Social Change & Activism discussion
novels as activism
date
newest »
newest »
Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Jungle, Invisible Man--three works of fiction that have definite social justice messages. A lighter read would be The Bean Trees, which dealt with the sanctuary movement of the 80's. Dickens, for that matter, was influential in getting the middle and upper classes of England to look at poverty in London. God, there are tons of books like this.
There are a plethora of novels, particularly about the experience of war, that have served to inspire and encourage anti-war activists. "All Quiet on the Western Front" being only one that springs to mind. Norman Nailer's "Naked and the Dead" is another.The classic novel that has inspired generations of socialists and trade unionists is of course, "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists" by Robert Tressell. A book to make anyone rage against injustic and oppression.
Once fiction may have served as a catalyst for social and political change, but that's rare now days. I doubt we’ll see very many classics like 1984, Of Mice and Men, Invisible Man, Heart of Darkness and so many others that had a lasting impact on the thinking of so many readers. I think there are a couple of reasons that this type of fiction is becoming scarce.
The first is simply publishers won't take the financial risk publishing it represents. In the area of politics, they don’t feel they need to bother with fiction and prefer to stick with non-fiction written by well know political pundits (Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly, Steven Colbert, Keith Olbermann etc.) or former high ranking government officials. I know this from personal experience since one of the publishers who evaluated my novel agreed this type of fiction was needed, but publishers just couldn't afford to take the risk. The publishing industry now has everything to do with making money.
Another reason may be that the American educational system is just not turning out the kinds of readers it used to.
The first is simply publishers won't take the financial risk publishing it represents. In the area of politics, they don’t feel they need to bother with fiction and prefer to stick with non-fiction written by well know political pundits (Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly, Steven Colbert, Keith Olbermann etc.) or former high ranking government officials. I know this from personal experience since one of the publishers who evaluated my novel agreed this type of fiction was needed, but publishers just couldn't afford to take the risk. The publishing industry now has everything to do with making money.
Another reason may be that the American educational system is just not turning out the kinds of readers it used to.
what is your novel about maud ? i asked this question in part because of the book i am trying to write. it is from the perspective of a punk rock queer girl with a disability; "edgy" enough or whatever, but the work i really want to do is to tie her experience to a larger framework of oppression - the medical industry, sexism and abuse - and then tie that into an even bigger picture of colonization and the erasure of so many people's experiences, histories and perspectives... ultimately it's about her process of self-discovery and empowerment, but not in a linear "and then i felt all better" way - in a way that tears at the fabric of assumptions that underly so much of this culture we live in. my heart tells me that this is a novel, not a memoir or a book of essays, although i can see how it would be easier to do it in one of those genres. i think the most effective way to tell it is to weave a story that puts the reader inside of it, so that the character's process is relateable and transformative, so that the reader will be inspired to come alive in their own life... to transform the culture, to rise up and reclaim ... to fight when necessary, to speak out, to reach out...
i know this all sounds kind of lofty. i have my political and spiritual perspective, and i have my storytelling style, and i am learning to weave them together. i don't want it to come off as didactic like "okay here's the point she's driving at, i get it already." i definitely don't have my shit all figured out. so i'm curious about how other writers have gone about this kind of work... and what inspires you in other people's writing. what makes it relateable? what makes it feel important?
Nomy
Read about what you are trying to do but am confused with your description of the protagonist. When you refer to a "queer" girl do you mean unusual or are you being terribly politically incorrect and referring to her sexual orientation? I suspect from reading the post that your storytelling style is unique and I have no doubt the novel would be also, but the appeal might be somewhat limited. If by queer you mean gay that would expand the target market considerably since there is a large market for good stories with homosexuals as the lead character.
As far as my novel goes, George Bush served as my muse. He was driving me so crazy I began writing the novel to reduce my frustration over what was happening to my country. The Founding Five (which I self-published) is a political thriller that takes a close look at where the ideology of the extreme right is taking us. It's a tale simply told--and I hope decently written. Since I finished this novel, I have completed a novella and am halfway through a mystery novel. All my life I wanted to be an author and I've finally realized time is running out for me since I'm quite old.
