The Nigger Factory

by Gil Scott-Heron

The scathing second novel by the legendary poet, musician and Godfather of Rap is a work of “biting social satire” (Daily Express).   Originally published in 1972, Gil Scott-Heron’s striking novel The Nigger Factory is a powerful parable of the way in which human beings are conditioned to think, drawing inspiration from Scott-Heron’s own experiences as a student in the late 1960’s and early 70’s.   Earl Thomas, student body president at Sutton University, is in a difficult struggling with the fact that even a historically black college could be part of a system that still privileges whites, he’s also threatened by his fellow students, members of radical activist group MJUMBE. Claiming the time has come for revolution, not reform, the leaders of MJUMBE are poised not only to bring Earl down personally, but also to instigate larger scale acts of violence.   An electrifying novel, The Nigger Factory is a penetrating examination of the different forms of resistance and the motivations behind them, and a major document of an era of black thought.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, African American, Literature, American, Race, Novels

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Gilbert Scott Heron was born in 1949. His mother was a librarian and his father a soccer player from Jamaica. In his youth Heron displayed both sporting prowess and academic ability (he won a place at Pennsylvania Lincoln University, like his role model Langston Hughes, the Harlem Renaissance man). But he quit college after the first year to write his first novel, The Vulture (1970). While Heron was writing this the ferment of black politics and student radicalism was coming to a head, and his second novel The Nigger Factory (1972) reflects these developments.
Heron has been more adventurous in his work as a musician and rapper.

Reviews

[Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting book by a prolific artist. I just wasn’t that hooked to the story.

[jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

the nigger factory, published in 1972, is gil scott-heron’s second novel. altogether different from his first work, the vulture, the nigger factory relays the tale of campus unrest at the fictional sutton university, a black college in virginia. more overtly political than his previous novel, this story is the result of scott-heron’s obvious frustration with the american higher education system. in the author’s note that precedes the text, he writes, “change is overdue. fantasies about the american dream are now recognized by black people as hoaxes… a college diploma is not a ticket on the freedom train. it is, at best, an opportunity to learn about the systems that control life and destroy life: an opportunity to cut through the hypocrisy and illusion that america represents. new educational aspects must be discovered… the main trouble in higher education lies in the fact that while the times have changed radically, educators and administrators have continued to plod along through the bureaucratic red tape that stalls so much american progress.”

whereas the nigger factory is perhaps more predictable than the vulture, it is possessed by a far greater urgency and sense of purpose. at no point does scott-heron delve into proselytizing, instead he merely offers an all too realistic scenario of what happens when a progressive, dynamic force for change confronts an unyielding, entrenched power system. this book is a fascinating exploration of a turbulent period, but also of an ongoing struggle yet to find resolution. gil scott-heron’s observations are keen, his storytelling ability well developed, and his sense of justice carefully considered.

with canongate books republishing both the vulture and the nigger factory this year and a new album due out in february (i’m new here), the godfather of rap, and his art, ought to be enjoying a well-deserved resurgence in popularity.

[Emre · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Tanrı olsaydı bunlar olmazdı." Sf:122

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of things that I will and will not do for love. If the list of absolutes should include being a father, in the myriad definitions of that designation, or treating my fellow humans as sisters and brothers—well...that’s great and all that. Sure. But way above that bullshit is a dealbreaker nonpareil: I will not—may be ontologically, even physically, unable to—talk shit about Gil Scott-Heron. The series of records he made with Brian Jackson (and the Midnight Band), starting with Winter In America, mark one of the great runs in music. The Scott-Heron/Jackson partnership is one of the great musical duos, end of story. The point here is that I cannot and won’t even try to divorce the huge piece of coronary tissue devoted to The First Minute of a New Day or, fuck me, From South Africa to South Carolina from this book, its creator, and where it fits within that HUGE contribution to American Arts, Black White and Blue.

