In 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, unemployment in the U.S. was 25%. Some laborers were treated callously, paid poorly, and health insurance was completely absent. Reform was needed. Tom Kromer wrote about the most unfortunate American citizens in
Waiting For Nothing, a 135 page first person account of survival. Each of the twelve chapters offers something a little different, keeping the work from being redundant. I believe it is one of the first books in the creative non-fiction category. Kromer, the narrator, did not experience everything in the narrative, but none of it rings hollow, and there is plenty of history to authenticate his words. The tone is one of bitterness and anger, only natural in someone experiencing such despair. He believes capitalism is at fault, and to this day many leftists argue about its alleged unfairness. Given my belief that it is the best of all systems, I was leery of reading the book. I’m glad I did, as almost all the focus is on the human element, the fight for survival in the face of seeming never ending misery. Although Kromer completed three years of college, he chose the language of the average homeless person, using slang such as "gat" for gun and "stiffs" for those out of work. Although I did not like his use of language overall, the book is a fast read. I was annoyed by the constant use of “this” instead of “the.” And the action takes leaps. In a chapter in the middle of the book he comes to the aid of a would-be hooker, teaching her how to stretch her coins into a week’s worth of groceries. She is not mentioned again. Still, the work has great value as a portrait of what too many endured during that dark era. Conservatives would argue that the problem was in the response to the Depression, misguided economic policies that prolonged rather than allayed it. Wherever one stands on the issue, this is a fine book. It was first published by Knopf in 1935, then virtually disappeared until 1968, and went out of print again in 1977. The edition I read was published in 1986 by the University of Georgia Press. It includes other writings.
Michael Kohler, an unfinished novel of six chapters, is very promising. It is a mystery why it was never completed. The three book reviews are interesting. The four short stories and other works are lacking, redundant. Kromer was locked into a theme and perhaps this explains why he stopped writing by 1937. He died in 1969 at the age of 63. Apparently, the edition I read is still in print. It has a decent ranking at Amazon, where more than eleven million books are listed: 364,566th. Seven contributors have rated it, each giving it five stars. I rate it 3.5 overall, the title piece and the unfinished novel far superior to the other works. A rare hardcover edition is being offered for more than $800.
While channel hopping last night I caught the last two minutes of
The Hal Lindsey Report on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. He's expecting the apocalypse and signed off with a word I'd never heard: "maranatha." According to Wiki, its origin is Aramaic and it can be translated in two ways: a beseeching "Come, Lord" or "Our Lord has come."
It was a tough session for the floating book shop today-- hazy, hot and humid. My thanks to the two kind people who mase purchases, and to Bad News Billy, who brought me a much needed cup of water from the Chase bank. He recently purchased a 1993 Dodge Sierra. The radiator is leaking. He just bought one he will install himself.
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Web Site:
http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
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