The Fall of Rome

by Martha Southgate

The only African-American faculty member of an exclusive New England boys' boarding school, Jerome Washington spends his life isolated from his peers and students, until the arrival of Rashid Bryson, a bright, young African-American student, forces him to come to terms with his own self-hatred as the two become embroiled in a tragic triangle with a new white female teacher, Jana Hansen. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, African American, Contemporary, Boarding School, Literary Fiction, Race, School

219 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Martha Southgate is the author of four novels. Her newest, The Taste of Salt, is available in bookstores and online now. Her previous novel, Third Girl from the Left won the Best Novel of the Year award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was shortlisted for the PEN/Beyond Margins Award and the Hurston/Wright Legacy award. Her novel The Fall of Rome received the 2003 Alex Award from the American Library Association and was named one of the best novels of 2002 by Jonathan Yardley of the Washington Post. She is also the author of Another Way to Dance, which won the Coretta Scott King Genesis Award for Best First Novel. She received a 2002 New York Foundation for the Arts grant and has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Bread Loaf Writers Conference. Her July 2007 essay from the New York Times Book Review, “Writers Like Me” received considerable notice and appears in the anthology Best African-American Essays 2009. Previous non-fiction articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, O, Premiere, and Essence.

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this novel through an article on the website Off The Shelf while searching for books about one of my favourite subjects - private schools.

Over the years I've read some of the better known novels by picking them up for different reasons - Prep, The Secret History, and Never Let Me Go - and enjoying each of its own accord (though I was disappointed by The Secret History at the time).

The Fall of Rome was the only book I could not seem to find an e-copy of easily, and it being a very short novel, I immediately put a hold on it through the library.

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the novel, but since I already enjoy the setting, I thought it would be easier to try something new - I am getting a little sick of thrillers.

I was rewarded with a newfound appreciation for the issues surrounding interracial relationships and racial conflict. The book was beautifully written. Southgate has created a hateful character within the Black community in the form of Jerome, but one whom I feel we can all learn from. Although Jerome frustrated me, I really got a sense of his perspective and that his hatred was not blind. It was very different from books that spew hate and controversy like Annie on my Mind. I gave it a full five stars because I felt changed.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, serene and sad, think Dead Poets Society meets Go Tell it on the Mountain. A first novel which is remarkable. If you have a thing for novels/movies about inspirational teachers but also get the difficulties of teaching and working in education itself, I cannot recommend this book enough.

[JoBeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Roberta Gardner for recommending this study in race and social class brilliantly portrayed in a 3-voiced story that I could not put down. The setting is at elite Connecticut boys school, Chelsea, mid 1990s. Their voices and lives intersect in unexpected ways, yet remain distinctive.
Jerome Washington, Latin instructor: I have been the only Negro on the faculty (A note: I am fully aware that Negro is no longer the fashionable term. It is, however, the term I prefer to use)....When I was hired, ...the headmaster...said, 'It's time that the Chelsea School took note of the advances your people have made...I know you'll take this in the spirit in which it's intended - you're truly a credit to your race." ...I did take Hays's comment as the compliment he meant it to be - though i suppose many would not have.
Rashid Bryson, first year Black student with limited financial means from NYC: The schoolwork at Chelsea was so much more dense and intricate than anything he'd ever down before. He felt that eyes were on him every second, here, back home, everywhere. everything weighed on him....It seemed as though he'd learned almost nothing...Jokes he didn't get because he didn't know who some snowboard was. Seeing a picture of this bearded German guy, Freud, and being the only one who didn't recognize him. [interestingly, his chapters are always in 3rd person while the other two speak in first person]
Jana Hansen, White English teacher coming from years of public school teaching in Cleveland: (on learning that one of her Cleveland students had been arrested) How could i have not known about his other life? Not his other life. His life. And how close he was to throwing it away even as i thought I was doing him some good...Something about Jason - that smile he gave me the last time i saw him, the way he worked so hard to understand what he was reading - made losing him worse...I got one postcard from Jason. All it said was, "Im Sorry." I didn't write back. What was I going to say?