This review is really only for people that give a shit about this kind of shit. But consider this: the same year The Nigger Factory came out, Scott-Heron released Free Will. This is an album that has Hubert Laws on it…with Bernard MOTHERF*CKING Purdie killing his kit. “Wiggy” drops the same year as The Nigger Factory? How? One must suppose that Gil finished the book by 1971, somewhere between cementing his Jacksonian alliance and releasing goddamn Pieces of A Man (bottom end: Ron Carter and Pretty Purdie)! Taken as a whole, then, between 1970 and 1974, you have: 125th and Lenox (you know “Whitey on the Moon,” even if you don’t think you do); The Vulture (his first novel); Pieces of a Man, Free Will: The Nigger Factory; Winter in America (“The Bottle;” same as “Whitey” in ubiquity and brilliance, but dirty…); and “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” (forming the triangle of Gil songs that would change the future of music and entitle a titular comp of singles). That is, at maximum, a five-year period of a person’s life. I’ve spent five-year periods mulling over the lit end of my cigarette, pained to decide whether I was going to switch brand after decades.

The point? Well, I love Gil Scott-Heron (and Brian Jackson, but here/there). I can’t remove that affection from my reading this (very) surprisingly linear and—who’d a thunk it?—nuanced tour through campus revolt at a fictional Virginian all-Black college. The worst I can liable it with is underwhelming, but this with a caveat: to me, it is slightly underwhelming (at worst) in the context of all of the above, aka that it is the issue of the same mind that spearheaded or co-led the above pieces of MY soul. So, is my take even remotely book qua book? Hell, no. But if you dig Black Arts Movement novels that reference whole lyrical passages by The Last Poets; WAY-too-graphic-but-hilariously-anatomically-precise sex passages lucid enough to be educational; holistically informed and steel solid theorizing upon whether campus revolt is a vehicle with any true capaciousness for intra-stolidity, much less institutional change; and enough beautiful, delicious cigarettes smoked by a a young stud protag to give this reader nic fits of a scope not felt since 7th grade? I have got the book for you. Few records, too.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I'm a big fan of Scott-Heron's music and wanted to see if Scott-Heron the novelist was on par with Scott-Heron the musician. In short, the book did not disappoint.

A look at student unrest at a fictional black college in Virginia, The Nigger Factory follows an interesting cast of characters as they try to overthrow the university's status quo against a hard-headed and strict university president.

The story moves slowly in the beginning, but makes up for it in the end--almost too much. I found myself wanting the book to continue, not because the writing was so great (the writing is good), but because so much action was packed into the last 30 or so pages. The ending itself felt too abrupt and I found myself without closure for most of the books's characters.

All in all a good read and the fact that it was written by a musical icon certainly helps.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gil Scott-Heron's novel is so massively underrated! It captures the spirit and political workings of campus protest that resonates even today. So much of the machinations that Scott-Heron depicts, at about a hair's breadth away from satire, apply to even my majority white liberal arts college, from the wimpy president hiding behind the strength of his position, to the faculty cautious but unwilling to be aligned with administration, to the neoliberal anxieties of student government and the student activists that, you know, are right but could do with a few less bombs being thrown (metaphorically, in my case). Everyone involved in higher academics should read this book.

[Mert Toparlak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muazzam, kesinlikle muazzam bir kitap

[Joost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important reading for every student and Gil Scott-Heron fans.

Was expecting something like The Vulture (Scott-Heron's first novel). Not at all disappointed, but I found Scott-Heron's capacity to grasp the atmosphere of 70's New York a lot more exciting than the Virginia scenario in The Factory.
The story took a while to develop into exciting and thrilling scenes. Though the ending seemed quite abrupt, I nevertheless liked it.
The timespan of the story was hard to follow at moments, since it only spans 2,5 days.
All together a good piece and looking forward to jump into Scott-Herons memoir.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite it's inflammatory title, Scott-Heron (yes, THE Scott-Heron--as in, the musician)'s novel is an excellent allegory for the institutionalized racism in contemporary American education. Microcosmically, the concerns of the novel's protagonists are how to progress against the latent, deeply-rooted prejudices of higher education. With its origins in Greek culture, academia (note the Greek word) remains in a system of hierarchies which subjugates members of groups not associated with the hegemony. On Sutton University's campus, the black students no longer wish to participate in an education that falsely promises a future for them.

