A History of the African-American People (Proposed) by Strom Thurmond, as told to Percival Everett & James Kincaid

April 26, 2004
The mere broaching of the outrageous titular book proposal is enough to keep this hilarious high-concept satire humming along. Among the characters who try to make sense of it are the fey, omnisexual Tennessee Williamsish congressional aide proposing the book, who attempts to clarify things by suggesting that the Methuselan segregationist senator "is, properly understood, a black writer"; the fatuous Simon & Schuster editor who thinks such a project might make for a fashionably "hot" manuscript (but said editor doesn't have "enough holes in his bowling ball"); and the authors, inserting themselves into the novel as academic ghostwriters whose curiosity and greed overcome their revulsion at the idea. And then there's the slyly charming Thurmond himself, who's far from fully committed to the project, and cagily justifies his own racist record by throwing away the concepts of objective truth and personal responsibility as casually as he throws out homespun anecdotes ("You know, my brother Bill used to stutter something terrible. He couldn't say grace and have his food be hot"). The story's epistolary format allows novelist Everett and literary theorist Kincaid to write in a chorus of richly individuated voices, by turns—and often simultaneously—sardonic, hysterical, obsequious and threatening, aware of their own hypocrisies but unwilling to renounce them. The result is a truly funny sendup of the corrupt politics of academe, the publishing industry and politics, as well as a subtle but biting critique of racial ideology.

May 15, 2004
I'll bet you didn't realize that Sen. Strom Thurmond was actually the best thing that ever happened to African Americans-at least, that's what one of the octogenarian's aides sets out to prove in this fictional account of a publishing snafu. Painfully insecure, sexually confused, and schizoid, Barton Wilkes imagines a chronicle of Thurmond's contributions to the black community and attempts to con a major house into publishing it. Confusions, con jobs, coercions, and conflicts cross and become convoluted in mysterious ways as ever more editors, editorial assistants, authors, various would-be lovers, and even Thurmond himself swirl through the project. Everyone has a piece of the puzzle, but nothing fits. Everett and Kincaid cast themelves as major characters, only slightly saner than the rest, and use an epistolary style that includes letters, memos, contracts, and interview notes to create a unique voice for every character. The result is an outrageously funny satire of race relations and racism, U.S. history, contemporary sexual mores and behavior, academia, and the publishing industry. It could become a cult classic or even that rarest of rarities-a small-press best seller. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.-Jim Dwyer, California State Univ. Lib., Chico

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