The Return of Simple [Paperback]

Langston Hughes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 1995

Jesse B. Simple, Simple to his fans, made weekly appearances beginning in 1943 in Langston Hughes' column in the Chicago Defender. Simple may have shared his readers feelings of loss and dispossession, but he also cheered them on with his wonderful wit and passion for life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hughes (1902-1967), whose work accelerated the recognition of African American literature, is remembered mostly for his poetry. But Hughes also touched the minds of millions through the brief narrations of the fictional Jesse B. Semple, or "Simple," which first appeared in 1943 in his column in the Chicago Defender and, later, in the New York Post. Here, edited by a teacher at Spelman College, is an enlightening collection of these social commentaries. Half of the selections have never appeared in book form; the others are drawn from five previous Simple collections, all out of print. Harper groups her choices into four sections: "Women in Simple's Life"; "Race, Riots, Police, Prices, and Politics"; "Africa and Black Pride"; and "Parting Lines." Topics range from criticism of superficial beauty ("Wigs, Women and Falsies") to animal rights ("Money and Mice") and the equation of the word "black" with "evil" in American slang ("That Word Black"). Throughout, the persistence of some issues from the 1940s through the present is striking and infuriating. In "Population Explosion," for example, written in 1965, Simple criticizes the racist underpinnings of birth-control and sterilization proposals, while in "Liberals Need a Mascot," from 1949, he takes an insightful jab at the hypocritical politically correct. Also discussing Pan Africanism, children's rights, socioeconomic imbalances and African American animosity toward the police, Hughes, through the sometimes hyperbolic but always critical commentary of Jesse B. Semple, challenges the widespread notion of the unsophisticated "common man." Welcome back, Simple.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

All five books featuring Jesse B. Semple ("Simple"), the character Hughes created for his weekly Chicago Defender column, are out of print. Half the stories here are drawn from those books; the remainder have never before appeared in book form.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang (August 31, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080901582X
• ISBN-13: 978-0809015825
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 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: #425,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yallo! This is a great review...read it!, August 16, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Return of Simple (Paperback)

Hughes really takes advantage of his natural African-American 'relaxed & jazzy' instincts in these works. Enjoy