White women. There are twelve chapters in The Underground Railroad, and their titles alternate in a pattern: the first is named after a character, Ajarry, the grandmother of the protagonist, Cora. The second chapter is titled after a place: Georgia, the plantation where Cora is born and from where she escapes.
How many chapters are in The Underground Railroad?
Based on the 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, “The Underground Railroad” is a story divided into ten chapters, but not in a traditional episodic manner.
How many pages does The Underground Railroad have?
Colson Whitehead’s 2016 novel, The Underground Railroad, won a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Now, it’s a limited series directed by Academy Award-winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk). In ten episodes, The Underground Railroad chronicles Cora Randall’s journey to escape slavery.
Will there be underground railroad Season 2?
The Underground Railroad Season 2 won’t come in 2021 Whether the series is renewed or not, we’ve got some bad news when it comes to the release date. The Underground Railroad Season 2 won’t come in 2021.
Does the Underground Railroad still exist?
It includes four buildings, two of which were used by Harriet Tubman. Ashtabula County had over thirty known Underground Railroad stations, or safehouses, and many more conductors. Nearly two-thirds of those sites still stand today.
Is Colson Whitehead married?
Whitehead lives in Manhattan and also owns a home in Sag Harbor on Long Island. His wife, Julie Barer, is a literary agent and they have two children.
How do I contact Colson Whitehead?
Colson Whitehead
- Contact: [email protected].
- Speaking Engagements: Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau.
- Publicity: Michael Goldsmith [email protected].
- Photo: Chris Close.
- Upcoming events: 2021.
Does Colson Whitehead teach?
He has taught at the University of Houston, Columbia University, Brooklyn College, Hunter College, New York University, Princeton University, Wesleyan University, and been a Writer-in-Residence at Vassar College, the University of Richmond, and the University of Wyoming.
How much does The Underground Railroad Cost?
There are no fees to visit Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument, but some partner sites may charge fees.
Did Colson Whitehead win the Pulitzer Prize for The Underground Railroad?
College accepts 740 under early action program But unlike the other three, Whitehead’s wins are consecutive efforts, his last book, “The Underground Railroad,” having garnered a Pulitzer in 2017.
How many copies did The Underground Railroad sell?
According to publisher Doubleday, The Underground Railroad has sold more than 825,000 copies in the USA.
Who is Arnold Ridgeway?
Arnold Ridgeway, the slave catcher who dedicates himself to finding Cora, has been a slave catcher since age 14. He spent most of his time in New York City, strategizing ways to identify and capture former slaves without being stopped by abolitionists. Ridgeway gained a reputation as both effective and brutal.
How long are the Underground Railroad episodes?
Watching Jenkins unleash his potent and profound film allegory in 10 episodes varying in length from 20 minutes to an hour is also really scary, possessed as it is of a sorrowful poetry that speaks urgently to an uncertain future. With this flat-out masterpiece, Jenkins has raised series television to the level of art.
Who plays Miss Lucy Underground Railroad?
Megan Boone (born April 29, 1983) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as FBI agent and profiler Elizabeth Keen on the NBC drama series The Blacklist.
On Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad : Coles’s On Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis
North Carolina is a state in the United States. Summary Despite her best efforts, Cora is unable to tell how long she will be confined beneath Sam’s house in the darkness. While she waits, she is concerned for Caesar’s well-being and wishes that the two of them had left South Carolina as soon as they got the opportunity. Finally, a train approaches, but it passes by Cora without stopping. Cora chases after it, shrieking, and it eventually comes to a halt. Despite the fact that this stop was not on his schedule (he was just meant to be inspecting the railroad lines, not picking up freight), the young engineer allows her to board the train.
Cora is concerned that the station may have collapsed in, and she believes that she may be stuck beneath once more.
Martin is quite concerned about her presence and believes she should not be there.
He pulls over to show her a horrible path of dead black bodies known as the “Freedom Trail” as they’re on their way.
- In a little corner above the attic, they keep Cora hidden, warning her that if anybody overhears her, including their maid, Fiona, they would be reported and killed as a result.
- A festival in the park is held in her honor a few days after she arrives in town.
- Cora will be staying with the Wellses for a few months.