[Ozimandias · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather compelling novel about three characters who "live at the margins of the elite" by being in an an all-boys school for the wealthy and priveleged, with some "lower class" kids added in to secure school funding. Jerome Washington, Latin/Classics teacher, Negro, as he likes to call himself, can be said to be part of that affirmative action. Rashid Bryson, decades later, is also there for the same reason. The difference between the two, and really the whole point of the book, is how they view themselves vis-a-vis this rarified world. Washington is very much a modern Booker T. Washington, if such a thing exists. He really feels that helping out those who look like him denegrates his accomplishments and creates slackers who don't appreciate the opportunities they are given. He is a traditional, make-no-waves, work-until-they-appreciate-you type of black man, much like Booker T. Bryson comes into the school overwhelmed by a system that is set to cater to those who have come from great homes with parents who read to them. Rashid feels the pressure of succeeding in this environment and finds that Mr. Washington is not on his side. Rashid is an affront to how Jerome lives his life. Rashid refuses to keep his head low, his concerns to himself. He struggles with the weight of it, made worse by Washington's passive-aggressive attacks on him. It is a tragic tale of a man who constructed a vision of himself that did not jibe with reality. Jerome can think that the world will see him as an individual, free of racial implication, but the only way to achieve that, as he finds out, is to have no real connections to others at all. A really good read, although I find Jerome's outcome to be rather unsympathetic, and at times, unjustly so.

[Janea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the fact that you get to experience this story through three different perspectives. It brings a lot of racial issues out for discussion without being too aggressive about it. I will admit I cried several times while reading from Rashid's point of view. It's worth the read.

[Vika · Rating 5 out of 5]

i firmly believe that dark academia is more about existential issues and crises brought on by acquiring knowledge than the fact that someone got murdered on campus - which is why this older novel by martha southgate is in my opinion a prime example of the genre. the main theme here is internalized racism which was refreshing (albeit not relaxing) to read about since dark academia focused on people of color is unfortunately still not easy to find. i was particularly thrilled to see the following question explored: is a member of a marginalized community who "made it" under moral obligation to help the other members of that community to achieve the same results? and while in the end the book gives you the answer you might expect, it does explore the complexities of the issue carefully.

but far from being "just" an exercise in themes, the novel weaves together the three character portraits of its protagonists masterfully. jerome washington was a character who i, as someone who came from a relatively basic background to work in a field as elitist as art history, was particularly impacted by. the romance subplot was a surprisingly welcome addition as well. now i believe that every dark academia book should feature a passionate love affair between people in their late 40s😌

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I have been reading a lot of books about outsiders at prep schools as of late. This is almost the best of the books that I have read, but I am still conflicted about the book. First, I have to admit that it was a compelling read, there were moments when I really did not want to put it down. Second, I think her choice of creating an antagonism between an inner-city African American boy and the only African American member of the faculty was an inspired one. Which leads us into my largest problem with the book. Though the choice for a central conflict was an inspired one, her characterization of Jerome Williams, the aforementioned teacher, was flat and at best two-dimensional. By the end, the character was unbelievably absurd. I couldn't help but feeling that the central message of her novel was: African-Americans with a more conservative outlook on racial relations are inherently damaged and in grave danger of a psychological implosion. The novel flirts with and then seemingly discards that idea that African Americans can derive great meaning from cultural traditions other than their own. Perhaps I am taking this all a bit too personally because I am an African American teacher in an independent school who teaches a Western Civilization course that focuses heavily on the classical tradition. At any rate, this struck me as a good book that could have very well been great.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is why I read books!! I was about to dismiss this book because of its title. Then I considered what I would have titled it otherwise. I'm not quite sure, because you wouldn't want to sell it cheap.

