The Big Sea: An Autobiography (American Century Series)

Book Description

Introduction by Arnold Rampersad.

Langston Hughes, born in 1902, came of age early in the 1920s. In The Big Sea he recounts those memorable years in the two great playgrounds of the decade--Harlem and Paris. In Paris he was a cook and waiter in nightclubs. He knew the musicians and dancers, the drunks and dope fiends. In Harlem he was a rising young poet--at the center of the "Harlem Renaissance."

Arnold Rampersad writes in his incisive new introduction to The Big Sea, an American classic: "This is American writing at its best--simpler than Hemingway; as simple and direct as that of another Missouri-born writer...Mark Twain."

Customer Reviews:

"Sometimes life is a ripe fruit too delicious for the taste of man.".......2007-09-30

Published when Hughes was 38, the subject of The Big Sea is the period of his life from 1902-1939. It covers a wide variety of episodes in Hughes' life, with key elements being his travels as a youth, his relationship to his father, and the Harlem Renaissance.

I knew his poetry, of course, from all those years as an English major. I have not had the occasion to read any of his prose, and decided to pick this up after reading the collected works of Nella Larsen.

There was a lot to engage with in The Big Sea. I particularly liked Hughes' description of the Harlem Renaissance. His tone when he talked about it was affectionate and wistful, but still acknowledged the limitations that it had as a lasting solution. There were many great stories ("never hit a woman") and fascinating details-- reproductions of the whist party invitations, for example.

I also really was interested in the way that Hughes discusses his father and the issue of the race. His father left the US (first to Cuba, then to Mexico) in order to avoid race prejudice. His father had nothing but scorn for people of color who stayed in the US and subjected themselves to the inevitabilities of race and class limitations. The anger that this self-imposed exile cost him comes out in his dealings with his son and the way in which he engages with the world around him.

At points, it is as though Hughes is meditating on all the different ways that people around him (including him) have used to address the race problem. It is not the most uplifting of sketches, since none of the various paths seem (according to Hughes) to be a good or lasting solution.

Well-written, interesting, and with many pointers to further reading.

Must read.......2007-05-12

I read this as an assignment in college and found it wonderfully painful in its realism and truth. A must read for every American, regardless of what ethic origin.

The journies of a Hero.......2006-07-17

"On a radio show, he (Hughes) defended the right of trumpeter Louis Armstrong, who had long faced the white world with a broad grin, to vent his racial anger."

Like Armstrong, Hughes also faced the same world with his broad smile. Throughout the BIG SEA and I WONDER AS I WANDER, there in the texts of both autobiographies is the ever smiling Hughes. Other than the people he met and the foreign lands he visited---all making for great and entertaining reading--- very little is revealed about the man he was. His larger than life personae masked a man who was only 5'4 in stature, closeted gay
because being open would have meant a short career and ostracism, especially in the African American community who was a refuge from a racially hostile world and who Hughes loved with an unmatched passion back in his day, and, according to the late Gwendolyn Brooks who had known Hughes since the age of 16 wrote in a New York Times article that when Hughes was subjected to offense and icy treatment because of his race, he was capable of jagged anger - and vengeance, instant or retroactive. She has letters from him that reveal he could respond with real rage when he felt he was treated cruelly by other people.

Both autobiographies do a great job at documenting the world in Hughes' day. The most fascinating thing about the first book of his life is the Harlem Renaissance and the people who moved in it during its illustrious height. Till this day, the BIG SEA provides one of the best sources of this important period in American culture. Few people realized that if not for best friend Arna Bomtemps the autobiography may have never been written. Bontemps encouraged Hughes to write the book. Up to that time, few blacks, especially black males, had seen and done what Hughes managed to do. Plus, the book challenged stereotypes about black America in general. The challenge he had in writing the book was how to write for two audiences, white and black. Characteristically, Hughes did not pander to the white audience, "I do not hate `all' white people," nor did he distance himself from and sacrifice the racial pride his grandmother taught him to have for his people, who he primarily wrote for. In the second autobiography, Hughes is on the road again and much more time is given to his travels, especially in the then Soviet Union. Absent are his communist sympathies. Like many blacks of the day, socialism was preferable to segregation. Blatant is the unspoken critique that in the absence of capitalism, everyone man is "equal." As far as romance is concerned, scholars have noted Hughes'rather perfunctory and insincere rendezvous with the very few woman he talks about in these autobiographies. Quite understandably, Hughes attempts to pass himself off as having all the accoutrements of straight men. His situation with the over zealous Russian woman who he does not portray favorably in I WONDER AS I WANDER is interesting. She is portrayed as the Duboisian woman whose association with black men destroys them. Plus, Hughes did not favor interracial marriage so it is peculiar that he proffered the idea in the text of bring the Russian woman home as a wife as she wanted.