- Fearing that a large black population will put them at risk of a slave insurrection, the people of North Carolina are now attempting to remove the black population and replace it with white immigrant labor.
- When Cora and Martin are having a conversation, Martin reveals how he got to be part in the underground railroad.
- Martin discovered his father’s diary inside the underground railroad station, where he discovered that Donald had been an avid abolitionist and had created the sole underground railroad station in North Carolina.
- Cora falls ill when a series of “bad omens” occur, including accidently tipping over a chamber pot, almost being discovered by a gang of “night riders” looking for fugitive slaves, and witnessing a white family be murdered for concealing two black boys.
Ethel begins to warm up to Cora and spends hours with her, reading aloud to her from the Bible.
Cora is still in bed downstairs.
Fiona emerges from the crowd and declares that she was aware that they were concealing someone and that the award is hers.
Despite the fact that the mob wishes to put Cora to death, Ridgeway enters and asserts that he has the legal authority to send her to Georgia.
Analysis Because of this, the story is intentionally unclear concerning the operation of the subterranean railroad system.
The real and figurative Underground Railroad, on the other hand, was characterized by this type of muddle and terrible compromise.
As historical events collide with the novel’s metaphoric structure, the fault lines within the comparison serve to draw attention to the intricacies of the fleeing slave situation.
This notion is incorrect.
They are reluctant players, pulled into the fray against their choice and more concerned with their own survival than with the well-being of their fellow citizens.
They don’t have the courage to hand Cora up to the authorities.
In his description of his and his wife’s participation in the underground railroad to Cora, Martin expresses the belief that they and their children are at the mercy of fate.
“Do you feel like you’re a slave?” she inquires.
While both Cora and the Wellses are forced to accept their fates as a result of circumstance, they do so without the ability to change the environment that forces them to make hard choices.
During her escape from Georgia, Cora was confronted with a number of difficult decisions, one of which was killing the white youngster.
She is aware, however, that her acts have elevated her to the status of “one of the angry monsters” that the people of North Carolina are so afraid of.
And, despite the fact that Cora is considerably more than a spiteful monster, she doesn’t back down from the charge.
“One day, the system would come crashing down in a pool of blood.” Racism has established a system in which violence is both the input and the unavoidable outcome, and this system is based on racism.
Cora’s disagreements with Ethel concerning the Bible add another another layer of complexity to this chapter’s discussion of ethics and values.
The slave overseer Connelly on the Randall farm, who Cora recalls reciting (misquoted) Bible passages while beating the slaves, is another fond memory of Cora.
In fact, many abolitionists, like Mr.
Fletcher, are opposed to slavery because of their Christian convictions, which is a common theme among them. “Follow the Bible,” like every other ethical system Cora discovers, turns out to be a muddled ethical aim that might lead to a variety of diverse responses.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead – Teacher’s Guide: 9780345804327
NC is a state in the United States that has a population of around 3 million people. Summary There is no way for Cora to tell how long she will be stuck in the darkness beneath Sam’s house. Meanwhile, she is concerned about Caesar’s well-being and wishes that the two of them had left South Carolina as soon as they had been given the opportunity. Finally, a train emerges, but it passes by Cora without making any stops. The animal comes to a complete stop as Cora chases after it. While explaining that this stop was not on his schedule — he was just meant to be inspecting the railroad lines, not picking up freight — he nevertheless allows her to board the train.
- Cora is concerned that the station has collapsed and that she will be stuck underneath once more.
- According to Martin, she shouldn’t be in the room, and he is quite concerned about her presence.
- When they reach their destination, he pulls over to show her the “Freedom Trail,” a horrible trail of dead black victims.
- In a little corner above the attic, they keep Cora hidden, warning her that if anybody overhears her, including their maid, Fiona, they would be reported and slaughtered as a group.
- A festival in the park is held in her honor a few days following her arrival.
- A few months later, Cora returns to the Wellses’ home to live with them.
- Fearing that a large black population will put them at risk of a slave insurrection, the people of North Carolina are now attempting to eradicate the black population and replace it with white immigrant labor.
Cora learns of Martin’s involvement with the underground railroad during one of their conversations.
Donald left a map that directed Martin to the underground railroad station, where he discovered his father’s diary and learned that Donald had been an ardent abolitionist who had created the sole underground railroad station in the state of North Carolina.