Read about what you are trying to do but am confused with your description of the protagonist. When you refer to a "queer" girl do you mean unusual or are you being terribly politically incorrect and referring to her sexual orientation? I suspect from reading the post that your storytelling style is unique and I have no doubt the novel would be also, but the appeal might be somewhat limited. If by queer you mean gay that would expand the target market considerably since there is a large market for good stories with homosexuals as the lead character.
As far as my novel goes, George Bush served as my muse. He was driving me so crazy I began writing the novel to reduce my frustration over what was happening to my country. The Founding Five (which I self-published) is a political thriller that takes a close look at where the ideology of the extreme right is taking us. It's a tale simply told--and I hope decently written. Since I finished this novel, I have completed a novella and am halfway through a mystery novel. All my life I wanted to be an author and I've finally realized time is running out for me since I'm quite old.
Mod
One significant advantage of “queer” over “gay” as a term is its inclusiveness. “Gay” is generally taken to mean male-homosexual, whereas “queer” encompasses the myriad gender and sexual identities (and combinations thereof, including fluid identities) that make up non-heteronormative lives.
Well said, Grant.I'd been thinking about this topic since first reading it the other day, and I have to mildly disagree with the assertion that the activist novel is dead and that readers ain't what they used to be.
I see a huge swing toward memoir publication, but not just, as you say, by political heavy hitters. Long Way Gone, the child soldier memoir, was HUGE, as have been a number of other memoirs that could well be described as activist in nature and intention. (Lucky, by Alice Sebold, comes to mind, as do Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel memoirs, for starters.) And each of those books have had novels on similar issues pave the way or increase their visibility by coming out just before or after -- The Lovely Bones paved the way for Sebold to write the memoir of her own rape, and Speak (Anderson) was a giant book on rape among younger readers; a number of novels on the status of women in some Islamic nations have helped made Satrapi's graphic novels the success they've been; and Beasts of No Nation (can't remember author) takes the child soldier issue several steps further than Long Way Gone chose to.
With that long-windedly explained, there's something else I touched on already -- you wouldn't BELIEVE the activist nature of many young adult novels (and works of nonfiction, too) these days. Young women are reading books that deal with rape and harassment, my urban students are reading a wide span of books that address issues of poverty, race, juvenile criminal justice, and immigration, for starters. They eat those books up like nothing I've seen. They sure as hell prefer them to the relative fluff of the canon, when it comes to applicability and relevance in their lives. And it gives me a LOT of hope.
(Maybe we should do a thread about good social justice books for kids and teens...is there one already?)
Point is, I think social justice novels are alive and well, just building influence alongside memoirs and other works of nonfiction.
Grant & Nora
Thank you for bringing me up to date on the use of the word "queer" and giving me some hope regarding the students of today. As I said, I am not a young woman. I live a somewhat isolated existence in a retirement community in Florida surrounded by people whose opinions are formed by Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and watching Fox News.
A child of the sixties, I have been filled with despair for some time regarding the future of this country. I am providing a link to my website if you wish to understand why I wrote The Founding Five. It deals with a number of social and political issues including the rapidly growing chasm between the rich and poor, the loss of civil liberties, the threat the religious right poses to America's secular government and the danger privatization of the federal government and military represents. It also speaks to the importance of education in a democracy.
Clearly both of you are younger than I and far more knowledgeable about literary trends. Perhaps you even believe that millions of children in our cities are not being left behind and the ideology of the far right is not turning this country into a fascist state. If so, please write off my comments as the ramblings of a senile old woman whose views have little relevance in today's world.
http://maudmuller.net
Thank you for bringing me up to date on the use of the word "queer" and giving me some hope regarding the students of today. As I said, I am not a young woman. I live a somewhat isolated existence in a retirement community in Florida surrounded by people whose opinions are formed by Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and watching Fox News.
A child of the sixties, I have been filled with despair for some time regarding the future of this country. I am providing a link to my website if you wish to understand why I wrote The Founding Five. It deals with a number of social and political issues including the rapidly growing chasm between the rich and poor, the loss of civil liberties, the threat the religious right poses to America's secular government and the danger privatization of the federal government and military represents. It also speaks to the importance of education in a democracy.
