Theodore Wheeler
Discusses the societal and personal factors that helped form his novel — Kings of Broken Things — an immigrant coming-of-age story set amid the political, economic and racial tensions surrounding the 1919 lynching of Will Brown.
Description
Author Theodore Wheeler discusses the societal and personal factors that helped form his novel — Kings of Broken Things — an immigrant coming-of-age story set amid the political, economic and racial tensions surrounding the 1919 lynching of Will Brown. Along with personal reflections, the program features images of the riot and historical Omaha that inspired the novel, plus selected readings that bring to life historical events and figures. Wheeler addresses authorial responsibility and why he was compelled as a “bystander” white American to write a novel that deals heavily with ethnicity and violence. The presentation requires a computer, projector and screen to display an accompanying PowerPoint presentation.