She gets ill as a result of a string of “bad omens,” including accidently tipping over a chamber pot, almost getting apprehended by a gang of “night riders” looking for fugitive slaves, and witnessing a white family be murdered for concealing two black children.
The relationship between Ethel and Cora continues to soften, and she spends hours with her reading from the Bible.
Inside, they discover Cora, who they pull out into the throng, where Martin and Ethel are being held hostage.
Ethel makes an attempt to relieve herself of responsibility by stating that Martin took Cora away from her without her permission.
At the same time that Ridgeway is transporting Cora, she witnesses Martin and Ethel being tied to a hanging tree and stoned to death by members of the local community.
Especially ambiguous is Cora’s meeting with the young conductor in this chapter: his reasons for being unable to take Cora with him any farther, as well as his choice to dump her at what looks to be an abandoned station, are difficult to comprehend.
A historical perspective shows that, contrary to what appears in the novel, being “on the railroad” was not a guarantee of short-term security.
The belief that the historical characters who operated the Underground Railroad were all great and altruistic individuals, motivated entirely by their moral hate of slavery, is another common misconception about them.
It is clear that they are reluctant players, pulled into the fray against their choice and more concerned with their own survival than with the well-being of others.
However, they do not wish to turn Cora over.
In his description of his and his wife’s participation in the underground railroad to Cora, Martin expresses the belief that they and their children are at the mercy of the universe.
Her question is, “Do you have the feeling of being a slave?” Cora, in contrast to the Wellses, has truly experienced what it is like to be forced to do something she doesn’t want.
No one, even the Wellses, wants to be a fugitive slave or an agent for the Underground Railroad, and Cora is no exception.
Despite the fact that she is not pleased with her actions in killing the youngster, she does not feel bad about her refusal to surrender herself to the authorities.
Despite the fact that people like Cora exist, people who could fight back against white supremacist brutality with their own violence, the government of North Carolina has determined that it is safer to exterminate the whole African community.
According to her, “the whites had good reason to be terrified” “The system would eventually come crashing down in a pool of blood.” As a result of racism, an environment has been established in which violence is both an input and an unavoidable outcome.
Cora’s disagreements with Ethel concerning the Bible add another layer of complexity to this chapter’s discussion of ethics.
Cora also recalls the slave overseer Connelly on the Randall estate repeating (misquoted) Bible scriptures while he whipped the slaves in the property’s courtyard.
Abolitionists, such as Mr. Fletcher, are opposed to slavery because of their Christian convictions, which is not uncommon. “Follow the Bible,” like every other ethical system Cora discovers, turns out to be a muddled ethical objective with a wide range of possible outcomes.
The Underground Railroad Themes
Perhaps the most important subject in The Underground Railroad is the pursuit of freedom, which is what drives the protagonist, Cora, to accomplish what she does. It is through her reflections on freedom that we gain a great understanding of the significance of this topic. Freedom is “the dearest coin of all,” as it is even more valuable than the profit that fuels the institution of slavery in the United States (175). Freedom, on the other hand, is an elusive ideal that remains just out of grasp throughout the whole story.
- When Ridgeway discovers them and the white villagers murder Caesar, this false promise of freedom is brought to an abrupt halt.
- In the end, Cora and her caravan set off westward, bringing the tale to a close.
- As a result, the novel’s notion of freedom is more nuanced and confusing than just the absence of slavery.
- Cora is cooped up in an attic in North Carolina, nominally free from slavery, but she is unable to move freely or do as she pleases because of the conditions of her confinement.
- To put it another way, perhaps liberation is always just a step or two away.
- Underground Railroad Slavery is a type of bondage in the United States in which African-origin human beings are enslaved on the African continent and transferred to the United States, where they work for white profit until they die.
- Garner’s farm in Virginia, which was a comparatively moderate version of slavery.
A ruthless slave owner exercising his whims on a totally defenseless slave population is best illustrated by Terrance Randall, who whips, dismembers, hangs, and rapes his slaves for the most minor of offenses on his estate.
Innovations in technology, such as the cotton gin, result in higher cotton yields and, if the number of slaves in the field increases, more profits are expected.
