TO MEET THE MAN. 

The final episode of my review of ANOTHER COUNTRY by James Baldwin. This novel deserves to be remembered as one of the best of the later 20th century. 

Part three of my review of the wonderful novel ANOTHER COUNTRY by James Baldwin. In this section, Eric returns to New York and crisis deepens in the relationships of our main characters Ida, Vivaldo, Cass, and Richard. 

In this episode I take a quick look at the excellent short novel by Robert A. Heinlein PODKAYNE OF MARS. It is one of my favorite Heinlein novels I have read and it really seems Heinlein can write young characters well, just not young men. 

Part two of my review of ANOTHER COUNTRY by James Baldwin. For a novel that is just exploring transgressive romantic relationships (and some square relationships too), it is an enthralling journey.

This teeny tiny short story by Robert A. Heinlein also seems to be the last short story we will look at in this series. From here on out it will be wild novels. But this is a nice story to end with.

This episode is part one of my four part review of ANOTHER COUNTRY by James Baldwin, a novel about race, sex, and art set in Greenwich Village. It is excellent. 

Sorry for the delay in uploads. ANOTHER COUNTRY and work has been keeping me busier than I thought. But here is the conclusion to my review of STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Robert A. Heinlein. One thing I never really talked much about in the review is cannibalism, but that is just a symptom of how much this book has to talk about. 

In this episode I look at the middle third of Robert A. Heinlein's STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND. We take a closer look at the word "grok" and its in-world meaning.

In this episode I begin my look at Robert A. Heinlein's STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND. We will have a lot to talk about over these three episodes as this is a thematically rich book. The first third of the book is doing a lot of set up and drags at times, but nevertheless this one is worth attempting.

I am a bit backed up in producing episodes because I am wrangling with two larger novels (STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND and ANOTHER COUNTRY). Hopefully those episodes will be ready next week. For now, we can look at Heinlein's short story "All You Zombies", a time travel story with a trans twist.

In part two of my review of STARSHIP TROOPERS, I complete my look at the text of the novel and discuss a little bit about the books legacy and influence on other storytellers. 

Want to read a very sad novel about expats in Paris? Try James Baldwin's GIOVANNI'S ROOM. I loved it and am fully convinced that Baldwin is a beautiful writer. This short novel is full of theme and is certainly worth a read or two. 

In this episode I review the first half of STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert A. Heinlein and discuss all of the "History and Moral Philosophy" sections and the claims often made about Heinlein's politics. In the next episode I will discuss the rest of the book and its legacy.

The conclusion to my review of James Baldwin's GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN. This delightful and rich book is worth a look or two. Let me know what you thought of it.

With this episode we close the book on the Robert A. Heinlein juveniles, so in addition to reviewing HAVE SPACE SUIT, WILL TRAVEL, I give my overall ranking of the 12 Scribner novels. There are only 15 works (13 novels and 2 short stories) left and I could not be more excited to jump into his works of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

In this episode I begin my look at James Baldwin with his first novel GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN. It the first half of this novel, we can already sense Baldwin's unique contribution to African-American literature.

In the quasi-fantasy story "The Man Who Traveled in Elephants" (1957) Heinlein wrote a sentimental tale about America, journeys, and a man getting what he deserves in the afterlife.

"Menace from Earth" by Robert A. Heinlein is a teenage romance, set on the Moon that builds on the themes explored in the excellent stories collected in THE GREEN HILLS OF EARTH.

The finale of my review of THE OUTSIDER by Richard Wright and the end of my examination of the works of Richard Wright. Our next series will be a long one, looking at the works of James Baldwin. 

My frustration with THE OUSIDER by Richard Wright grows a bit as I read Part 4 (Despair). Cross Damon does another murder and is trying to avoid arrest for his crimes but still has time for long debates on Communism and Fascism. 

Every once in a while I lose myself in a book. Not that I get engaged so the rest of the world passes by. Sometimes, I actually get lost and am not sure where the book or its characters are going. As I explore part 3 of THE OUTSIDER by Richard Wright I experience this. And I am not sure Wright is going to help me find the theme.

In this rather long episode I explore Heinlein' excellent novel THE DOOR INTO SUMMER. This book seems to be about a deterministic time travel loop, but it is really about our relationship to technology, each other, and work. Oh, and the main character gets engaged to a child and gaslights her into going into deep freeze so he can marry her while she is still young and hot. Not one of our author's best moments. 

Part two of my review of THE OUTSIDER by Richard Wright. This section seems to be the most hopeful part of the novel as we witness Damon Cross' attempt to remake himself and find a type of freedom while avoiding bad faith.

CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY is the best and most expansive of the Heinlein juveniles, as well as one of its most adult in theme. While only the penultimate juvenile, it seems to be the capstone work in many ways.

I start my look at Richard Wright's THE OUTSIDER with part one (Dread), which introduces us to Cross Damon (Wright's names amirite) and his miserable life and how an accident gives him a chance to start fresh, but is forced to commit a murder to keep his secret.

In this episode, I examine the delightful novel DOUBLE STAR by Robert A. Heinlein and talk about how the actor loses themselves into their subjects. While not necessary to be a science fiction novel, Heinlein weaves a handful of fascinating sci-fi elements into the story.

The conclusion of my review of A TIME FOR THE STARS by Robert A. Heinlein. The changing relationship between the twins as one approaches death and the other returns still young with his life ahead of him seems to reflect the experiences we all face with the older generations.

The finale of my review of BLACK BOY (AMERICAN HUNGER) by Richard Wright. This part of the memoir follows Wright's life in Chicago and his love affair and breakup with the American Communist Party.  Next, five episodes on THE OUTSIDER. 

Part 2 of my review of the memoir BLACK BOY by Richard Wright. This part of the novel explores Wright's discovery of the rules of Jim Crow, his quest for intellectual autonomy, and his ultimate decision to leave the South.

Part 1 of my review of A TIME FOR THE STARS by Robert A. Heinlein. This novel explores the twin paradox and humanity branching out into the cosmos.

In this episode I explore the first four chapters of Richard Wright's BLACK BOY, his gut wrenching and deep memoir of growing up black in the Jim Crow South.

Robert A. Heinlein's TUNNEL IN THE SKY has a strong and fascinating second half in which we explore questions of building democracy and civilization. The good: The optimism about cooperation in harsh conditions. The bad: strong hints of settler colonialism.

In this episode I look at the first half of Robert A. Heinlein's TUNNEL IN THE SKY. In this juvenile, Heinlein does some interesting thing with the old Malthusian over-population narrative. The first half reads a bit like a standard adventure story, though. This novel really shines in the second half.