David Wright Falade: Black Cloud Rising
Featured Speaker: Eileen Coblens
David Wright Falade: Black Cloud Rising
I never thought I would be recommending that we discuss a war novel at the Osher Book Club, but then I read Black Cloud Rising, by David Wright Falade. This novel, which takes place in 1863, centers on the true story of a former slave who is conscripted into a unit of soldiers in the Union army to rout out rebel guerillas. Sgt. Richard Etheridge, the son of an enslaved woman and her master, was taught to read and write and was treated almost like a member of his master’s family — until he wasn’t. As a professor of English at the University of Illinois, the author became interested in Richard Etheridge two decades ago. His novel is written in straightforward but compelling prose and while not overtly political it raises many issues regarding our country’s complex history, including that of divided loyalties as Richard faces his half-brother, a Confederate soldier, on the battlefield.
Presenter Biography
Facilitator: Eileen Coblens has been living full time in San Diego for over nine years after moving from New York. A former middle-school English teacher who, on retirement, spent several years as an adjunct assistant professor at Stony Brook and Hofstra universities, Eileen holds a B.A. and M.A. from Adelphi University and a Ph.D. in English and American literature from Stony Brook University.
7/30/2024 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
A/350
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