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Jan 08, 2012

Rick rated it:

Fences, the sixth in the ten play cycle by August Wilson, takes place in 1957, two years after the Montgomery Bus Boycott began, ten years after Jackie Robinson broke the color line that by so-called “gentlemen’s agreement” kept African-American players out of the major leagues (and two years before the Red Sox became the last team to include a black player on their team), six years before the March on Washington, seven and eight years before the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. In ot More...

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Jan 04, 2008

Naomi rated it:

I read this book in 8th grade, but decided to read it again because I forgot alot of stuff in it. But I do remember really enhoying this book because the book centers itself around such themes that made up a black america in the 1950's and 60's. The main character Troy Maxson is a middle aged man who has settled down with his wife and two sons, taking care of his care-free brother and his unsettling job as a garbage collector. His dream was once to be able to become a baseball player for the ML More...

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Sep 24, 2011

P rated it:

I reread this recently in order to discuss it with my AP class. My mom was from Pittsburgh and as a little girl, I spent a lot of time there. My parents were huge baseball fans, but by the time they started taking my brother and me to see the Pirates, African-Americans were well established in the league...I knew nothing else,and nobody ever told me it wasn't always like that! We always sat in right field behind Roberto Clemente, whom my Dad admired greatly. Troy Maxson's bitterness in the pla More...

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Jun 21, 2011

Leslie rated it:

A great American drama. The writing is masterful, obviously, but what struck me most on this first reading is the complexity of responses that Wilson evokes from the reader/audience. I am a middle aged Caucasian AP Lit teacher, so while some might expect my reactions to center on the African American experience, what struck me first was the recognizable conflicts between father and son, husband and wife, man and woman. I felt a kinship to Troy, Cory and Rose, even while I watched the fruits (con More...

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May 31, 2011

Mohammed rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jan 28, 2011

Lindsey rated it:

I'm still processing the work. It's pretty easy reading, as far as vocab and grammar, but there's so much more there than you see at first look. Wilson's writing is fantastic, and I really enjoy his voice.

It's funny how differently the relationship between Troy and Cory is viewed by each of the characters. Troy sees it as him fulfilling an obligation, but not necessarily an obligation he wants to fulfill, and Cory sees his dad as an obliterating presence, someone who takes everyt More...

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Jul 13, 2010

Sonya rated it:

Fences: August Wilson
Date Finished: October 2009

Snapshot: The play takes place at the Younger house, and many family conflicts arise. Troy refuses to allow his son Cory to play football after his own baseball dreams were never realized due to racism (he believes). Also, Troy has an affair on Rose (his wife), and has a child by another woman. By the end of the play, Troy has kicked Cory out, Rose has in effect ended their marriage, and she is raising Raynell, Troy’s daughter.
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Jun 03, 2010

Martin rated it:

I really enjoyed this play/book, it was an interesting story set about 50 years back. With the main Character Troy, a bold, slightly cocky father, his wife Rose who takes care of the family, and Jim Bono who is Troy’s best friend. Troy and Bono both have funny conversations together which I enjoyed. Some of the sub-main characters include Lyons which is Troy's oldest son by marriage, Gabriel Troy's brother, Cory Troy and Rose's son. Cory loves baseball and hopes to one day go big, but his father More...

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May 31, 2010

Amanda rated it:

i read this in a sort of comparison to Death of Salesman. And so, it's natural for me to think about it as the breakdown of man and family. In DOA, we see it in a white family. In Fences, it's about a black family who is simultaneously dealing with the significant racial changes of the time.

The concept behind the title is so resonant. In the character of Troy Maxson, we see this concept of a fence in all of its contradiction. As compelled as he is to keep his son safe and fenced in o More...

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May 30, 2010

Soul rated it:

I'm ashamed to say that I'd never taken the time to read the 1987
Pulitzer prize winning play "Fences" by writer August Wilson. I've really hurt myself by not
reading it, it is an enjoyable, informative and instructive play.

The play centers around Troy Maxson. He reminds me of the
quintessential black patriarch. Consumed with his own understanding and
experiences with the world, he narrows the scope of life to that which
is comprehensible to him.

