The Long Dream

I have read Wright's Black Boy, his compelling autobiography that depicted the enormity of racism in America. The Long Dream is no different. However, in this novel other factors surface, all which contribute to the rise and fall of the Tucker family. Clintonville, the town in which the family resides, is plagued by not only overt racism, but an inconspicuous corruption as well. The plot is captivating. I give this novel 4 stars instead of 5 only because I do not think that Wright made as many connections to the title as I would have liked to seen. Nonetheless, this book is meritorious and is an excellent read on the heinousness perpetrated by whites in the 20th century.

"Native Son" was great, barring the party-line that marred the last third. "Black Boy" haunts. His existential stuff is first-rate. But.... But here is Mr. Wright's best. We find here the story of poor Fishbelly, whose father holds the highest position possible for the Mississippi oppressed at the time: undertaker. The events that overtake him strike the reader across the face as rudely as those in previous novels; the civilized are outraged. Read this in the name of liberty.

The Long Dream is one of those forgotten novels by a great writer. But it shouldn't be. It's a mature novel and deals with the reality and futility of being a black man in the Jim Crow south. I think the other reviewer describes the story well, but I just want to add some weight to the reviews for a VERY hidden classic!

Wow! What a book. The book was written so percisely that I felt that I was reading a true story. I felt that the characters were real people facing racism in the south during the 1940's. I read his first novel Native Son and loved it! I just happened across this book (The Long Dream) and decided to try it out. I'm so glad I did. Although this was a book of fiction, it was written in such a way that it made you believe that it was a true story. Fishbelly, the main character dealt with the inner struggle of hatred toward white people and people of his own race. He watched how his father bent his knees, dropped his shoulders and shuffle his feet when talking to white people. Fishbelly felt his father was coward for acting that way in front of whites, therefore, hating his father for acting so cowardly, and hating white people for having that kind of power over black people. His father tells him that "A black man's a dream, son, a dream that can't come true." Only later when Fishbelly was falsely accused of raping a white woman did he realize why his father behaved the way he did. The plot thickens at the turning of each page. This book is well worth taking the time to read, you won't regret it.