At a macro level, the novel represents far more complex issues with racial progress, particularly within the black community. Earl, the SGA president, has ideas of using the system for the advantage of his people. The radical MJUMBE student group, conversely, believes the system must be destroyed altogether and be rebuilt. These interests collide with the black president, Calhoun, who has given up his progressive ideas for a seat within the academic hierarchy.

Well-written (except for sentimental sections concerning boy and girl relationships) and poignant, it's also important to point out the occasions of sexism in the novel, suggesting Scott-Heron is not beyond recognizing the multi-layered effects of prejudice.

Ultimately, Scott-Heron seems to advocate for non-violent approaches to racism. He illustrates the destructive problems that occur when peace is not available.

[Susan Steed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuck, this book is depressing.

I picked it up thinking it was going to be a satire about the state of the American Education system. The authors note contains this statement:

“Change is overdue. Fantasies about the American Dream are now recognized by Black people as hoaxes and people are tired of trying to become a part of something that deprives them of the necessities of life even after years of bogus study in preparation for this union. A college union is not a ticket on the Freedom Train. It is, at best, an opportunity to learn more about the systems that control life and destroy life: an opportunity to cut through the hypocrisy and illusion that America represents”.

But the stuff it makes you really think about is about how change can happen and if it can happen. Who is fighting for what, who is leading the fight, who you are for and who you are against.

[Tunde · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book. as a product of two hbcu's i could relate to the struggle that the the student's faced in the book and the methods they used to try to resolve these issues. the one thing i didn't like about the book is its abrupt ending.

[Dustbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

jordan reccomended me this boo and it turned out really to actually be a really great book

[Batuhan Sarıcan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zenci Fabrikası, sadece üç gün süren bir ayaklanmaya mercek tutuyor gibi görünse de aslında ABD'nin kanla dolu siyahî mücadele tarihinin tamamına ayna tutuyor. Sadece Sutton'da değil, o dönem baskı altına alınan tüm siyahîlerin Kent State, Orangeburg, Jackson State ve Selma'da havaya kaldırdıkları tek yumruğun, yönetim gücüne sahip olanlara karşı olmayanların, kurulu düzene karşı değişimin, baskıcılığa karşı özgürlüğün hikâyesini anlatıyor.

(K24'teki kitap incelememden bir kesit)

[Hex75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

siamo in america, nel post-68, in un'università frequentata da neri: il luogo ideale per permettere all'immenso gil scott-heron di mettere in scena i due aspetti della rivolta giovanile, quello "legalitario" che cerca di usare leggi e regolamenti per cambiare lo status quo e quello "movimentista"/"stradaiolo", che è stanco di aspettare ed è pronto a prendersi i suoi diritti "con ogni mezzo necessario" (citazione NON casuale e peraltro presente nel romanzo). i secondi -il gruppo informale mjumbe, che già solo dal nome ti evoca un mondo simil black panthers con il miles davis più funk a far da colonna sonora- voglion far le scarpe al rappresentate dei primi, ma non tutto andrà come avevano previsto. intorno varie storie black di quelle che abbiamo conosciuto da ste parti attraverso film e canzoni, e la storia sembra assolutamente verosimile. e allora? e allora manca qualcosa, ti alzi da tavola non ancora sazio: ok. forse è giusto così, sappiamo che il finale sarà più cronaca da quotidiano che romanzo, però l'avremmo letto volentieri. e certi personaggi avrebbero meritato qualcosina in più. insomma, mancava pochissimo per avere un piccolo capolavoro. abbiamo comunque una spaccato di una pagina di storia -le rivolte nere dei 70s- che hollywood non ci ha sempre raccontato bene e che non sempre filtra dai romanzi. right on, brothers and sisters, right on...

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so divergent from anything I've ever read - hard to rate it and I don't know if my 2.5 does it justice. It's been called satire and a parable. I dunno about that. What he was saying was pretty direct. This was not some sort of Candide at a 1970s HBCU deal. It was also called explosive and enraged - that's definitely true. I thought I knew where he came down on women until the end and it didn't go where I expected it to go, though there is some serious twists, turns and tension in the middle. Simple, complex and more about black males than anything else. A surprise find for me at the library.