Clearly both of you are younger than I and far more knowledgeable about literary trends. Perhaps you even believe that millions of children in our cities are not being left behind and the ideology of the far right is not turning this country into a fascist state. If so, please write off my comments as the ramblings of a senile old woman whose views have little relevance in today's world.
http://maudmuller.net
Maud, I wouldn't count yourself out as a "senile old woman whose views have little relevance in today's world." While it is completely true that "queer" has been revitalized, as a "queer" girl, I paused for a moment at the use of it. Which doesn't mean that it is not a perfectly acceptable thing to say, I am a little old fashioned and am still surprised to see it thrown around with such ease. While not offensive to me like the c-word, I might prefer to be sure of someone's "straight ally" credentials before at least frowning a little.
As to your point about the death of the activist novel, I agree. I have to dash off now, but will post more when I return. Although there are a million more outlets to shed light on wonderful activist topics, very few writers are actually grappling with topics as revolutionary as the writers of the twentieth century. I will, however, direct you to a few things I have found recently that address big social issues. [book; Oryx and Crake] by Margaret Atwood, Terrorist by John Updike and Plays Well With Others by Alan Gurganus -- depending on your flavor of social activism. There are more, but one definitely has to search through piles of personal accounts, memoirs, and psuedo-fiction to find them.
My own particular point of view is a desire for more people to write novels and to push the genre rather than simply relying on the emotional release of a memoir. Simply put, I don't think many do it well and I cannot face reading another story of another's person's tragedy and how it either (a) ruined him or her for life or (b) served as the touchstone for his or her adult identity. As a vehicle to describe certain events like war and genocide that truly must be documented in first person, I think they are acceptable and part of a tradition, but, at this point, so many other writers are being, well, lazy and not pushing their story and craft enough. Lucky for them, plenty of people like to read their memoirs, but I am not sure most are up to snuff to last the long haul. I would so prefer a collection of essays or a novel to the memoirs which now seem to proliferate the book store like weeds. At least there is Margaret Atwood, who consistently provides an answer when I ask, where is the new George Orwell?
hi everyone. to answer your question, i am queer, it's a term i feel really comfortable with and have been using for over a decade. i forget that it's not familiar to a lot of people. hopefully the story of my protagonist will show the natural development of that identity. like grant said, the term "queer" is useful in part because it encompasses other sexual and gender identities than just gay or bi. i, and my protagonist, have had relationships with transgendered and transsexual men & boys as well as with femme dykes and lesbians... pretty much all of the characters in my book are female-bodied but their gender expressions and identities are all over the place... if that doesn't make sense to some people, fair enough, i hope to explain it in my book, not just as a theory or philosophy or politic but as a lived reality.in terms of activist novelists i am thinking right now about "almanac of the dead" by leslie marmon silko, and "the man who fell in love with the moon" by tom spanbauer.
while i don't really agree with the dismissal of the memoir - i just finished a FABULOUS book by eli clare called "exile and pride: disability, queerness, and liberation" that would probably fall into that category - it's not what i want to do. my novel is about a person coming into herself, learning to engage with the world, mending her heart from experiences which have splintered her, and a big part of that process happens through her relationship with a dead friend... it's more important to me to tell the emotional details of that journey than to relate the factual details of my specific story, even if the main character is similar to myself in many ways.
maud i think your book sounds great. how is it being received? everything you spoke of about it feels true to me, i feel like there are a lot of people who would want to read your take on the political path this country is on. being older means you have a different perspective, more time to observe the patterns, i think younger people have a lot to learn from that...
Nomy
The Founding Five will never be a best seller, but that's not really why I wrote it. At this point, I’m just grateful when someone actually reads it and provides me with positive feedback. I guess it’s one more protest from a woman who was once a longhaired hippie marching around protesting the war in Viet Nam—among other things. (By the way, I did participate in a peace rally in Sarasota before the war in Iraq began)
The way you describe the concept for your book, it has a number of similarities to my novella. I'm still looking for an agent or publisher. It's called Confessions of a Liberal Lover. I'll admit it's chick-lit, but if you look beyond the humor and sex, you'll find both political and social messages. Written in first person, the protagonist grows up an outspoken rebellious loner which results in her transforming herself into a devout bookworm—which she refers to as the first of the many transformations she is to undergo through the years. Her only real friend is a statue of gargoyle won at a church fair when she was six. When she begins to date, the gargoyle speaks to her and over the years the late night conversations with the gargoyle usually signal her relationship with her current lover is about to end.