As Cora points out, even the slaves themselves acknowledge the need of their enslavement: it is necessary for America, the “machine that will not stop,” to continue making profits (117).
Slavery is also shown as a monster with a long reach, one that rears its head even after characters believe they have defeated it.
Every time Cora believes she has achieved freedom—first in South Carolina, then in Indiana—Ridgeway appears to bring her back to where she started.
North Carolina white folks, for example, live in terror of a black uprising since they live in a white-dominated state.
Labor plays a crucial role in the Underground Railroad’s history.
Regardless of the environment, work is essential.
Connelly and his whip are there in the fields, making the hard work of the slaves even more arduous.
Work songs assist slaves maintain their spirits throughout the day.
It is also this slave labor that serves as the engine of white America’s economic growth and prosperity.
Labor, on the other hand, exists in a free society as well.
The motto for Valentine’s Day is “Stay and contribute.” Cora contributes to the household by helping out in the laundry, the milk house, the nursery, and the cornfields.
Cora struggles at first to ignore the negative implications that labor carries; every sort of job reminds her of her time on the Randall plantation.
As a result, work serves as a metaphor for how one’s experience is shaped by their environment, whether it be slavery or freedom.
Cora goes through a number of various locations throughout the novel, each of which represents a different component of the plot.
man’s It serves as a type of transitional state between slavery and freedom.
Cora’s mother perishes in the marsh, her body being consumed by the in-between world.
First and foremost, South Carolina’s environment exemplifies the state’s bureaucratic approach to maintaining racial order.
In addition, the Griffin Building on Main Street, a skyscraper filled with government and commercial sector buildings, towers above the town’s black population, evoking the authoritarian, hierarchical nature of South Carolina.
Body after body line this length of road through the woods, which is lined with hanged black men, women, and children, who were displayed as a warning of North Carolina’s genocidal rule.
The promise of open space or territory stands in stark contrast to these developed landscapes, and this motif recurs throughout the story.
The text tells the story of how white males in America forced the Cherokee out of their homeland in order to make place for European settlers.
As Cora makes her journey west, the novel finishes with the promise of new country, maybe free of the stain of slavery.
Much of Cora’s tale is shaped by the experiences of her mother, Mabel, and her maternal grandmother, Ajarry, who came before her.
Ajarry’s chains are passed down through generations, and they have an impact on Cora as she contemplates whether or not to flee.
It is symbolic of the sustenance mothers provide to their daughters even after their deaths that the yams and turnips harvested from Ajarry’s garden are harvested by Mabel and Cora.
Cora has resented her mother her entire life for abandoning her in bondage, believing that Mabel has successfully escaped to the United States.
Cora’s dreams, on the other hand, reflect a strong affinity for youngsters as well as a strong bond with her mother.
She also cherishes her connections with the young folks she meets along the way, beginning with Chester on the Randall plantation and moving on to Molly on the Valentine farm later in the book.
It is shown in the book through Cora’s focus with the often-troubled relationship between a mother and her daughter that the importance of the link between generations is highlighted.
The novel juxtaposes many perspectives on the progression of the plot.
Cora contemplates the new development from the roof one evening as she looks down on the neighborhood.
and their new initiatives,” she cannot help but want for a similar future for herself: “One day, the structure would be joined by brothers and sisters, who would stride across the earth.
However, the government programs that are run out of the Griffin Building’s offices turn out to be sinister, including coercive birth control and medical studies that are reminiscent of the Tuskegee experiment.
Indeed, the novel casts a sharply critical eye on the concepts of progress that have become entrenched in American culture.
It was a non-stop engine, with a voracious boiler that was fueled by human blood and guts ” (117).
It was essential to the development of the nation’s economy.
Mountain Ridgeway holds fast to the concept of “Manifest Destiny,” a fatal axis of profit, ownership, and expansion that he believes is the fate of white people in America.
There is no alternative path, no way for her to change the course of her life.
According to Cora, the world is unpredictable; good people suffer, while wicked ones prosper, and vice versa. Throughout the story, Cora’s journey explores the conflict that exists between destiny and the random whims of the world around her.
