The Native Son

Gillmore, Inez Haynes, 1873-1970Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 61K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Native Son by Inez Haynes GillmoreAuthor: Gillmore, Inez Haynes, 1873-1970,Language: English, Class: F850.5: United States local history: Pacific States, Release Date: Jul 1, 2002

Editor's review

The Native Son is another work by Inez Haynes Gillmore set against the American Pacific States; Project Gutenberg classifies it under local history, echoing The Californiacs in subject matter. Its title points to the question of the "native son," readily evoking themes of belonging, origin, and regional identity; readers can see how the author uses her characters' circumstances to reflect the makeup and transformation of Californian society. As a public-domain ebook, it is moderate in length and easy to obtain, making it suitable supplementary reading for understanding early twentieth-century regional writing in the American West. Readers may attend to the choice of narrative perspective and to how the author handles the relationship between "locals" and "outsiders," which is often the central tension of such regional works. Reading it together with The Californiacs is recommended, comparing the two works' characterization and regional depiction for a fuller impression of Gillmore's California writing.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of English literature interested in themes of identity and belonging
Readers building a reading list of regional writing from the American West
Students wishing to expand their English extensive reading with public-domain ebooks
Researchers interested in works by American women authors of the early twentieth century

Not a good fit for

Genre-fiction readers seeking strong plots and fast-paced narrative
Textual scholars needing authoritative annotated editions and scholarly introductions
Beginners with little patience for old-fashioned English who want easy reading

Reading tips

First learn the common meanings of "native son" in American usage, then enter the text.
Note changes in the protagonist's relationships with those around him and trace the threads of identity.
Read alternately with The Californiacs and compare the two works' approaches to regional writing.
After finishing, summarize the author's attitude toward "native" and "foreign" in a few sentences to check your understanding.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the relationship between this book and The Californiacs?

Both works are by Inez Haynes Gillmore and are classified by Project Gutenberg under similar headings of United States local history: Pacific States; both deal with Californian regional writing. They may be seen as two treatments of similar regional themes by the same author and are well suited to comparative reading, though their specific contents and characters differ.

How should "Native Son" in the title be understood?

In American usage the phrase often refers to someone born and raised in a place, with deep ties to it, and it frequently involves questions of belonging and identity. With this as its title, the book invites readers to observe how the author presents a "local's" sense of identity through her characters and the tension between that identity and the surrounding environment.

How long is the book, and how difficult is it to read?

As a public-domain work in Project Gutenberg, the book is moderate in length, but it was written long ago, and its English vocabulary and syntax bear the marks of its time. Readers with intermediate English reading ability who are willing to use a dictionary can finish it; those seeking light entertainment may find the language slow in pace.

On what devices can I read this book?

Project Gutenberg usually offers several ebook formats; readers can download according to the options provided on the page and read on a computer, tablet, or e-reader. The specific available formats and download methods are as described in the book's entry on the Project Gutenberg website.

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About the author

Gillmore, Inez Haynes, 1873-1970 Author

Inez Haynes Gillmore (1873-1970) was an American writer, six of whose works are collected here. Her writing covers a broad range: light narratives for younger readers, such as Maida's Little Shop, and documentary works drawn from social movements and political questions, such as The Story of the Woman's Party, showing a sustained concern with women's public life. The novels Angel Island and The Native Son focus on characters' circumstances and emotional entanglements, with delicate prose and engaging plots, while Out of the Air and The Californiacs reveal her interest in regional color and imaginative invention. Overall, her writing combines popular readability with social concern, in a plain, bright style that often uses everyday experience to reflect the issues of her time. Because public information is limited, the details of her life and the full range of her work cannot be described in depth; readers may appreciate them through the works themselves.