🌏🌇"America, Their America" by J.P. Clark

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About Apollo Africa

The original Heinemann African Writers Series was launched in 1962 with the publication of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Cyprian Ekwensi’s Burning Grass and Kenneth Kaunda’s Zambia Shall Be Free, with Achebe himself acting as an editorial advisor. Over the next 40 years, the series continued to publish the best writing from across the African continent.

One of the founding aims of the Heinemann series was to make books by African writers available to as wide a readership as possible. Apollo Africa – a collaboration between Black Star Books and Head of Zeus – is proud to continue this work, ensuring novels, essays, poetry and plays from the original series are once again made available to readers all over the world.

AMERICA, THEIR AMERICA

J. P. Clark

Black Star Books and Head of Zeus would like to thank the following organisations:The Miles Morland Foundation, The Ford Foundation, and Africa No Filter.This publication was made possible through their support.

First published by André Deutsch in 1964

Published in the Heinemann African Writers Series in 1968 by Heinemann Educational Publishers

This edition published in 2024 by Black Star Books and Head of Zeus, part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

The moral right of J. P. Clark to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This reprint is published by arrangement with Pearson Education Limited.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN (PB): 9781035900756

ISBN (E): 9781803288895

Head of Zeus Ltd

First Floor East

5–8 Hardwick Street

London EC1R 4RG

WWW.HEADOFZEUS.COM

For RUTH and SAM, CAT and ISRAEL,

NAOMI, GLORIA, NORMA and DICK WATKINS

as well as JAMES WARD, SAM ALLEN, RUTH JETT

and others who gave me backing even when the going

seemed bad for me in the United States, and who I

know will not ride this hobby-horse of mine down

a course or to posts I had at no time in mind.

Contents

Title Page

Dedication

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1: Initiations

Chapter 2: Days with the Dailies

Chapter 3: The Blacks

Chapter 4: Among Actors

Chapter 5: The American Dream

🌏🌇"America, Their America" by J.P. Clark

Overview:

Plot: The novel follows the protagonist, likely modeled after J.P. Clark himself, who travels to the U.S. on a scholarship. As he navigates the American academic, social, and cultural landscape, he is confronted with the realities of race, inequality, and the American way of life, which often stands in stark contrast to the ideals presented to outsiders. The protagonist’s journey is marked by disillusionment and a critical reflection on Western culture through the lens of an African intellectual.

Setting: Set primarily in the United States, the novel explores university campuses, urban spaces, and perhaps other regions that emphasize the sharp social divides in American society during the 1960s. The setting plays a critical role in highlighting the alienation and culture shock experienced by the protagonist.

Themes:

Cultural alienation: A major theme is the protagonist’s feeling of estrangement in a foreign land that presents itself as a land of opportunity but, in reality, is fraught with contradictions.
Racism and inequality: The novel deals with the theme of racial discrimination and class disparity in the U.S., as viewed from an outsider's perspective.
Identity and belonging: As the protagonist experiences American society, he reflects on his own identity as an African and his place in a world that is dominated by Western power structures.
Critique of Western civilization: J.P. Clark offers a sharp critique of American and, by extension, Western ideals, questioning the narrative of America as a moral and cultural leader.

Characters:

Protagonist: A Nigerian intellectual who is the author's alter ego, struggling to reconcile his expectations of America with the reality he encounters. His journey is one of increasing skepticism and critical reflection.

American academics and peers: The novel likely features a variety of American characters, including academics, fellow students, and everyday people, who help to illustrate the cultural and racial divides in American society.

Style:

🌏🌇"America, Their America" by J.P. Clark