You raise such important issues, Juliana. I love how you write. Here are a couple of recommendations on activist fiction:
1. Charles Andrews. Joe Stafford.
Amazon: Joe Stafford, a radical-minded city maintenance worker, winds up in management. Then he must act according to his belief. Popular unrest grows step by step until revolutionary days arrive and everyone faces his test of character. The suspense takes you from one scene to the next until the climactic battle.
Karyn: Joe is a communist who makes the fight against racism central to his organizing. Very realistic and unpredictable.
2. Books by the Kenyan author, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, who writes about class struggle in Kenya against the British colonialists.
3. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (a friend of Jane Austen) depicts a strike in Manchester, England and the political and personal conflict between the union activist and the factory owner. Also on Netflix.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Karyn! And for the book recommendations. I will add them to my growing list of fiction featuring or centering activists and social movements, which I will be sharing soon.
Thank you for that thoughtful comparison. It would be interesting to see both movies as a double feature. Our Labor Film series in Rochester, NY had discussions following the movie of the week. Your article would make for a lively discussion.
You raise such important issues, Juliana. I love how you write. Here are a couple of recommendations on activist fiction:
1. Charles Andrews. Joe Stafford.
Amazon: Joe Stafford, a radical-minded city maintenance worker, winds up in management. Then he must act according to his belief. Popular unrest grows step by step until revolutionary days arrive and everyone faces his test of character. The suspense takes you from one scene to the next until the climactic battle.
Karyn: Joe is a communist who makes the fight against racism central to his organizing. Very realistic and unpredictable.
2. Books by the Kenyan author, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, who writes about class struggle in Kenya against the British colonialists.
3. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (a friend of Jane Austen) depicts a strike in Manchester, England and the political and personal conflict between the union activist and the factory owner. Also on Netflix.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Karyn! And for the book recommendations. I will add them to my growing list of fiction featuring or centering activists and social movements, which I will be sharing soon.
Thank you for that thoughtful comparison. It would be interesting to see both movies as a double feature. Our Labor Film series in Rochester, NY had discussions following the movie of the week. Your article would make for a lively discussion.
Thanks, Judy! That would definitely be an interesting evening!