If He Hollers

If He Hollers,

Let Him Go

Book review

Samandis Forghani

History 180

Professor Smith

12/17/2012

Chester Bomar Himes was born on July 29, 1909 in Jefferson City, Missouri. He had grown up in a middle class family with a father and mother that were both teachers. When he was younger, he experienced a tragic event and saw racism first hand. His brother Joseph was just a child that was playing with chemicals when the chemicals exploded in his face and they had rushed Joseph Jr. to the hospital. Because of the color of his skin, the hospital refused treatment for the blind brother and pushed them away. Himes later wrote in details about the event and how it affected his writing. Himes was known for writing novel mysteries, and racism in the U.S.

The first book Himes wrote was called “If he Hollers, Let Him Go”. This book contained autobiographical elements about a black worker and the struggles he faced against racism. This novel is a drama and crime fiction that is written in first person by its African American main character, Bob Jones. However it is believed that the details of the novel are Himes personal experiences while working in the shipyards in 1940’s when he resided in Los Angeles, CA. "Relentless, gripping, classic novel, one of the most powerful exposés of what it is like to be black in America." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review, September 15, 2002.

“If He Hollers Let Him Go” is critiqued as a traditional African-American racism novel and many find the book to be very similar to other 1940s American urban tough guy fiction. The theme of the novel is about racism against the black and white. The color differentiation among the African Americans, the struggles they dealt with day to day, the discrimination on the jobs are just some examples of what you grasp from this novel. The novel fumes with anger and hypocrisy of discrimination in the work place during this racist time. It was written by Himes later in his autobiography...