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May 25, 2010

Lanier rated it:

Waiting in line for SRO tickets, I finished this short tightly packed African-American page-turning play. There is so much, including humor, within this 101-page play which Denzel Washington, Stephen McKinley Henderson and especially Viola Davis, with some of my favorite lines during two of her rants, "I took all my feelings, my wants and needs, my dreams...and I buried them inside you. I planted myself inside of you and waited to bloom. It didn't take me no eighteen years to find out the s More...

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Apr 22, 2011

Jen rated it:

We're reading this after reading The Great Gatsby and it's been interesting to be able to use Troy Maxson and Jay Gatsby as examples of the modern tragic hero. I'd venture to say that the idea of a tragic hero is one that many people don't like and is often at the heart of why readers reject modern literature. We want characters to grow and change over the course of a story -- we want them to improve -- and when they don't, we feel like we've been cheated.

<spoiler>Though there is More...

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Feb 27, 2011

Hattie rated it:

Every time I read another play written by August Wilson I think it is my most favorite. I have now concluded, for me, it is impossible to choose a favorite one from his plays. Each play is significantly satisfying in its own way. This play happens in the late Fifties. Troy Maxson is married to Rose Maxson. They have two sons, Lyons and Corey. Troy's brother also stays at the house. His name is Gabriel. Family and friends call Gabriel Gabe.

Troy seems to be the radius of the other char More...

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May 13, 2009

Mark rated it:

Add a start if you're a fan of old-time baseball. I didn't love this play, but I don't love plays in general. It seems like lazy writing to just SAY a character is lazy, or sad, or mean instead of allowing the reader to figure it out themselves by interpreting the character's words and actions. But I suppose that's a criticism of Drama and not this Drama. If I had to criticize THIS drama I would have to see it's too brief to offer much of an impact. I can see why it's important though and if I l More...

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Jan 17, 2012

Erik rated it:

Alright, we're trying this review again. I found that this play (Troy especially) made me really angry. I think this is mostly because I'm still an angsty teenager, and so father-son injustice hits just a little too close to home. For me, Troy remained pretty unlikeable, even after trying to sympathize with the difficulty of his life experiences. I think I should come back to this book in about fifteen years to see if it strikes me any differently.

As for the text, I have an unfair c More...

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Jun 28, 2011

John rated it:

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this is a story that I feel like I've read before and yet I can't remember when...and also that I know that a high school would never include a book with this many uses of the "n-word" as this play has in their curriculum. The story follows a family in the 1950s, mostly revolving around a father named Troy who could have been in the major leagues of baseball but, due to his color, was not allowed. In the course of the play his son, who has a possibility at More...

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Jun 05, 2011

Bea rated it:

This is the first play (other than Shakespear) that I have read. And, the Shakespeare was not read so much as used as a play book for following a Shakespearian play I was watching. Fences was a delightful surprise to me. You see, I did not really choose it. I took it because I thought the one I wanted was not long enough. Then, when I started to read the introductory information, I found that James Earl Jones had played Troy in New Haven, CT. James Earl Jones is an actor that I have admired f More...

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Jan 30, 2012

John rated it:

Published in 1983, this is the sixth play of August Wilson’s “Pittsburgh Cycle,” and by far the best known, winning the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. All the plays in the cycle take up various aspects of the American-American experience during the first part of the twentieth century. “Fences,” as the namely subtly hints at, looks at the differing ways of life and cultural assumptions that Americans – black and white – of two generations as they find themselves growing further and further apar More...

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Apr 19, 2010

Letitia rated it:

Somehow Wilson manages to capture historical epoques in American culture without making it about American culture. It is always about the characters and finding truth and beauty in the human condition.

Troy Maxson is haunted, powerful and unflinching. His son Cory desperately wants to break into college football, but his father is convinced they will never let a negro play. Both hilarious and heartbreaking is Troy's brother Gabriel, who suffered a head injury in the war. Knitting the More...

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Apr 26, 2011

Eliana rated it:

Troy Maxson has made a lot of mistakes in his life, but finally has settled on the right track. He has a wonderful wife, a son, and a steady job. But when Troy's son brings home a request that causes him to look back and dwell on the bitter racism in his unfulfilled past, Troy's stable life takes a downward spiral. As the Maxson family loses contact with each other and relationships change in the blink of an eye, each character must fight through their inner demons to overcome the conflict that More...

