In the Shadow of the Son

By Michael Simanga

Isaiah Bishop knows the sound of war, the smell of violence, the colour of fear, and the taste of blood. He knows the horror of killing and the tragedy of young men dying. These were the tough lessons... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0883782065
• ISBN13: 9780883782064
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: Third World Press
• Length: 263 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

No way out

I found this novel a very troubling story. Killing came so matter-of-factly. It unfortunately made me see how Tim McVeigh could come to the conclusion of "collateral damage" for his own actions. In this story, however, death comes as no real surprise to its victims: Everybody's got a Glock! The political treatment was very insightful.

Praise for Simanga

Simanga's insightful and often ironic depiction of a blackman's fight for survival reveals dimensions of the urban existenceoverlooked by our evening newsmen. And if life does indeed imitateart, then Simanga's account of big city political corruption sounds a warning bell to all progressive black Americans. Recommended reading!

"Shadow" Casts Light on African-American Issues

This book is about a middle-aged black man living/teaching in the inner city who is thrown into the middle of a political-gang war that nearly kills him and several people that he loves. The main character is a former VietNam veteran who is struggling with the duality of suppressing his war demons and maintaining the peace that he discovered through teaching--a peace that he almost loses in this battle of the ghetto that forces his rage and animal instincts to the surface. This story is full of culture, drama, mystery, and emotion, and is a must-read for young and old alike. This book is as diverse as the African-American race itself.

A Great Find!

This book takes us into a world of black manhood, political corruption and love. Simanga uses language to inspire and evoke emotions about people some of us are not always comfortable with. He causes us to think about the lives of black men and how their choices affect us all. I like his poetry and his chilling, realistic description of inner-city life. Most of all, I admire this writer's ability to make this a story about love, despite the violence he describes.