BookBrowse Highlights
Hello,

In Editor's Choice this week, we highlight Matthew Delmont's Half American, which looks at both the heroism and mistreatment of Black Americans during and after World War II.

Our accompanying "beyond the book" article examines the Camp Logan Mutiny, an event that serves as an example of how Black soldiers were subject to hostile and unjust conditions well before the WWII era.

If you find short fiction more manageable than novels or just enjoy the form, now is a great time to check out our Short Stories category, which includes a National Book Award-nominated work from Jonathan Escoffery and many other collections.

We also have more dates coming up for our guided Zoom tours of BookBrowse for Libraries. If you're a librarian or if you're involved with your local library, be sure to register and mark your calendar!
With best wishes,

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher
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Editor's Choice
Half American
by Matthew Delmont

Review and article by Valerie Morales

Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad is an impeccably researched and deeply moving story of heroes, villains and white supremacy. With World War II as a grand backdrop, author Matthew Delmont weaves a breathless tale of black men who heroically fought for their country, but returned home to inequality, harassment and joblessness. Along the way, he touches on the heroism of black Americans who contributed to the war effort and racial justice while remaining in the United States.

From the get-go, it's a complicated ask from Delmont to the reader: to reorient their World War II empathy away from the victims of Hitler and towards the victims of Jim Crow. Strategically, he begins not with any widely known WWII event but with the black press and their sphere of influence. While it was somewhat in vogue to not fight the "white man's war," the black press promoted their own creation, a "Double V" campaign which signified victory both against inequality at home and against fascism overseas.

Despite not always being recognized at the time, there are many examples of black excellence and brilliance during WWII, perhaps the best known today being the Tuskegee Airmen. But Delmont focuses on many other examples of black people who participated in the war as well. ... continued
Beyond the Book:
The Camp Logan Mutiny

Before he was hanged for his alleged role in the Camp Logan Mutiny, Army Pfc. Thomas Hawkins wrote a letter to his mother and father. It was both poignant and simple. "When this letter reaches you, I will be beyond the veil of sorrow. I will be in heaven with the angels…I am not guilty of the crime that I am accused of but Mother it is God's will that I go now." The crime Hawkins had been accused of playing a part in was the murder of 16 whites during a riot in segregated Houston, Texas in 1917. At least four black soldiers were also killed.

In Half American, Matthew Delmont draws attention to the hostile and racist atmospheres that black American soldiers were historically subject to on segregated military bases long before WWII, with one example being Camp Logan in Houston. Hawkins was a member of the Third Battalion 24th Infantry, an all-black regiment. The United States Department of War sent the battalion to Texas to guard Camp Logan, which was under construction and when completed was to be a training site for the Illinois National Guard.

Although many of the Third Battalion soldiers were accustomed to Jim Crow, they expected equal treatment as military servicemen, not dehumanization and racial tension. But the Houston Police Department (HPD) saw the servicemen as a threat. ... continued
For Members: The BookBrowse Review
This issue of The BookBrowse Review features reviews of 14 books, including the nonfiction works Portable Magic by Emma Smith and Half American by Matthew Delmont, as well as Lessons, the latest novel from Ian McEwan. We also have a new Wordplay, previews of upcoming releases and more.

This twice-monthly e-magazine is just one benefit of being a BookBrowse member. Sign up for an individual membership today or ask your library if they subscribe (or check for yourself).
Short Stories
If you don't always have the time or attention to devote to a novel, or if you simply love interesting short fiction, head on over to our Short Stories category to browse a wide assortment of story collections.

Our featured collections include the National Book Award-nominated debut If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery, acclaimed fiction writer Diane Williams' How High? -- That High and more than 150 other books.
BookBrowse for Libraries
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If you're a librarian or involved with your local library, and would be interested in learning how these subscriptions work, we invite you to join us for a 30-minute guided tour of BookBrowse for Libraries over Zoom on either Friday, November 4 or Friday, November 11.

Click below to register. We hope to see you there!
Wordplay
Solve our Wordplay puzzle to reveal a well-known expression, and be entered to win the book of your choice or a 6-month membership to BookBrowse!

"T's N F Like A O F"
The answer to the last Wordplay: T B S Here

"The buck stops here"

Meaning: The person speaking accepts responsibility, and will not pass the blame on to others.

This expression "the buck stops here" derives from the poker term, "passing the buck." A marker is placed in front of the person whose turn it is to deal; if that person does not choose to deal, they can pass the buck to someone else. Apparently, back in the days of the American frontier, the marker used would be a knife, probably with a buckhorn handle, hence pass the buck.

President Harry S. Truman did not coin the phrase but he did make it famous, keeping a sign on his desk that read on one side "I’m From Missouri," and on the other "The Buck Stops Here." ... continued
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