The Underground Railroad Reading Group Guide
With these questions about Colson Whitehead’s beautiful novel, you may have a better understanding of the current selection for Oprah’s Book Club. a brief description of this guide The questions, discussion topics, and recommendations for additional reading that follow are intended to improve your group’s discussion of Colson Whitehead’s novel The Underground Railroad, which is a triumph of a novel in every way. In Regards to This Book Cora is a slave who works on a cotton farm in Georgia as a domestic servant.
- Following a conversation with Caesar, a recent immigrant from Virginia, about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a scary risk and go to freedom.
- Despite the fact that they are able to locate a station and go north, they are being pursued.
- Cora and Caesar’s first stop is in South Carolina, in a place that appears to be a safe haven at first glance.
- And, to make matters worse, Ridgeway, the ruthless slave collector, is closing the distance between them and freedom.
- Cora’s voyage is an expedition over time and space, as well as through the human mind.
- The Underground Railroadis at once a dynamic adventure novel about one woman’s passionate determination to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, dramatic reflection on the past that we all share, according to the author.
- QuestionAnswer1.How does the portrayal of slavery in The Underground Railroad differ from other depictions in literature and film?
- The corruption and immoral practices of organizations such as doctor’s offices and museums in North Carolina, which were intended to aid in ‘black uplift,’ were exposed.
- 4.Cora conjures up intricate daydreams about her existence as a free woman and devotes her time to reading and furthering her educational opportunities.
- What role do you believe tales play in Cora’s and other travelers’ experiences on the underground railroad, in your opinion?
The use of a formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formalized formal “It goes without saying that the underground railroad was the hidden treasure.
- Some would argue that freedom is the most valuable coin on the planet.” What impact does this quote have on your interpretation of the story?
- 7, How did John Valentine’s vision for the farm affect your perceptions of the place?
- Only youngsters were able to take full advantage of their ability to dream.
- 9.What are your thoughts about Terrance Randall’s ultimate fate?
- What effect does learning about Cora’s mother’s fate have on your feelings for Cora’s mother?
- What effects does this feeling of dread have on you while you’re reading?
- 13.How does the state-by-state organization of the book affect your comprehension?
14.The book underlines how slaves were considered as property and were reduced to the status of things in their own right.
15.Can you explain why you believe the author opted to depict an actual railroad?
Does The Underground Railroad alter your perspective on American history, particularly during the era of slavery and anti-slavery agitators like Frederick Douglass?
He resides in New York City, where he is a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and a winner of MacArthur and Guggenheim scholarships.
Sag Harbor was written by Colson Whitehead.
Yaa Gyasi’s departure from home Naomi Jackson’s The Star Side of Bird Hill is a novel about a young woman who falls in love with a star. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift is a British novelist and playwright who lives in the United Kingdom.
Colson Whitehead tells the story behind the ‘Underground Railroad’
While in fourth grade, Colson Whitehead heard about the Underground Railroad, an initiative to assist slaves in the nineteenth century in their journey from slavery to freedom through a network of people, routes, and houses. Whitehead was under the impression that the railroad was a real railroad, with trains surreptitiously running on rails in subterranean tunnels to transport slaves to freedom, which was not the case. His teacher corrected him, but the image of the incident remained in his memory.
- According to him, the plot would have a protagonist who would go north on a true subterranean train, stopping in each state along the route and encountering some fresh adventure.
- Although the concept intrigued him, he was terrified by it and didn’t feel he was ready to explore it in a novel, either from a technical or emotional aspect.
- Each time, he came to the conclusion that he was not yet prepared to do honor to the subject.
- When he began thinking about his next novel three years ago, he finally had the courage to share his thoughts with people.
- The answer was overwhelmingly positive and convincing: it was time to start writing the manuscript.
- Among many other distinctions, the book was named the winner of the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence from the American Library Association, as well as a pick for Oprah Winfrey’s elite book club.
- The lecture took place at the Lecture Hall of the James Branch Cabell Library.
An actual railroad, underground
While in fourth grade, Colson Whitehead heard about the Underground Railroad, an initiative to assist slaves in the nineteenth century as they were shepherded from slavery to freedom through a network of individuals, routes, and houses. Whitehead was under the impression that the railroad was a real railroad, with trains surreptitiously moving on rails in underground tunnels to ferry slaves to freedom, but this was not the case. His teacher corrected him, but the image of the incident remained in his brain.
