John Henry Days
by Whitehead, Colson
- Used
- Paperback
- first
- Condition
- Very Good +/No DJ
- ISBN 10
- 0385498195
- ISBN 13
- 9780385498197
- Seller
-
Southampton, Massachusetts, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
In a glowing review of Colson Whitehead's first novel, The Intuitionist, the New York Times Book Review concluded, "Literary reputations may not always rise and fall as predictably as elevators, but if there's any justice in the world of fiction, Colson Whitehead's should be heading toward the upper floors." With John Henry Days, Colson Whitehead delivers on the promise of his critically acclaimed debut in a magnificent new novel: a retelling of the legend of John Henry that sweeps across generations and cultures in a stunning, hilarious, and unsettling portrait of American society.Immortalized in folk ballads, John Henry has been a favorite American hero since the mid-nineteenth century. According to legend, John Henry, a black laborer for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, was a man of superhuman strength and stamina. He proved his mettle in a contest with a steam drill, only to die of exhaustion moments after his triumph. In John Henry Days, Colson Whitehead transforms the simple ballad into a contrapuntal masterpiece. The narrative revolves around the story of J. Sutter, a young black journalist. Sutter is a "junketeer," a freeloading hack who roams from one publicity event to another, abusing his expense account and mooching as much as possible. It is 1996, and an assignment for a travel Web site takes Sutter to West Virginia for the first annual "John Henry Days" festival, a celebration of a new U.S. postal stamp honoring John Henry. And there the real story of John Henry emerges in graceful counterpoint to Sutter's thoroughly modern adventure.As he explores the parallels between the lives of these two black men, and between the Industrial Age, which literally killed John Henry, and the Digital Age that is destroying J. Sutter's soul, Whitehead adds multiple dimensions to the myth of the steel-driving man. And in dazzling set pieces, he traces the evolution of the famous ballad over the past century. John Henry Days is a novel of extraordinary scope and mythic power that juxtaposes history and popular culture, the blatant bigotry of the past with the more insidious racism of the present, and laugh-out-loud humor with unforgettable poignancy.From the Hardcover edition.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Heritage Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- F45903
- Title
- John Henry Days
- Author
- Whitehead, Colson
- Illustrator
- n/a
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good +
- Jacket Condition
- No DJ
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10
- 0385498195
- ISBN 13
- 9780385498197
- Publisher
- Doubleday
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2001
- Pages
- 389 pp
- Size
- 8vo = over 9"
- Keywords
Terms of Sale
Heritage Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives not as described or damaged.
About the Seller
Heritage Books
About Heritage Books
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Trade Paperback
- Used to indicate any paperback book that is larger than a mass-market paperback and is often more similar in size to a hardcover...
- Reading Copy
- Indicates a book that is perfectly serviceable for reading. It may have a defect or damage. As such, reading copy is not a...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...