{"product_id":"chester-b-himes-a-biography-9780393063899","title":"Chester B. Himes: A Biography","description":"\u003cp\u003eChester B. Himes has been called \"one of the towering figures of the black literary tradition\" (Henry Louis Gates Jr.), \"the best writer of mayhem yarns since Raymond Chandler\" (\u003cem\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/em\u003e), and \"a quirky American genius\" (Walter Mosely). He was the twentieth century's most prolific black writer, captured the spirit of his times expertly, and left a distinctive mark on American literature. Yet today he stands largely forgotten.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this definitive biography of Chester B. Himes (1909-1984), Lawrence P. Jackson uses exclusive interviews and unrestricted access to Himes's full archives to portray a controversial American writer whose novels unflinchingly confront sex, racism, and black identity. Himes brutally rendered racial politics in the best-selling novel \u003cem\u003eIf He Hollers Let Him Go\u003c\/em\u003e, but he became famous for his Harlem detective series, including \u003cem\u003eCotton Comes to Harlem\u003c\/em\u003e. A serious literary tastemaker in his day, Himes had friendships--sometimes uneasy--with such luminaries as Ralph Ellison, Carl Van Vechten, and Richard Wright.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJackson's scholarship and astute commentary illuminates Himes's improbable life--his middle-class origins, his eight years in prison, his painful odyssey as a black World War II-era artist, and his escape to Europe for success. More than ten years in the writing, Jackson's biography restores the legacy of a fascinating maverick caught between his aspirations for commercial success and his disturbing, vivid portraits of the United States.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e W. W. Norton \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/25\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780393063899\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 624\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.11lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.40h x 6.30w x 1.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAward:\u003c\/b\u003e Edgar Allan Poe Awards - Winner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2017 pg. 109\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/13\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/15\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2017 pg. 36\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/25\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2017 pg. 90\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Lawrence P. Jackson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42935390896309,"sku":"9780393063899","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_9bf7244d-3656-4a5f-bc80-6fa3c2948f34.jpg?v=1688487990","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/chester-b-himes-a-biography-9780393063899","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}