Lonely Crusade by African American Author Chester Himes

Chester Himes

First Edition

[African American Fiction] Himes, Chester. Lonely Crusade. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1947. First edition. 398 pages. Bound in original publishers brown cloth hardcovers with gilt lettering to the spine and blind stamped front cover. In original red, white, and blue striped dust jacket with cream colored lettering. Octavo. Lonely Crusade is a thoughtful, compassionate story, picturing directly the fear that, Himes says, "underlies every thought and emotion of the Negro and distorts every human relationship he may have, whether with other Negroes or with Whites". It analyzes the psychological effects of this fear, particularly in love relationships, relationships with White women, and more. In the book, fictional character Lee Gordon is a union organizer, and through his experiences most aspects of racial issues in industrial organizations is explored. Even so, the book provides a glimpse of the relationship between Black and Jewish people during World War II. As James Baldwin asserts "Mr. Himes undertakes to consider the ever present subconscious terror of the black man, the political morality of American Communists, the psychology of union politics, Uncle Tomism, and the relationship between Jews and Blacks. The value of this book lies in its effort to understand the psychology of oppressed and oppressor and their relationship to each other". Pages are clean and bright, in very good condition.

Item #19158

Price: $240.00