| The Great Midland Contributor(s): Saxton, Alexander (Author) |
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ISBN: 0252065646 ISBN-13: 9780252065644 Publisher: University of Illinois Press OUR PRICE: $24.75 Product Type: Paperback Published: May 1997 Annotation: One of the most compelling and sympathetic novels ever to portray the lives of American Communist activists, The Great Midland is a story of love and radical politics set in the years prior to World War II. It was published in 1948, just as cold war hysteria engulfed the United States; the embarrassed publisher subsequently tried to pretend the book didn't exist, and review media and bookstores ignored it. In an introduction written for this edition, Alexander Saxton reveals that he does not regret having been a Communist, even though his political convictions cost him job opportunities. The book vividly depicts the multiracial and multiethnic alliances that developed as Chicago railroad workers struggled to organize and the attempts of those thrown out of work to avoid eviction. A fascinating example of "cross-gendered writing", the novel presents some of its narrative through the complex consciousness of a young, first-generation Polish-American woman, Stephanie Koviak. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Historical - General - History | United States - General |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 97007008 |
| Series: Radical Novel Reconsidered |
| Physical Information: 0.87" H x 5.41" W x 8.01" (0.92 lbs) 384 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: One of the best novels ever to portray the lives of American Communist activists, The Great Midland is a story of love and radical politics set just before World War II. It was published in 1948, when cold-war hysteria engulfed the United States; the publisher subsequently tried to pretend the book did not exist, and review media and bookstores ignored it. The book vividly depicts the multiracial and multiethnic alliances that developed as Chicago railroad workers struggled to organize. It presents some of its narrative through the complex consciousness of Stephanie Koviak, a young, first-generation Polish-American. |