[Amanda Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to have read loads of books set on college campus but this one was different as it's about an all Black college and revolution. I don't know enough about history to know if the two student factions were base on Martin Luther King and Malcolm X but it appears that way. Maybe because of the subject matter it reminded me of Do The Right Thing.

I love Gil Scott Heron and until i was given this book at Christmas I didn't know he wrote books. I want to make a corney joke like 'This revolution might not be telivised but will be written as a novel... but I won't.

[Frightful_elk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book constantly looking out for what Heron was trying to say. Half way through I relaxed and started enjoying it as a book, and was much better for it. This isn't propaganda, it's a good story about how we can get caught up in politics.

A great read from an exciting thinker. My one disappointment is that Heron who was so brilliant at deconstruction fails to deconstruct his idealised notions of masculinity and manhood.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authentic voices of the main characters, young black men and women, were very well-written. Heron touches upon the zeitgeist of the time, that civil rights that were won in the movement in the '60s needs to go further and recognise that black students may not want to study in whitewashed universities with Eurocentric values and ideals. A very interesting and thought-provoking read, certainly relevant back then.

[Ben]

surprisingly easy to read, some good characters. It starts off off like you're looking in on something that's maybe important to this handful of students but by the end of it you're drawn in and realise this is some pretty serious stuff.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This early novel by Gil Scott-Heron is set in the heated campus politics of the late 60s, where a black establishment comes into conflict with the radical forces of black power. Ironic and angry, just as Gil Scott-Heron's lyrics are.

[Thongglomeration · Rating 3 out of 5]

Must read again. Kind of political. The author is an excellent musician

[arjuna · Rating 3 out of 5]

GSH has a knack for nutshell description and the absurdities of life, politics, belief, fervour, hypocrisy, pride and disempowerment. Highly enjoyable.

[Deanna Burrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read with powerful writing and an interesting cast of characters. Insightful look at the black power movement and black male dominance. Abrupt ending.

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

plots and schemes; who's case is he arguing here?

EDIT: Based on a true story!!! Truly next level!!!

[Kathy-Ann Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of angst, anger, betrayal and determination. A really explosive read but I really did not like the end! But I guess it showed Baker and MJUMBE for who they truly were.

[Duane Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmmm. Not an easy read, due to way it's written. Kept on putting down to come back to it.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gil Scott-Heron proves that as an excellent musician, or bluesician
as he has referred to himself, AND The Godfather of Rap...he was
always a great writer, first and foremost!

[Hüseyin Tunç · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitabın baş kahramanı Andre Hickman, Sutton Üniversitesi’nde siyah öğrencilerin yaşadığı sorunlara duyarsız kalan beyaz yönetimle mücadele eden bir gazetecidir. Andre, üniversitenin siyah öğrenciler için ayrılmış olan yurdunda yaşamaktadır. Yurdun adı Zenci Fabrikası’dır ve Andre burada arkadaşlarıyla birlikte siyah kültürüne ait kitaplar okuyup müzik dinlemektedir. Andre’nin en yakın arkadaşı ise Jojo isimli bir aktivisttir. Jojo, siyah öğrencilerin haklarını savunan ve eylemler düzenleyen yeni bir örgüt kurmuştur. Bu örgütün adı ise Siyah Öğrenci Birliği’dir.

Andre ve Jojo, üniversitenin resmi Öğrenci Birliği ile de çatışma halindedir. Çünkü Öğrenci Birliği’nin başkanı olan Bradshaw, siyah öğrencilerin taleplerini görmezden gelmekte ve yönetimle işbirliği yapmaktadır. Bradshaw, siyah öğrencileri yatıştırmak için onlara küçük tavizler vermeye çalışırken, Jojo ise daha radikal eylemler planlamaktadır.

Kitabın sonunda Jojo’nun liderliğindeki Siyah Öğrenci Birliği, üniversitenin ana binasını işgal eder ve rektörü rehin alır. Bu eylem ulusal medyada büyük yankı uyandırır ve polis müdahalesine yol açar. Polis baskını sırasında Jojo vurulur ve ölür. Andre ise bu olaydan sonra üniversiteyi terk eder ve gazetecilik kariyerine devam eder.