The above quote was from Volume 2 of Arnold Rampersad's biography of Hughes. What made Hughes' defense of Armstrong so intriguing is that Hughes also reveals much about himself and what lied behind the mask he wore. The readers of the BIG SEA and I WONDER AS I WANDER will not see the man behind the mask. They are largely presented surface, a fleeting glimpse of Hughes here and there. A scholar said to really understand Hughes, one must read Rampersad's two biographies. This scholar was partially right. But, don't dismiss these autobiographies! They are worth the read and are a enjoyable read. Time and interest permitting, do read LANGSTON HUGHES Vols. 1 and 2 by Rampersad for balance also read Faith Berry's LANGSTON HUGHES: BEFORE AND BEYOND HARLEM. Reading these latter biographies with the two autobiographies by Hughes, one will be presented the man Langston Hughes was: proudly African American, gay, brave, smart, ambitious, often very angry, and often lonely.

Hughes doesn't reveal much of himself, but his autobiographies are still 5 star ratings because like his work they continue to inspire and for everyone, especially young blacks in the inner city, let them know that they can overcome any obstacle in life so long as the desire and determination is there.

Great!!!!.......2005-09-27

Even though my book got lost in the mail, I was still able to get my money back. Thank you very much. I hope I have the chance to buy another book from you.

A wonderful memoir.......2003-12-04

Langston Hughes was a wonderful poet and story teller so it is not surprising that his autobiography/memoir is a joy to read. He tells the story of his life by giving us delightful episodes that each read like short stories. Each chapter has the structure of a short story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Along the way, the reader has to be amazed at the texture and breadth of his life adventures. He lives for a short time in Mexico with his father, in several cities with his mother and other relatives, and then his wonderful sea going adventures in Europe, Africa, and also his stay in Paris. The reader also gets a first hand glimpse of what it was like to be "Negro" in America as well as in other places in the world. The writing is bright and energetic and the book is very difficult to put down. I highly recommend it to anyone who might be thinking about writing an autobiography or memoir.

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Small Ship, Big Sea
Robin Adams
Manufacturer: Univ Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1560025204

Book Description

This is a "High Seas Reader" type of book. It will particularly appeal to the ocean going sailing types who want to stay in touch with this thrilling kind of adventure, and who wish to add to their chest of education in sailing adventures.

Autobiography: The Big Sea (Collected Works of Langston Hughes)

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Autobiography: The Big Sea (Collected Works of Langston Hughes)
Langston Hughes
Manufacturer: University of Missouri Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 082621410X

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Big Sea an Autobiography
Langston Hughes
Manufacturer: THUNDER'S MOUTH @ PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SHTOGQ

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The Big Sea: An Autobiography
Langston Hughes
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N8ZTGE

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Big Sea; an Autobiography
Langston Hughes
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NP70VY

Langston Hughes The Big Sea (An Autobiography)

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Langston Hughes The Big Sea (An Autobiography)
Langston Hughes
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PTPKBK

Product Description

Langston Hughes came of age early in the 1920's. He lived through those fabulous years in the two great playgrounds of the decade-Paris and Harlem. In Paris he was a cook and waiter in nightclubs, and he witnessed the seemingly endless carnival in which men and women of all races took part. He knew the musicians and dancers, the drunks and the dope fiends. In Harlem he was a rising young poet-in the center of the "Black Renaissance"- when Negro art and entertainment were the fads, and famous white people flocked to the black city that flourishes in the heart of the greatest white city. He did other things,too, to earn a living. He was a seaman on freighters to Europe and Africa, he taught English in Mexico, he was a busboy in Washington. And all the time he was writing.

