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ZAUM Sonoma State University's Literary Magazine | |
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Return to current zaum Blog post Tom Wolfe's Upcoming Book March 11, 2010 
For some, Tom Wolfe may be solely remembered as "that guy who always wears white suits" on his fairly recent cameo on The Simpsons. Besides his distinctive fashion sense, he is also the creator of the literary technique called New Journalism. While majoring in English at Washington and Lee University, he was the sports editor of the college newspaper and helped found a literary magazine, Shenandoah. He completed Yale University's doctoral program in American studies. While he worked as a journalist in New York, he developed his unique journalistic style which became known as New Journalism. New Journalism reflects the social atmosphere by becoming so embedded in the society that he can understand the complex dynamics within each panoramic setting.
His 1964 article on hot-rod culture in Southern California, "There Goes (Varoom! Varoom!) That Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby," gave him the recognition he needed to publish his first book, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby. He captured the 1960s in the San Francisco Bay Area with his 1968 book, The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. The book chronicled the adventures of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. He described the energy of the decade from the drugs to the excitement of free love to The Beatles and even the Hell's Angels. The titles themselves are so juicy that you can feel the succulent texture of the culture on your tongue. Although his many non fiction books provide an intriguing perspective on past eras, his novels provide a fascinating perspective. Each of his novels has a particular significance to today and SSU. The true mission of any author is to emotionally connect with the audience and to say things we never had the courage to say ourselves. Throughout his literary career, he creates a wildly inventive, humor-infused plot that is so riveting and description that pops off the page to propel the story forward. It wasn't until 1987 that he published his first and greatest (in my opinion) novel, Bonfire of the Vanities. He simultaneously captures the golden era in Wall Street before the market collapses as well as the lives of a poor black boy, a powerful minister, a drunk reporter, a struggling lawyer and countless others. Master-of-the–universe Wall Street stockbroker lives the extravagant life on money he hasn't exactly earned yet. Racial anxieties and class struggle erupt in a hunt against him with a scandal that threatens to bankrupt him. Despite his enormous wealth, master-of-the universe doesn't own anything but simply pays for everything on credit. When the market starts to teeter, he realizes just how vulnerable his financial status is. Sound familiar to anyone? Wolfe probes the social landscape as he shows just how feeble even the wealthy are to financial ruin. Wolfe's delicious, wit-infused descriptions are abundant throughout his descriptions of the wives of the wealthy. Young, sexy second wives are lemon tarts and the more mature wives are social x-rays. It took Wolfe eleven years to construct his much anticipated A Man in Full. His novel is so expansive that it spans from an extremely affluent real estate developer in Atlanta and political intrigue to a poor boy working in a food packing warehouse in Pittsburg, CA. My hometown and the hometown of many other students who attend SSU, Danville, CA, is epitomized as the American dream that the poor protagonist strives to attain. The protagonist even attends my alma mater, Diablo Valley College. He intimately describes the northern Californian landscape and the nearly impossible struggle for the poor to reach their dream. All the obstacles that threaten a black Atlanta athlete and a young white father in the Bay Area are written in excruciating detail. I am Charlotte Simmons (2004) is a refreshingly honest look at a brilliant college student from Appalachia who experiences class prejudice and disillusionment when she attends a prestigious university. She is an extremely strong character who steers through the sheer loneliness and unwanted admirers. She is a strong character who avoids the snobs and actually saves the towering 6'10” athlete. Wolfe brilliantly shows the precarious position sexual harassment forces women into. Who knew that a sixty year old man could speak the truth about a young woman's experience better than most young women? Wolfe accurately shows that just because she is a young woman doesn't mean she will only have happy romances. Wolfe illustrates how materialism and the rampant promiscuity create a schism that isolates many students. She scours to find any meaning in the people around her. He poignantly shows how passive a woman can feel in a socially desolate environment is and how she can feel forced into relationships. On a random Google search, I discovered that his next novel is set to be published sometime this year. After combing the internet, I couldn't find any more information concerning its release date. His next and forth novel, Back in Blood (2010), is set in Miami. Among its gallery of characters are Haitian, Russian, and Cuban immigrants. Who knows what Miami will look like after the catastrophic Haitian earthquake? He will undoubtedly portray a fascinating yet intimate look at Miami. I look forward to reading it and I hope you will check it out. - Heather Murray Questions for the author? Want to comment on the blog? Email us at nicolais@sonoma.edu and we'll post your questions and comments. | |