All of her lovers (male and female) are political conservatives and I'm afraid terribly stereotyped, but this contributes to the humor. Even the descriptions of the sexual encounters are a reflection of the personalities of the lovers and the protagonist’s willingness to become whatever they want her to be. It’s all about a woman learning to trust and respect herself so that she can finally slay the demons that have kept her intellectually and emotionally imprisoned since childhood.
Don’t know if anyone will ever read this one either, but I’m already about a third of the way through another novel—a mystery that is also full of social and political messages—hopefully presented in an intelligent and reasonably entertaining manner. I believe each of my writings, both novels and short stories, have been an improvement on the ones that came before as I work on honing my craft and finding my own unique voice. The problem is I’m working with a limited amount of time—which is why if you wish to write, you should get started now.
The Founding Five will never be a best seller, but that's not really why I wrote it. At this point, I’m just grateful when someone actually reads it and provides me with positive feedback. I guess it’s one more protest from a woman who was once a longhaired hippie marching around protesting the war in Viet Nam—among other things. (By the way, I did participate in a peace rally in Sarasota before the war in Iraq began)
The way you describe the concept for your book, it has a number of similarities to my novella. I'm still looking for an agent or publisher. It's called Confessions of a Liberal Lover. I'll admit it's chick-lit, but if you look beyond the humor and sex, you'll find both political and social messages. Written in first person, the protagonist grows up an outspoken rebellious loner which results in her transforming herself into a devout bookworm—which she refers to as the first of the many transformations she is to undergo through the years. Her only real friend is a statue of gargoyle won at a church fair when she was six. When she begins to date, the gargoyle speaks to her and over the years the late night conversations with the gargoyle usually signal her relationship with her current lover is about to end.
All of her lovers (male and female) are political conservatives and I'm afraid terribly stereotyped, but this contributes to the humor. Even the descriptions of the sexual encounters are a reflection of the personalities of the lovers and the protagonist’s willingness to become whatever they want her to be. It’s all about a woman learning to trust and respect herself so that she can finally slay the demons that have kept her intellectually and emotionally imprisoned since childhood.
Don’t know if anyone will ever read this one either, but I’m already about a third of the way through another novel—a mystery that is also full of social and political messages—hopefully presented in an intelligent and reasonably entertaining manner. I believe each of my writings, both novels and short stories, have been an improvement on the ones that came before as I work on honing my craft and finding my own unique voice. The problem is I’m working with a limited amount of time—which is why if you wish to write, you should get started now.
Hello Everyone,This is a brilliant conversation; I very much enjoyed reading it. Thank you for the intellect.
Well, I think the primary concern of a writer should be to tell a good story. That said, I do believe that the pen has the power to make noise, as people above have pointed out. So if you have issues in mind that you think should be on ink and paper, by all means get it out there. Just don't forget that the 'good story' part has priority, or you might as well just write articles for Time.
Salma
Excellent point. It's easy to forget that when writing fiction, particularly political fiction, readers are still expecting an interesting story not page after page of the author up on her soapbox.
After I finished my first draft of The Founding Five, I ended up cutting over 10,000 words for that very reason. Now one of the criticisms I receive from readers is that it's too short. Still I think the criticism for endless proselytizing would have probably been far worse and so far, I haven’t gotten any for that deadly sin.
Excellent point. It's easy to forget that when writing fiction, particularly political fiction, readers are still expecting an interesting story not page after page of the author up on her soapbox.
After I finished my first draft of The Founding Five, I ended up cutting over 10,000 words for that very reason. Now one of the criticisms I receive from readers is that it's too short. Still I think the criticism for endless proselytizing would have probably been far worse and so far, I haven’t gotten any for that deadly sin.
