American Writers (one Hundred Pages At A Time)

"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.

In this episode I look at the first four chapters of the amazing book BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA by W. E. B. Du Bois. It is a brilliant celebration of the potential of interracial democracy, written at a time when those potentials were forgotten by historians.

A bit of an aside in this series, "Cliff and the Calories" by Heinlein is a short story about a young woman struggling with a perhaps unnecessary diet. It slightly aligns with some of what he was doing with his juveniles, but I think we need to wait until we read Podkayne to know for sure.

The finale of my review of OLDTOWN FOLKS by Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the conclusion to this series on Stowe's novels. Next up, we will return to W. E. B. Du Bois with a deep dive into Reconstruction-era America.

Part 4 of my review of OLDTOWN FOLKS by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This is an amazing novel that deserves more attention.

A story of capitalism run amok and maybe doing some good, THE MAN WHO SOLD THE MOON, by Robert A. Heinlein is a great novella exploring how  money can do almost anything.

The middle sections of Harriet Beecher Stowe's OLDTOWN FOLKS (1869) explored education with intense focus and through multiple conversations. While repetitive, this section of the novel allowed Stowe to engage with the debates of her own time about education, making a case as persuasive as the one she made in UNCLE TOM'S CABIN about slavery.

In this episode, I finish up my review of the excellent novel FARMER IN THE SKY by Robert A. Heinlein. This novel has some excellent reflections on population, empires, war, ecology, and the frontier. Are the juveniles (and the Future History series at large) metaphors for the Atlantic world? Sometimes I think so.