Challenging Beliefs in Rural America
The Classic - The Damnation of Theron War by Harold Frederic
In 1896, American novelist Harold Frederic wrote the year’s best-selling novel, The Damnation of Theron Ware. Inspired by his upbringing in Utica New York, the novel paints a picture of rural American life at the time. The story follows Theron Ware, a Methodist pastor who grew up in a small town with a limited education, as he begins to question his beliefs. After meeting three people of differing opinions of the world, religion, and humanity, his life changes significantly.
Frederic’s work is classified as American realism. This sub-genre of fiction depicts contemporary social realities and the activities of ordinary people, specifically in America. Readers today get a glimpse into the past and can see how everyday life has changed over the centuries. The Damnation of Theron Ware offers a look at society adapting to new ideas, such as Darwinism and women’s role in society.
The Damnation of Theron Ware
by Harold Frederic
The Damnation of Theron Ware (1896) is a novel by Harold Frederic. Inspired by his upbringing in Utica, New York, The Damnation of Theron Ware is a story of faith, community, and rural life from an underappreciated master of American realism. A bestseller in the year of its publication, the novel has earned praise for its criticism of cultural and religious hypocrisy in nineteenth century provincial life. "No such throng had ever before been seen in the building during all its eight years of existence. People were wedged together most uncomfortably upon the seats; they stood packed in the aisles and overflowed the galleries; at the back, in the shadows underneath these galleries, they formed broad, dense masses about the doors, through which it would be hopeless to attempt a passage."
Despite his young age, Theron Ware has been appointed pastor of a small-yet-lively Methodist congregation in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. As he settles into his role and attempts to gain the trust of the townsfolk, he begins to doubt himself as a messenger of God and to question the role of the Methodist church in the life of humankind. Influenced by local Catholics and a passionate Darwinist, Ware starts to dream of changing his life, of leaving the world of faith and salvation behind him. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Harold Frederic's The Damnation of Theron Ware is a classic work of American literature reimagined for modern readers.
Our Modern Companion - We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride
In a few hundred years, readers will get a glimpse into the life we live today through modern American realist writers, such as Christine Pride and Jo Piazza. Their novel, We Are Not Like Them, paints an honest story of what will be an important part of history. Following two best friends, one Black woman and one white woman, as they live through an all too common tragedy of the 2020’s, the tragic death of an unarmed Black teenager at the hands of a cop.
Published in 2022, the novel was written likely written during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. That year saw the death of too many innocent people at the hands of police violence. This novel places readers right in the middle of this point in history, marking it as a novel that will certainly be compared to modern American realism a hundred years from now.
We Are Not Like Them
by Christine Pride - Jo Piazza
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK Named a Best Book Pick of 2021 by Harper's Bazaar and Real Simple Named a Most Anticipated Book of Fall by People, Essence, New York Post, PopSugar, New York Newsday, Entertainment Weekly, Town & Country, Bustle, Fortune, and Book Riot Told from alternating perspectives, this "propulsive, deeply felt tale of race and friendship" (People) follows two women, one Black and one white, whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event.Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia.
But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen's husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband's freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend. Like Tayari Jones's An American Marriage and Jodi Picoult's Small Great Things, We Are Not Like Them takes "us to uncomfortable places--in the best possible way--while capturing so much of what we are all thinking and feeling about race. A sharp, timely, and soul-satisfying novel" (Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author) that is both a powerful conversation starter and a celebration of the enduring power of friendship.