Yes, I think it's also become acceptable though, for fiction writers to proselytize and still end up with a Nobel or Pulitzer. Go figure. Call me crazy, but what's most important, at the risk of sounding all new-agey and fluffy, is for a writer is to get into reader's hearts.
yeah i hear you salma. i think story is important, and also voice, and believable characters, and relateability... all of those are important and are part of getting into readers' hearts. i think balancing that with a political perspective is a lot of work and i'm excited to be having a conversation like this. i just wish i could find a good writing group for people working on this kind of thing.maud, your novella about the woman and her gargoyle sounds awesome. i really like that idea. it's a good metaphor, and i like it that the gargoyle isn't trying to sabotage her, that it's actually helping her see the ways she plays into unhealthy patterns...
Nomy
I'm lucky enough to have found an Advanced Manuscript Review class. There were only 3 of us last term, but we are all signing up again. We each read from our manuscripts and then the instructor and the other students critique it. The most interesting thing is we are all working in a different genre--chick-lit, historical romance and me in contemporary fiction. I've received some really good feedback on my current project which is a mystery set in Detroit.
As far as Confessions of a Liberal Love, my novella, I'm still waiting to see if any agents respond to my query letter. There are so few publishers accepting novellas (Kensington is one) and most of them only accept submissions from agents.
If you get time,I'd love if it you would visit my website and let me know what you think of the three pieces on the Short Fiction page. I submitted two of them to this years Writers Digest Short Fiction contest but doubt either will be finalists.
Here's the link
http://maudmuller.net
I'm lucky enough to have found an Advanced Manuscript Review class. There were only 3 of us last term, but we are all signing up again. We each read from our manuscripts and then the instructor and the other students critique it. The most interesting thing is we are all working in a different genre--chick-lit, historical romance and me in contemporary fiction. I've received some really good feedback on my current project which is a mystery set in Detroit.
As far as Confessions of a Liberal Love, my novella, I'm still waiting to see if any agents respond to my query letter. There are so few publishers accepting novellas (Kensington is one) and most of them only accept submissions from agents.
If you get time,I'd love if it you would visit my website and let me know what you think of the three pieces on the Short Fiction page. I submitted two of them to this years Writers Digest Short Fiction contest but doubt either will be finalists.
Here's the link
http://maudmuller.net
Maud,Your comments about where the US is headed are very on point as far as I am concerned. I know this thread is about fiction as social activism but have you read (non-fiction) The End of America by Naomi Wolf? Also, the group American Freedom Campaign shows that a growing number of Americans are speaking out on the dangers of the loss of civil liberties and the expansion of executive power.
http://www.americanfreedomcampaign.org
I have found lately the books that have stirred my ire are non-fiction. I have been devouring books on Iraq, Afghanistan and the Bush administration.
Melissa
I will bookmark the americanfreedomcamp site. Thanks for sending the link.
As far as speaking out is concerned, it was the urgent need I felt to speak out about what is happening in this country that inspired me to write The Founding Five. I would get up in the morning and read the paper or watch the news and feel ill. My husband said writing that book is what kept me sane over the last seven years. It spans the period from 1965 to 2035 and provides a fictionalized account how a handful of neocons plot to hijack the Republican Party and use it to privatize away the federal so they can seize control. It deals with the Clinton impeachment, the Bush presidency, de-secularization of government and public education, elimination of social welfare programs, the loss of civil liberties and the ever widening chasm between have and have-nots—in other words—the whole nine yards. The picture it paints of America's future is not very bright—and I'm afraid with each passing day what I've predicted grows increasingly more plausible.
My husband and I are also avid readers of political non-fiction including Favorite Son, Thieves in High Places, Plan of Attack, The Great Unraveling, State of Denial, Bushit and Al Franken's hilarious Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them—to name just a few. It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s sites like Moveon.org, political pundits or books, be they fiction or non-fiction, as long as something makes the American people wake up to what’s happening in this country.
I will bookmark the americanfreedomcamp site. Thanks for sending the link.