- According to him, the plot would have a protagonist who would go north on a true subterranean train, stopping in each state along the route and encountering a fresh adventure.
- Although the concept intrigued him, he was overwhelmed by it and didn’t think he was ready to explore it in a novel, either from a technical or emotional aspect.
- Each time, he came to the conclusion that he was not yet prepared to give honor to the subject matter in question.
- When he was thinking about his next work three years ago, he finally had the courage to bring up the topic with others and get their feedback.
- A positive and persuasive reaction confirmed it was time to begin writing the book.
- Among many other distinctions, the book was named the winner of the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence from the American Library Association.
Thursday, as the featured speaker of the VCU Libraries’ 15th annual Black History Month Lecture, Whitehead discussed his journey to become a writer and the tale behind “The Underground Railroad.” The author also read two portions from the novel and autographed books afterward, as part of his presentation.
Those in attendance gathered in the Lecture Hall of the James Branch Cabell Library.
‘In some ways, we haven’t come far’
Whitehead claims that if he had written the work when he was younger, the outcome would have been drastically different. For example, the fanciful aspects would have been larger and displayed more prominently in the front if the changes had been made. He said that one of the states was initially intended to take place in the future. The spectacular was instead turned down from “a Spinal Tappian 11 down to 1,” as he put it. The train has shifted from being the focal point of the plot to becoming a vital instrument for transporting Cora from one state to another.
In fact, “the final 20 pages are the greatest writing I’ve ever done,” says the author.
His observations of the parallels have grown stronger since then, and he has begun to recognize certain justifications that slaveowners and slavecatchers used for their harsh, heavy-handed practices — even when dealing with freed blacks — in the language that is used today to justify race-based discriminatory practices.
Early forays into writing
In addition to talking about his current work, Whitehead reflected on his childhood and the route that lead him to becoming an author, frequently with the shrewd timing of a seasoned stand-up comic, which was a treat for the audience. “I was a little bit of a shut-in,” he recounted of his upbringing in New York City. I would have wanted to have been born as a sickly child, but that did not turn out to be the case. Whenever you read a biography of someone such as James Joyce, it will mention that they were a sickly child who was forced to retire into a realm of imagination.
Instead, I just didn’t care for going out in the cold.” Even as a kid, Whitehead saw the allure of a career in writing.
‘In sixth grade, I realized that writing X-Men or Spiderman comic books might be a rewarding career.’ If you were a writer, you could work from the comfort of your own home, without having to dress or interact with others.
In his own words, “I really wanted to write the black “Shining” or the black “Salem’s Lot,” as Whitehead put it.
That’s essentially what I intended to do.” As he broadened his reading interests, Whitehead came across writers who were able to incorporate elements of genre into literary fiction in a way that he found exciting and that drew strong connections to the science fiction and horror that he had grown up reading.
According to him, these authors were just as much a part of the fantastic as any other genre writer.
Although Whitehead considered himself a writer in college, he didn’t actually sit down and write anything, which is obviously an important part of the process, according to Whitehead.
Finally, I summoned up the energy to compose two five-page epics, which I used as auditions for creative writing workshops, for which I was rejected by both of the institutions where I applied.
“I was in a condition of complete devastation, which served as excellent training for my future career as a writer.”
‘I got back to work’
Following graduation from college, Whitehead worked for five years at the Village Voice, a New York-based alternative newspaper. Growing Pains” and “Who’s the Boss?” were the seasons finales of two television sitcoms that he wrote about for his first published piece of writing. He feels certain that his essay was “the definitive piece” on those two occurrences, and he expressed his confidence in his article. Eventually, Whitehead found the courage to return to writing fiction. His debut novel, “I’m Movin’ In,” was the narrative of a “Gary Coleman-esque” kid star of a successful sitcom, which was based on a true story.
- They all declined to participate.
- According to Whitehead, “you are a microbe in the buttocks of an elephant, simply trying to get the elephant’s attention.” As he reviewed the mountain of rejection letters he had received, Whitehead reflected about his future as a writer.
- He then went on to create a scenario in which being a writer for him could be traced back to the first Neanderthal who wondered “hunting and collecting, gathering and hunting.” It was a hilarious detour that Whitehead used to illustrate his point.
- “As a result, I returned to work.
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