Kitabın sonunda yazar, Andre’nin Jojo’nun anısına yazdığı bir şiiri okuyucuya sunar. Bu şiirde Andre, Jojo’nun devrimci ruhunu ve ideallerini övmekte ve onun yaşamının boşa gitmediğini söylemektedir.

Kitabın sonu şöyle biter:

"Jojo’yu tanımak benim için bir onurdu O benim kardeşimdi O benim arkadaşımdı O benim liderimdi O benim devrimcimdi O benim fabrikamdı"

[ΦΑΙΗ ΔΕΛΗΓΙΩΡΓΗ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Η Φάμπρικα των νέγρων, ακολουθεί μια ενδιαφέρουσα ομάδα χαρακτήρων καθώς προσπαθούν να ανατρέψουν Status quo, την υπάρχουσα κατάσταση των πραγμάτων, ενός αυστηρού πανεπιστημίακου συστήματος σε ένα κολέγιο μαύρων στη Βιρτζίνια . Το δεύτερο μυθιστόρημα του Gil Scott-Heron που μεταφράζεται στην Ελλάδα,διαδραματίζεται στην έντονη πολιτική σκηνή μιας πανεπιστημιούπολης στα τέλη της δεκαετίας του 60,όπου το κατεστημένο έρχεται σε σύγκρουση με τις ριζοσπαστικές δυνάμεις της μαύρης κοινότητας .Οι ανησυχίες των πρωταγωνιστών του μυθιστορήματος είναι πώς να αντιδράσουν ενάντια στις λανθάνουσες, βαθιά ριζωμένες προκαταλήψεις της εκπαίδευσης.Ο Ερλ Τόμας,πρόεδρος του φοιτητικού σώματος στο Πανεπιστήμιο, βρίσκεται σε δύσκολη θέση, και καλείτε να πάρει δύσκολες αποφάσεις παλεύοντας με το γεγονός ότι ακόμη και ένα ιστορικό μαύρο κολέγιο θα μπορούσε να είναι μέρος ενός συστήματος που εξακολουθεί να ειναι προνομιούχοι οι λευκοί.

Ένα ιδιαίτερο μυθιστόρημα,που αποτελεί μια διεισδυτική εξέταση των διαφορετικών μορφών αντίστασης και των κινήτρων πίσω από αυτές, σε ένα πολιτικοκοινωνικό σημαντικό ντοκουμέντο εποχής, γραμμένο από μια εμβληματική προσωπικότητα της παγκόσμιας μουσικής σκηνής,και ένα είδωλο του κινήματος των μαύρων τεχνών της Αμερικής των δεκαετιών του ’60 και του ’70 .Πολύ ενδιαφέρον και προκλητικό και σίγουρα επίκαιρο μέχρι και σήμερα .

[ozgurluk kurdu · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The revolution will not be televised"/"Devrim televizyondan yayınlanmayacak" sözüyle tanınan Gil Scott-Heron tarafından kaleme alınan eser, Sutton Üniversitesi'nde başlayan öğrenci ayaklanmaları aracılığıyla bir dönemin siyasi-politik taban hareketlerini gözler önüne seriyor. Üç gün içerisinde ayaklanmanın nasıl ortaya çıktığı, farklı gruplar tarafından hangi yönleri ile ele alındığı ve yönetilmeye çalışıldığı biz okurların gözlemine sunuluyor. Sürecin farklı paydaşlarının - okul yönetimi, öğrenciler, öğretim üyeleri, öğrenci toplulukları ve gayriresmi olarak ortaya çıkan ve işin şiddet tarafından kaçınmayan bir örgüt - konuya yaklaşımı oldukça detaylı bir şekilde aktarılmış. Kitap bu yönleri ile oldukça ilginç bir zenginlik sunuyor. Öğrencilerin isteklerini dile getirme süreci, bu süreçte kendilerini ifade etmek için seçtikleri temsilcinin uzun bir süre boyunca üzerine çalıştığı istek listesinin bir anda ortaya dökülmesi ve istekleri elde etme yolunda üç gün içerisinde ortaya çıkan olaylar zinciri... Bu tür konulara ilgi duyanlara veya bir şeyler öğrenmek isteyenlere önerimdir.