If He Hollers Let Him Go ─ A Novel

This classic story of a man living in fear every day of his life for simply being black is as powerful today as it was when it was first published in 1947. Set in Southern California in the early forties, the novel spans four days in the life of Bob Jones, a black man relentlessly plagued by the effects of World War II racism. His is a society drenched in insidious race consciousness, and as the novel progresses these surroundings take their toll on Jones's behavior, thoughts and emotions - even before he is accused of a brutal crime he did not commit.

Chester Himes was the author of numerous novels, short stories, essays, and two films. Himes, who began writing while serving a prison term for jewel theft in the early 1940s, is best known for his angry social criticism in books like If He Hollers Let Him Go and Lonely Crusade and for his memorable Harlem detective novels.