The revolving perspectives in each chapter is an interesting device. I found it intriguing that the author chose first person for some of the characters but third for the young man. The examination of both race and class issues was handled thoughtfully. It felt like a movie at some points--in that I was casting actors from The Wire as the main characters (Lance Reddick and Tristan Wilds). The character of the Caucasian woman was compelling as the author is African American. Usually, Caucasian attempt to write from the perspective of African Americans. I thought Southgate was successful in capturing the voice of a middle-class, middle-aged divorcee.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I found the author's choice to tell the story through the eyes of three separate characters effective. Each of the three characters including a black teenager, a black male teacher and a white female teacher experienced the events in the book differently as filtered by their unique life experiences.

I had not heard of this author before reading an August 12th review of Katherine Stockett's The Help. This review included a short piece written by Ms Southgate. It was less than complimentary of Ms Stockett's novel on many levels. Her comments made me want to read this novel which also dealt with race relations but in contemporary times rather than in the midst of the civil rights movement of the early sixties.

I recommend this book and also plan to check out the author's next novel, The Taste of Salt.

[Nah'Shon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so powerful. Being that Jerome had just transferred to a new school, he was completely shy. He didn't fit in naturally, and ultimately he wasn't as comfortable with his surroundings. However, one trait that I am thankful Martha Southgate highlighted is Jerome's perseverance. No matter what transpired and how doubtful Jerome had gotten, he never fell prey to his situation - definitely made lemonade out of the lemons that life had given him. Good job Mrs.Martha Southgate for a wonderful success story! I would recommend this book to anyone who struggles with fitting in and adapting to new situations outside of normal comfort zones.

[John Bohnert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a most unusual novel about an all-boys boarding school.
I found this writer's style engrossing.
I'm very glad that I read this book.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, like seriously it was well written, quietly intelligent, eloquent, intriguing and thought provoking I just wish there wasn't so much I would change about it to make it amazing..So I have heard of the author Ms. Southgate before as an author and a newspaper columnist so I was excited to read this as it was promoted as being real and controversial and it was--it tells the story of an all boys private school with primarily white affluent boys attending and succeeding in life as is their way with one lone black instructor and the most intriguing character in the book Mr. Jerome Washington, a self described Negro from the seventies, Harvard graduate and of all things a Latin/Classics professor (pause: for here friends let me just say that it has always been a nerd dream of mine to learn Latin and be fluent in the dead language no one speaks but everyone knows as basically every language derives from it-sigh to learn Latin) okay back so Mr. Washington is like I said the most complex and layered character as he deals with blatant and subtle racism daily, self hatred, resentment and all kinds of race hating old ways as he tries to model himself as respectable, and competent adhering and leaning heavily on the doctrine of the Roman empire and its ways of manhood and so as the only black teacher with not many black students you would think he would want to help our other main character Rashid, a young black youth from the inner city who was recently accepted to the school and eager to make a friend of Mr. Washington, however the rigid Mr. Washington wants no part of helping him just because he is black and in fact goes harder on him, to make him tougher even after finding out he is a naturally gifted athlete and even after the third character is introduced: my least favorite a middle aged divorced white woman newly hired to teach fresh from an inner city public school who takes to Rashid and the trio from there make up the tense storyline with the conclusion that honestly...So yea to sum up Jana the white woman teacher had the least interesting part and could have been eliminated but the description of Mr. Washington and Rashid made up for it and I wish the scenes with those two were expounded on, in fact I wish the entire book was longer to describe in detail more of the buildup and the internal struggles...so close to an all powerful book with just enough promise I had to give it another star,looking forward to reading more from her..side note--man Mr. Washington and his lovable evil academic sternness reminded me so much of another book I loved and must read/own again Gentlemen and Players by Joanna Harris, same guy man I just adore an academic LOL..Next book please :)

[Liralen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminded me somewhat of Black Boy White School, although “The Fall of Rome” was published earlier and is arguably considerably more complex.

Much of this complexity owes itself to the multiple points of view, especially those of Jerome and Jana. Rashid’s story is important, but it’s also the most straightforward of the stories, rendering it sometimes predictable. Jana is a realistic blend of optimism and fatigue –- she still believes that she can make a difference, but she’s more or less given up on trying to do so in inner-city schools. She’s restrained, too, which is nice -– this is not a portrait of an idealistic young white teacher single-handedly turning the school on its head and making it fully racially integrated.