Stone Shot: The Real Adventures of Luke Dodge, a Young Man Whose Nine Lives All Belong To the Sea

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Stone Shot: The Real Adventures of Luke Dodge, a Young Man Whose Nine Lives All Belong To the Sea
Christopher Fisher Goldblatt
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books

Boating | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Book Description

After the death of his father, a young Luke Dodge turns to the sea.

Luke hires onto the tuna fleet of San Diego, California. There, under the tough hand of Captain Tom, Luke learns what it means to face fear and challenges on the open ocean. Captain Tom's vessel, the 85-foot Giant serves as a proving ground where Luke meets his life-long friends, Dion and Josh. The friends compete fiercely when spearfishing, fishing, lobster diving and surfing along the California and Baja coastline.

Luke's love of the sea is destroyed when the boat he is on is obliterated by a massive petroleum barge in the dead of night.

On a swashbuckling adventure to Haiti, Luke meets the love of his life, Dr. Nici.

But it is only when Luke learns that his beloved mother needs a heart operation, that he must face his fear of the sea and compete in the world championship spearfishing meet with a grand prize of $200,000.

Everything hangs in the balance on Luke spearing a massive tuna using only a perfect paralyzing Stone Shot.

The Big Sea : An Autobiography By Langston Hughes

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The Big Sea : An Autobiography By Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
Manufacturer: Hill and Wang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OUXXQY

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The Big Sea: An Autobiography

Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I6JD6I

Customer Reviews:

Fantasies.......2005-12-06

It's hard to say what motivates Ramsey Clark- is it heartfelt feeling for the underdod that makes him do things like defend Saddam Hussein? Or is it a deeply felt hate for Western Culture? In this book, he and other writer document a variety of imaginary war crimes against Iraq, like the "massacre" of Iraqi troops leaving Kuwait in trucks, after having stripped Kuwait City bare of the spoils of war. They were surrenduring soldiers, says Clark, and it's a war crime to attack soldiers not in combat.

Try again, Clark. These were retreating, armed, soldiers, carrying weapons as well as stolen goods, which makes them combatants. The rest of the allegations in the book are about as solid as this one.

Credibility questionable........2003-05-13

Ramsey Clark led the "extragovernmental" opposition to the Iraq War of 2003. Enamored with the idea that pacifist ideals should rule the day, Clark and his followers insisted force must not be used. His ilk predicted extravagant numbers of civilian and military casualties.

When the Iraqi government was dispatched with in something around three weeks, Clark changed tactics. He then decided the war, though successful and heralded as a "liberation" by most Iraqis, was "illegal". Clark acknowledged Congress' "greenlight" to the war in October of 2002, but said President Bush violated the agreement by not giving sufficient time to the United Nations process. (After a November 2002 Resolution, Bush did not go to war with Iraq until 6+ months later.)

The claim of War Crimes by Clark is unsubstantiated and this book only seems to be an attempt to re-write what is widely accepted as a tremendous victory for the United States and the Iraqi people.

WOW - what a load from the WWP.......2003-03-28

WOW - what a load from the WWP anti-Global

An enlightening book and perspective.......2003-03-21

This book is essential for anybody who wants to have a different perspective on the first Iraqi conflict. Much of the information directly reflects on the current conflict as well. The book is composed of a series of essays by various authors involved in Ramsey Clark's project to document and prosecute war crimes committed by the United States and the coalition forces in the first Persian Gulf war. Although, it can be repetative at points, it is well worth the price. This book is ESSENTIAL for anybody who chooses to have an opinion about Iraq. A great support for those who oppose US actions, and a great source of arguments that need to be overcome by those who support US actions.

Required reading for a well rounded view of the Gulf War........1998-09-15

An objective view of the War in the Gulf. Ramsy Clark brings out the shocking truth of what really happend during Desert Storm in a way that will shock readers who have, until now, a one sided view which was written by the victors. Clark stripes away the belief of the modern war that only used presision bombs and sugical strikes that the Pentagon led America to believe.

