I’m fascinated by the afterlives of books — the degree to which their receptions ebb and flow over time. The Man Who Cried I Am was first published in 1967; it was a bestseller, then it went out of print. The author, John A. Williams, had a reputation for being “perennially underrated” and was frequently compared to contemporaries like Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin but never achieved the widespread acclaim of those writers.
Upon reading The Man Who I Cried I Am, I can see why it was successful when it came out, but also why more contemporary readers might find some elements of the novel unseemly. It’s a compelling historical account of the pervasiveness of racism in Black life, a political thriller, and a gossipy ode to the publishing and news industries of old all wrapped in one novel.
Max Reddick, a novelist and foreign news correspondent, is in Amsterdam; he has cancer but has come to settle the final affairs of his friend and literary rival, the late Harry Ames. Pinging back and forth in time, we see Max in his prime as a young writer, meeting Harry for the first time at a party on Long Island, and later Harry’s attempts to further his career with a prestigious fellowship that is inexplicably revoked, he believes, because he is married to a white woman. We follow Max as he travels on reporting trips — first in the South, where he witnesses firsthand the savage anger of white segregationists, then in Europe, Nigeria, and Congo.
There’s a plot point involving the death of a Nigerian diplomat and a shady political alliance, but to me the most compelling parts of the book are observational. The scenes set in Nigeria and Congo are written with admirable specificity, and Max’s brief stint as a speechwriter for a president who’s never named but seems to be based on Kennedy goes far in demonstrating the hollow bromides of many white liberals in that time period. Williams’s depiction of New York’s publishing and media industries, riven with racism but flush with money, is fascinating to read from the vantage point of 2022.
The casual sexism and pervasive anti-gay sentiments in this novel are another matter, though. Williams deploys the f-word throughout in shockingly callous and casual ways. According to the New York Times’ obituary of the author, he saw Norman Mailer and John Updike as his true contemporaries. He certainly replicates their misogyny and homophobia. You could argue he was a product of his time, but that has always felt like a cop-out to me.
The presence of these two elements makes it hard for me to recommend this book full-throatedly, but I really did enjoy reading it for the most part. As a historical record, it is worthwhile. —Tomi Obaro
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