As far as speaking out is concerned, it was the urgent need I felt to speak out about what is happening in this country that inspired me to write The Founding Five. I would get up in the morning and read the paper or watch the news and feel ill. My husband said writing that book is what kept me sane over the last seven years. It spans the period from 1965 to 2035 and provides a fictionalized account how a handful of neocons plot to hijack the Republican Party and use it to privatize away the federal so they can seize control. It deals with the Clinton impeachment, the Bush presidency, de-secularization of government and public education, elimination of social welfare programs, the loss of civil liberties and the ever widening chasm between have and have-nots—in other words—the whole nine yards. The picture it paints of America's future is not very bright—and I'm afraid with each passing day what I've predicted grows increasingly more plausible.
My husband and I are also avid readers of political non-fiction including Favorite Son, Thieves in High Places, Plan of Attack, The Great Unraveling, State of Denial, Bushit and Al Franken's hilarious Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them—to name just a few. It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s sites like Moveon.org, political pundits or books, be they fiction or non-fiction, as long as something makes the American people wake up to what’s happening in this country.
Nomy- I'm looking for the kind of writing group you mentioned as well- maybe we should start one! lol
where do you live, salma? i am actually planning to start a writing group, and i'm looking for people to be in it. i'm in san francisco.
oh, man, I'm on the opposite coast!:-( Jerzee
Nomy, have you read War Boy by Kief Hillsbery? The main character is a punk rock queer boy with a disability, so if you haven't you should probably check it out. :)
no i haven't read that book - i just added it to my "too read" list, thanks ivan
Great discussion here, everyone! You're right, Nomy, that this group has been kind of quiet but I think you're changing that, which is good.I agree with what others have said about not being preachy -- one way to avoid that (which may not be applicable to your book, Nomy) is to have your character buy into the opposite viewpoint and, eventually, come around. Another is to have the main character indifferent and, again, eventually come around. In my young adult novel, I had the main character too scared to stick her neck out, even though she wanted peace. I got a real thrill when Kirkus called it "one of the first, if not THE first anti-war novel for this generation." Woo hoo! Natch, if you're pro-war or pro-Bush, you won't like this novel. :o) Best of luck with yours -- it sounds like you have some very important things to say.
thanks for the input, kathy. i think you're right about showing the character coming around. what is the name of your book?
Thanks for asking, Nomy -- it's "Quaking" (Kathryn Erskine). If you ever read it, I'd love to hear what you think.Best of luck starting a writing group. It helps SO much, with the craft but more importantly with the support. I want to read that book some day!
A book about animal rights and veganism. If you want, you can help me with the realization of this project, through donating, sharing the page, telling others etc. Go there and have a look :)
http://www.indiegogo.com/thebreathofe...
http://www.indiegogo.com/thebreathofe...
It's more than a little frustrating, how little public interest there is in genuinely thoughtful works.I recently self-published my first novel, a dystopian story examining gender conflict and all its myriad symptoms(Institutionalized sexism, medical discrimination, workplace discrimination, women's health issues, abuse, social support networks, etc.) I've had such a hard time even getting anyone to read it. The reviews I've gotten have generally been pretty good, but nearly every site I've contacted to advertise it has refused, because there's "too much adult content". These same places advertise romance novels, action novels just as bloody as mine... I don't care if people disagree with my ideas, want to review it badly because they find my core conclusions fallacious or leading... But the flat refusal to even consider whether the work or the issues might have merit just depresses me.
May I join in and say I am so glad to see this discussion? While I understand not everyone wants their creative works to make some sort of statement, I prefer it. I'm working on a novel that's Steampunk (which, in its own right, is activist)/Lesbian/Mystery with Werewolves and Vampires, that started as an anti-bullying story, with the Werewolves symbolizing the bullies. As I work on it, my leading lady deals with the fact that she was programmed to bigotry and so, after being targeted by the bullies, has to face her own prejudices. I know there are those who write stories just to tell stories, and I've read a few, but the activism tends to find its way into my own works, so I go with it.
I'm working on a new online magazine for literature with a point, that makes a statement on life and society. With people starting to recognize and embrace diversity, I think it's about time for diverse voices to be heard.
When I publish, I'll self-publish. I've tried the traditional way and either I'm incredibly out of touch with what readers want or they are, because I know plenty of people who want to read stories with a message.
As a Lesbian/Mixed Ancestry/Female writer, I'm glad to see others with similar interests.