Book Description

When Richard Rubin, fresh out of the Ivy League, accepts a job at a daily newspaper in the old Delta town of Greenwood, Mississippi, he is thrust into a place as different from his hometown of New York as any in the country. Yet to his surprise, he is warmly welcomed by the townspeople and soon finds his first great scoop in Handy Campbell, a poor, black teen and gifted high school quarterback who goes on to win a spot on Mississippi State's team -- a training ground for the NFL. Six years later, Rubin, back in New York, learns that Handy is locked up in Greenwood, accused of capital murder. Returning south to cover the trial, Rubin follows the trail that took Handy from the football field to county jail. As the best and worst elements of Mississippi rise up to do battle over one man's fate, Rubin must confront his own unresolved feelings about the confederacy of silence that initially enabled him to thrive in Greenwood but ultimately forced him to leave it.

Customer Reviews:

Liked the first half more than second.......2007-09-30

And the sad story of Handy Campbell was well done even with Rubin getting a little melodramatic with his personal feelings at times.

Rubin claims Handy was discriminated against by the coaches because he was black but the more you read about Handy the more you come to see just how dumb (across the board) he was.

No Epilogue. No Pictures. I can't even find any pics on the internet. Except for possibly Lanardo Myrick at www.klmenter.com/page2.html

It's about the south, race, football, murder, and two lost souls. Recommended.

Coming of age in Mississippi.......2007-05-13

This was a quick and interesting read. Rubin has a very comfortable writing style, entertaining and smooth.

The first half of the book specifically is a great "coming of age" story with the collision of two worlds -- the traditional conservative Southern lifestyle as seen by a Liberal New Yorker. It is clear that the author learned and grew from his experiences, and had a great deal of his innocence lost, on so many levels during his year in Mississippi. Many of us experienced similar changes in the first few years out of college; for me, the story evoked memories of choices made and opportunities lost. I'm sure that we can all empathize with his hope that the first boss did not regret hiring him every day he came into work.

The second half is a well-written, if a bit dense, who-done-it. Some of the conclusions were a bit obvious, but again, it was interesting watching the loss of innocence yet again in Rubin's life.

All in all, the book is worth the time.

Rubin nailed it.......2007-04-10

For one who is not from the South, but lived here only a short time, Rubin's characterization of Mississippi culture is spot-on. He nailed it. Anyone who can do that is very talented as a writer and researcher.

I've lived in Mississippi for 16 years, and since I'm a newspaper reporter, I know many of the people in Rubin's Confederacy of Silence. Take for example David Bradberry, Handy Campbell's football coach at Greenwood. Bradberry is a stand-up individual and perhaps one of the best football coaches I've ever met. He's a good coach because he cares about his players -- not just about winning on the field.

If Bradberry talked to Rubin for this book, then whatever he says in it must be true.

As for Jack Henderson, I can see why he's miffed, but then again Jack, you brought it on yourself. Maybe if you weren't such a rabid racist, you would then have a legitimate gripe. But since you are the way you are, you can't fault Rubin for his accurate depiction.

Having covered athletics in Mississippi for over 10 years, football does rule all in the state and it fosters racial harmony while limiting it at the same time. Rubin did a good job of portraying this in his book, discussing the Private School vs. Public School dichotomy, and the reasons why Handy Campbell went to State, but then transferred to Ole Miss and why Ole Miss never played him.

Oh, if you believe football recruiting is all rose petals and singing Kumbaya, then I've got some ocean-front property in Kansas for you.

Other reviewers mention Chris Osgood as Ole Miss' first black quarterback. That is true. He started four or five games during the 1985 season as a redshirt freshman. He was injured during the LSU game in Jackson that year and never played another down.

Rubin did get that wrong. Campbell would not have been the first black QB at Ole Miss had he ever had the opportunity to play. I think he never got the opportunity to play because of the Osgood brouhaha in 1985. Ole Miss fans were so distraught over Brewer's choice at QB that it made Brewer ever more apprehensive of starting another black quarterback. It would be four, five years after Brewer's firing that Ole Miss's Romaro Miller would take snaps. And Miller took a lot of heat for his failures, and even then, in 1999, Ole Miss fans were distraught that a black man was taking snaps and directing the offense.

This book is dead-on in Rubin's characterization of the Emmerichs -- the family of newspaper moguls in the state. They are cheap and have little commitment to real journalism, which Rubin accurately portrays.

I also enjoyed his portrayal of the murder trail. It is indeed true that in Mississippi if a black person murders another black person, well it's no big deal. The prosecution will just go through the motions, with very little fanfare.

