The Moon in Our Hands

by Thomas Dyja

Book Overview

From the author of the award-winning novel Play for a Kingdom comes a masterful story inspired by the early life of Walter White, a dynamic but now all-but-forgotten figure in the history of civil... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786717076
• ISBN13: 9780786717071
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers
• Length: 354 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Unrelentingly Straightforward

I get to interview Dyjn tomorrow, and cannot wait to ask him more about this book. I'm still working my way through it, and I can't decide how I feel about this work. I'm hoping he can put it into a broader context for me. The most interesting thing about this book is its protagonist, Walter White. He is only 5/32 African American, yet the character displays an unrelenting loathing of white culture. It's absolutely understandable, given that he is risking his life do investigate a stomach-churning murder that transcends cruelty. I've chosen to think of Walter White as an incredibly tragic protagonist, he visually fits into one schema of the world while sensing the injustices of another. I can't help but imagine Walter White as someone self-loathing using that pain to combat the injustices of the world. The antiquated language is impenetrable, yet ads considerable charm. I can't help but draw analogies to a Civil rights Bond movie. White is on a secret mission while using his high tech "separatable fastener" gadget for his tobacco. Anyone intent on feeling comfortable should not read this book. It shows a blatantly racist main character (though justified), and the lynching scene is stomach-churning. Yet Dyjn is simply being honest about what his character is experiencing. One wants to applaud the author for being bold. As a journalist reviewing this book, my primary concern was "is what this book says true." Historical fiction isn't a particularly rewarding genre in which to ask this question. Although cursory, all research into Dyjn's research into Walter White seems to be absolutely accurate. I can't wait to find out more about his research methodology when I interview him.