High John the Conqueror (Texas Tradition Series) [Paperback]

John Wilson (Author), James Ward Lee (Afterword)

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Texas Christian University Press (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875651860
• ISBN-13: 978-0875651866
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,728,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John W. Wilson was born Nov. 2, 1920, on a farm near the town of Navasota in Grimes County, Texas. After graduating from high school in 1938, he worked as a bookkeeper in a local bank and as sports writer and editor of the local weekly newspaper. His first short story, "Us Goin' to Town," published in 1940 by Southwest Review, led to his enrollment at Southern Methodist University and to the publication in 1948 of a novel, "High John the Conqueror," by The Macmillan Company. His writing career and his education were interrupted 1943-46 by service with the First Marine Division in the South Pacific, Okinawa, and North China; and again on recall to active duty 1951-52 in the Korean conflict. He worked 1953-1985 for Texas Instruments Incorporated and its predecessor company, Geophysicl Service Inc.,in public relations, advertising, and employee communications. Since retirement he has worked on re-issue of "High John the Conqueror" by the Texas Christian University Press, "Engineering the World," a 75th Anniversary history of Texas Instruments Incorporated, "Look Back in Time," an unpublished family history, and "King 3," unpublished wartime memoirs. Currently he is preparing for publication "Tales from Texas Past," a collection of short stories written during the 1940's and 1950's.

Customer Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Texas Classic, August 30, 2005

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This review is from: High John the Conqueror (Texas Tradition Series) (Paperback)

"High John the Conqueror, by John W. Wilson, was first published in 1948, and has been reissued [by TCU Press] as a volume in the publisher's Texas Traditions series of classic fiction. Set in Southeast Texas cotton plantation country, the novel tells of the struggle of one poor African American family to hold onto their land. Despite floods and crop failures, Bully Webster is determined not to let John Chaney, the rich white man who covets his farm, foreclose and leave Webster's family homeless. This sensitive portrayal of a proud, but poor, Black farmer of the Depression Era was one of the first to deal honestly with race relations in Texas, with the issue of sexual harassment, and with the plight of the small farmer. Its terse, powerful prose will keep readers enthralled." (From LIBRARY LANE, Volume 7, No. 6, Spalding University, December 1998.)