Face it Misssissippi, we're still racists and I think it's only gotten worse since the Fordice Administration. I think the 1980s was the last gasp of progress in Mississippi. We're headed directly for 1850 all over again.

In the interests of accuracy..........2005-11-07

"Chris Osgood started two seasons at OM and shortly after he left two more black quarterbacks (Romaro Miller and Michael Spurlock) started with much sucess at OM."

Michael Spurlock's start and career could not be called a success. Not this Michael Spurlock, anyway. Mississippi has a white player by that name who is currently doing very well, though.

Good read, though.

A Chance Missed.......2005-08-25

I am from a town very close to Greenwood, MS, and I related to almost all of the towns and people mentioned in "Confereracy". I told my wife, while reading the first half, that this book was one of the very best descriptions of "The New South" that I have ever read or heard.

In the year 1968, I was stationed in Massachusetts and got to know a local family very well. They befriended me as did Greenwood to Rubin. Several times I was asked to defend or explain my feelings about race in Mississippi. I explained as best I could as a 22 year old.

I have since moved back home to Miss., married a Miss. girl, and become successful in my business. But I have thought may times about my answers to my Yankee family's questions. I never felt I could or did properly explain my true feelings about race relations in my home state.

I recently experienced a reunion with my Mass. girlfriend from 37+ years ago and I told her that one thing I still remembered was my inability to answer her family's questions clearly. The first half of this book did that for me. I plan to send my old girlfriend a copy.

But the second half of the book is filled with inaccuracies about football and race relations in our Universities in the South. I am a graduate of Mississippi State and I attended Ole Miss. I have three daughters and a wife that graduated from Ole Miss and a son that graduated from MSU. I have asked several avid football fans from both schools if they remembered Handy Campbell. None do!

I think all of the sports fans in Mississippi will agree that football in the South and the SEC is as tough as it gets. There is no room in the system to parent the Handy Campbells. Each and every scholarship athlete is given the same rules and regulations. They either make it or they don't. And only the strong and dedicated make it.

Handy Campbell was neither strong nor dedicated. He reminds me of a loser. And he will lose in the end.

Book Description

For cognitive ecologists, fish biologists, animal behaviorists, and inquiring anglers

How and why do trout think? How do they decide where to eat and which food to eat? Why do they refuse to behave as predicted, stumping anglers by rejecting a larger fly for a smaller one or not responding at all to anything in an angler's box? How do trout know to bolt to one particular covered area after being hooked or flushed? Why can trout smell better than humans but not remember as well? Citing the most recent scientific findings in a readily understandable form, Thomas C. Grubb, Jr. addresses these questions and more in The Mind of the Trout. It is the first book to bring together many varied concepts of cognitive ecology as applied to trout and their salmonid relatives: char, salmon, grayling, and whitefish.

Customer Reviews:

Good for the Science-Minded Angler.......2004-07-03

Most scientific books on fish aren't very useful from an angler's point of view. They use scientific jargon to describe things we already know. This book is in that vein, yet I found it an interesting read, and it did help solidify my angling thinking. For this reason I'm giving it a four-star rating.

Here's my greatly simplified interpretation of some of the points discussed in the book: Bigger baits generally catch bigger fish, and the closer your lure passes to a fish, the more likely the fish is to move for it.

Fish form a search image based on prey they encounter frequently, causing them to reject possible food items that don't fit the search image. One time on a mountain trout lake I tried all my baitfish lures without getting a strike. When I finally tied on a nymph, I scored. These fish were used to feeding on insects, and they ignored lures that weren't insect imitations.

Fish are more likely to mistake your lure for prey if it's moving fast. On the other hand, if its moving too fast they may reject it totally. So very your retrieve speeds until you find what they want.

Fish are more likely to mistake a lure for prey under reduced visibility situations caused by low light or turbidity.

Don't be afraid to tie on a brightly colored or high-contrast lure if more natural patterns aren't working. It will help your lure stand out and may draw a strike.

Feeding activity is reduced if fish sense a predator in the area, so avoid being spotted.

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The Mind of the Trout A Cognitive Ecology for Biologists and Anglers
Thomas C. Grubb
Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORQDY6

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