Fanon

Moments of lucidity that were quite striking or moving, buried in an overwhelming pile of assholery.......more

This is not a book about Frantz Fanon (1921-1965), but rather autofiction and metafiction, reflections from Wideman on his effort to write about Frantz Fanon. This was disappointing because Frantz Fanon remains a mystery throughout, while its protagonist, Thomas, aka Wideman, take up most of the spa......more

I've gone back and forth on this one, while reading and thinking about it afterward. It's that kind of book. Sometimes I thought it was genius. Other times pretentious nonsense. Wideman's fascination with Frantz Fanon is undeniable, and it's his passion that keeps the whole project afloat, even thoug......more

Fanon by John Edgar Wideman is an extraordinary flowing river of thought. Structurally Wideman uses tightly woven layers of prose with no question marks, no quotation marks, little attention to conventional formalities, only an outpouring of ideas, events and personalities with scant attention to ti......more

Loved this book until Wideman slipshodedly (on purpose) threw the severed head into the river, said "fuck it", and then proceeded to ramble on for the rest of the novel. I took away one star because I'm pretty sure Wideman was using this exchange with his brother in prison as a way to call me a dumb......more