Once Two Heroes.by Calvin Baker Calvin Baker is an American novelist. Born in Chicago, he graduated from Amherst College and currently lives in New York. Bibliography
abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 0-670-03164-X The burden of race in America and the role it plays in determining the fate of individuals figures strongly in Calvin Baker's second novel, Once Two Heroes, which is set during the World War II. Mather Rose and Lewis Hampton are veterans of the same war, and though they fought for different regiments and for different reasons, they are citizens of the same country. But while white and black soldiers are given an equal opportunity to die for their country, America's post-war celebrations are reserved for soldiers like Lewis, a white Southerner. Mather, American-born but raised in France, finds little welcome when he returns home. Despite his military accomplishments, which overshadow o·ver·shad·ow tr.v. o·ver·shad·owed, o·ver·shad·ow·ing, o·ver·shad·ows 1. To cast a shadow over; darken or obscure. 2. To make insignificant by comparison; dominate. Lewis' own, it seems that the only thing most white Americans care about is putting and keeping him in his place. Though the two men are strangers, Mather makes a decision that will bring their worlds together in one night of unimaginable terror and brutality. Baker's premise is compelling, but the story is told entirely in the present tense, which lends an awkward feel to the writing. Some of the descriptions are overdone o·ver·done v. Past participle of overdo. Adj. 1. overdone - represented as greater than is true or reasonable; "an exaggerated opinion of oneself" exaggerated, overstated , the dialogue seems forced and the author spends too much time on unnecessary illustrations, while neglecting to provide key details of the characters' lives. Both Mather and Lewis have complex, interesting personalities. But, of the two, Mather's character is more carefully and realistically drawn. Baker paints Lewis as a semi-liberal Southerner, but fails to give readers a complete picture of the man shaped by his upbringing and socialization socialization /so·cial·iza·tion/ (so?shal-i-za´shun) the process by which society integrates the individual and the individual learns to behave in socially acceptable ways. so·cial·i·za·tion n. , and later experiences. The Jim Crow laws Jim Crow laws, in U.S. history, statutes enacted by Southern states and municipalities, beginning in the 1880s, that legalized segregation between blacks and whites. The name is believed to be derived from a character in a popular minstrel song. that govern the American South bind both Mather and Lewis--Mather, because he defies them, and Lewis, because he is required to uphold them. Once Two Heroes is a grim story about how racial prejudice can turn ordinary people into monsters, robbing both the victims and oppressors of their humanity. --Denise Simon is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer and frequent contributor to BIBR BIBR Bay Islands Beach Resort (Roatan, Honduras) BIBR Backward Indicator Bit Received . |
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