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Feb 01, 2012

Neil rated it:

Another strong outing in Wilson's cycle. Here, the 50s are giving way to the 60s and Troy Maxson, who would probably have been a major league star had the race barrier been broken earlier, is trying to maintain his pride in a world that has made the position of garbage truck driver the limit of his potential. Troy is a great character, full of pride and rage that lacking other channels, often gets turned against those he loves the most: the sons, wife, and friend who can't quite satisfy his dema More...

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Sep 17, 2011

Lydia rated it:

I read this play as a comparison to Death of a Salesman, which was perfect since they are almost exact complements. This also reflected my opinion of them each: I loathed Death of a Salesman, but enjoyed Fences. The depth that he gave the characters he liked was really evident. Rose, Troy's wife, has so much character, and I loved how strong she was and how she could defy standards of the time and tell her husband off like she did at the end. I also found it somewhat interesting how Wilson nearl More...

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Jun 19, 2010

Bobby rated it:

The creation of a work of art can be the most beautiful and mystical of endeavors. When it's really working, you almost can't see what it is exactly that the artist is doing that is so close to the supernatural. You only know that you are being changed in some profound way and this work of art is why. Such is the case with August Wilson's Troy Maxson. Maxson is not just a tragic hero, he is a force of nature, a revelation of some primal aspect of manhood. He is hard-working, noble, honest, braze More...

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Mar 05, 2009

Elliot rated it:

This is probably the highlight of my 10th grade Lit. reading list so far.

Though plays are not my favorite medium, I found myself very interested in this story of a headstrong black male trying and failing to rectify the mistakes of his life. The play includes lovely commentary on the issues faced by African-Americans of the 1950s, but, perhaps more explicitly than the other August Wilson plays I've read, focuses more on the effects that fathers have on their sons than with racial iss More...

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Mar 26, 2009

Julia rated it:

This play revolves around the life of Troy Maxson, an African American man living in Pennsylvania during the late 1950s. Troy's struggle to have equality in society, his grappling with his family responsibility, and his treatment of life as a game of baseball make this an engaging read that is still relevant today. After re-reading this play with my ninth grade students, I was reminded of how unforgettable and complex this play truly is. August Wilson creates real characters who come alive on th More...

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Mar 26, 2009

Kagan rated it:

I did not enjoy reading this book, more than likely because it was not in modern times and was not an origional or unheard of idea. The characters were very blunt to me, and it did not hold my at attention very well. The plot line was of a child whose dad would not let him play football, and how the dad also cheated on his wife. These to me are not origional ideas, and plus the wording and context of the literature was just not advanced enough for me. Plus, the book was very short, and i like lo More...

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Mar 26, 2009

Carla rated it:

This book was pretty good. It was about a couple and how they live together. Troy and Rose are the main characters and Troy does not treat Rose like he should. I like this book because it teaches guys on how they should not treat girls. Personally, I thought this book was better then I thought it was going to turn out. My favorite part was the ending but I'm not allowed to give that away. :) This was a required book to read for my Literature class. I'm am glad I read this book and I encourage ot More...

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Apr 15, 2011

Brett rated it:

This is an amazing character study in how destructive families can be. By the end of the book, Troy's hypocritical and self-absorbed lifestyle has all but ruined the lives of his family. Where I find myself disliking it, however, is that Troy is still seen as the hero. His life was praised in the ending. This was the subject of much debate in the classroom, with the class overwhelmingly coming to the opinion that the play lacked relevancy other than as a historical perspective, while the profess More...

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Aug 27, 2008

Ian rated it:

Every year I go to the Oregon Shakespeare festival in Ashland OR, and last year they performed August Wilson's GEM OF THE OCEAN. It was my favorite play of the season. This year they put on this play but unfortunately it's run ended in July and I was unable to attend at that time. Instead I picked up a copy and read the play and I am now sorry that I did not make a special trip just for this play. August Wilson has been called a Shakespeare for the Twentieth Century. I find it a credible arg More...

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Jul 19, 2008

Cristin rated it:

I revisited Wilson's great play as a teacher's assistant in a classroom setting, which made it a very interesting experience for me. It's one thing to be the student, reacting to a work of literature for the first time...being on the "other side" is quite a unique experience.

Troy is perhaps one of the most memorable characters I've ever met. He's powerful, arrogant, mad as Hell and arrogant, yet he is also vulnerable and someone who the reader feels compelled to wish the b More...

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