I enjoy reading activist based books, but I still think its important that storytelling is central, with the moral secondary
A political thriller with clear progressive politics: Roundtable Media is pleased to announce the publication of its first eBook original thriller. Available for download for any and all eReaders. Read it, rate it, review it! Go to: www.bit.ly/GetTheEnemy
I just joined this group because I love books that have revolutionary and progressive themes. My favorite novel of all time is Grapes of Wrath, which really solidified how I feel about the relationship between humanity and the pursuit of profit.I'm also particularly excited by stories that explore post-colonialism and the rights of native people. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Since I, too, am an author I thought I'd mention my own novel, A Chant of Love and Lamentation, which was reviewed last year in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. It was also a Finalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. It's a highly political book, about three characters involved a push for secession that follows a hotel bombing and the subsequent economic downward spiral.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...
I can be contacted through this site and would love to hear feedback, or to discuss the issue of Hawaiian sovereignty.
Newsweek says Cheney and Bush went to war for the oil. Read my new eBook The Enemy, which suggests the same.https://ganxy.com/i/74328/larry-bogra...
We'd like to suggest you take a look at our latest book in a new series of eco-thrillers that are designed to provoke debate around important environmental issues through broad entertainment.We are a writers collective that came together to create meaningful entertainment with a positive social impact. Our first few projects challenge people's notions of food production, the environment, and the survival of our species. Rather than write a polemic, we thought it would be more fun (and provocative) to use novels and the comedy thriller genre to broaden the appeal of our stories to a larger audience.
We welcome your feedback!
I've been looking for the right group for Mother Jones. You know, the great fighter against economic slavery in the coalfields and sweatshops of the American Industrial revolution. Mother of all activists. Advocate of democratic socialism.MOJO's period of advocacy and opposition stretched from the Civil War to the Great Depression. In my book which will be launched September 22, her spirit comes back to the here and now and compares the misery of the poor working underclass of her time to the plight of the same in ours.
Oh, I forgot to mention the title. "Hellraiser—Mother Jones: An Historical Novel".
I'm looking for a few good book reviewers to read and review before the launch. Perhaps someone from this group's point of view would be interested. I hope.
Meanwhile, I'll lurk in your group looking for opportunities for MOJO to speak up on her favorite subjects, the incompatibility of capitalism and democracy, and the inequality between the richest and the poorest that flies in the face of America's promises of equality, justice, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Thanks for letting me introduce Mother Jones. And, less importantly, me.
Nine Inch BrideIs it any longer conscionable to write a novel that does not promote social change and activism? Does the "great American novel" mean anything anymore unless it does?
Apropos climate change:
"Everything was GreenCon product, from the soil in the tree pots to the levees holding the sea back from flooding the lower island.
and again,
"The Board required solar installations, feeding profits to Solar Skin Technology, one of the Old Man’s myriad holdings under GreenCon."
These quotes are from book one, Conundrum. http://nineinchbride.com
One of the most widely shared myths is that we can simply replace fossil fuels with Green Energy. That is the "Green Con." Though I only touch on this particular aspect in Nine Inch Bride, dealing instead with the political economy that feeds and informs planetary consumption, the green myopia is dealt with incisively at http://greenillusions.org, though the Green Illusions book is not fiction.
I find a good deal of ambivalence among reader-activists. The attitude seems to be prevalent that if it isn't hard news or non-fiction, it doesn't count. I have found this so much so, that I've resorted to using the hash tag #IStoopToFiction @NineInchBride on twitter. Yet it seems a grievously mistaken attitude at best.
Not only is the imagination, particularly through storytelling, more powerful than fact, but it has a better chance of reaching beyond the already converted. I also use the hash tag #ArtLeads !
I am co-founder of a press devoted in large part to novels with activist themes -- particularly animal rights. You can see our latest titles at www.ashlandcreekpress.com. Thanks.
right now i'm curious about life/world-changing works of fiction... what is the role of the fiction writer in the realm of social change and activism ? i'm interested in other people's opinions on this.
it feels important to me because im writing my first novel. it feels complicated to convey my worldview without making the characters or situations feel like setups for my politics.
thoughts ?