It is hard not to think of Nebraska without thinking of its greatest writer. Here is a marvelous piece by Capote, Remembering Willa Cather . I remember seeing a stage production of O Pioneers! and being deeply moved by its raw emotions. I had read My Antonia before, and soon found myself hooked, like Capote was by the simple elegance of her prose and the way she was able to evoke so many feelings through her characters. Much of it came from the fact that she had lived those experiences herself. Her father dragged the family from Virginia to Nebraska in 1883, when it was still a young state, settling in the town of Red Cloud. named after one of the great Oglala chiefs. Red Cloud was still alive at the time, living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, in the aftermath of the "Great Sioux Wars" of 1876-77. I don't know whether Cather took any interest in the famous chief, although it is hard to imagine not. Upon his death in 1909, he was eulogi
And speaking of Joe Hill, Richard White's "Railroaded" appears to be an important book from all the reviews (nice app here):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ongo.com/v/1088436/-1/22819AAA0D64C382/too-big-to-fail
Funny, this review was written by a friend's daughter. Also amazing to see ....
Didn't Wallace Stegner write a novel about Hill?
ReplyDeleteAnd this article is also good:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/27/us/27hill.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=joe%20hill&st=cse
Yes, and Gibbs Smith wrote a book as well.
ReplyDeleteAs I recall (it has been years since I read them), they both thought he was guilty. This book might make for an interesting counter to the assumption of guilt.
The photos linked at the headline went with that NY Times story -- worth looking at.
Is Richard White the guy who wrote the New History of the American West orsomething like that some years ago.Is at Stanford now I believe.bosox
ReplyDeleteI think I have the Stegner book.
ReplyDeleteBo, Richard White is one of the "New West" historians. Sounds like Railroaded is a good and very different look at the myth of the railroads. I'll be reading that one for sure.
ReplyDeleteGintaras, I just checked and I still have both Joe Hill books. If this new book has "new evidence" I'm sure I"ll be adding this one to the stacks.
ReplyDeleteI heard a scathing talk yesterday on the death of liberalism by Chris Hedges. http://www.alternativeradio.org/products/hedc004
There used to be a tradition of Joe Hills and Big Bill Haywoods and others looking out for working people and pushing back at capitalism. I think Hedges is right -- those days are gone.
After Empire Express, it will be a while before I want to tackle another railroad book. David Haward Bain's book was exhausting, but very good.
ReplyDeleteBain's book must have made quite the impression! I remember reading it in SF the first time I met Chartres. We met at Tadich's and she ordered Hangtown Fry, some odd concoction of eggs and oysters that was Mark Twain's favorite dish. That was a long, long time ago.
ReplyDeleteI'll be gone for a week, but will try to check in. I'm up for any 2011 book that sounds good. How about this one:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-chitlin-circuit-by-preston-lauterbach-about-pre-rock-black-music/2011/06/27/gIQAyjy73H_story.html
Or Sister Citizen by Melissa Harris Perry. Anything she writes has to be great.
Looks like it could be a fun read. Will post it. Still have Lomax's book, The Land Where the Blues Began, sitting on the shelf, which chartres recommended long ago.
ReplyDelete