But it’s Jerome who is, to my mind, most interesting. Even as readers gain insight into his background and views, the other main players of the book are left in the dark. They can see his views -– somewhat outdated and arguably tinged with internalised racism –- but do not understand, or seek to understand, those views.

So when Rashid struggles and Jerome fails to help him –- or to connect with him –- it is not within the capacity of the other characters (and only gradually enters the readers’ capacity) to understand why. Although the book could have pushed it further, we see the different impacts that racism has had on the lives of the various characters and how that has influenced them to think and act.

I don’t think this is a groundbreaking book (and I agree with reviewers who say that some blurbs for it are misleading), but it’s thought-provoking.

[Lucy Barnhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautifully lyrical, profoundly sad without being sentimental, and hopeful without being blindly optimistic. Southgate's evocation of rough Brooklyn streets and the unreal beauties of autumn at a Connecticut boarding school has an eerie perfection, each detail delicately balanced. One of the most remarkable things about the book, to me, is how such a slim novel manages to address several big issues without becoming unwieldy. Gaps in generational understanding are dealt with, as parent-child and pupil-teacher relationships are described from multiple perspectives. The book's principle characters all come up with different answers to the questions of how we make the personal political, of how social realities affect individual choices, and (not least) what class and race mean in the US at the turn of the twenty-first century. Despite the ambitiousness of this project, Southgate's writing never feels forced or pretentious. Also, I feel Southgate's quiet, warm portrayal of friendships between women deserves a mention, so rare is it to have such attention given to such relationships. I have a weakness for boarding school fiction as a genre, but this book transcends that. It would make a great addition to the reading list of any book club, but especially book clubs interested in intersectional feminism.

[Continualknowledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awww I do like Martha Southgate!!!! But I don't always like her characters and this is one such book where I struggled to like at different times all of the main characters. That's what I like about Southgate, she doesn't give you predictable characters. She presents them in their complexity, with nuances and debatable traits. What I enjoyed about this story is that she presents African Americans not as one monolithic group and does an admirable if not short-sighted look at some individuals who think and believe as Jerome Washington does. Mr. W isn't an anomaly but he is an anomaly in most fiction that looks at African Americans. While I think he could have been rounded out a bit, she does a good job of presenting his background and why he could believe the way he believes. I also liked the death of a brother as a way of showing how different people respond to the same event. And I also don't think she missed the mark with Rashid's feelings of fear at the predominantly white, male school. I've seen college students feel the same thing.

[Canice Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the set up of this novel on how you had three main characters and you saw thier point of view of an issue and not just what someone thought they were thinking. You have three main characters Jerome Washington who is a black teacher, Rashid Bryson who is a student, and Jana Hansen who is a white teacher. These characters lives intertwine and unexpectedly shows who your friends are and who your enemies are. This book is set in a boarding school that is predominantly white and only one member of the faculty who is black. Rashid who was raised in a tough neighborhood decided he wanted better and is accepted into the all boys boarding school. He is forced to deal with his past as well as battle with his present. This was a great novel that I would recommend to boys between the ages of 11-19 and to adults I feel who might not have mastered the idea of colorblindness and tolerance.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I teach at an all-boys private school, many moments of this book rang true to me. What did not feel so realistic, however, was the character of Mr. Washington...I just felt like there should be more nuance to the character, who instead felt like such a wooden figure. The interplay between the two African-American main characters intrigued me, but ultimately I felt like the teacher's side of it was too rigid to be believed. Good story...certainly would be great for a conversation on themes of race and class in such a setting.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't even know about this book until the church book club in which I was a member selected it one month. It was wonderful, refreshing and not at all what I expected. I'm looking foward to reading some of Ms. Southgate's other titles. If only I had more time (smile).

[wordLife · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick, easy, and good read... engulfing...

[Tasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure this is a great book. It wasn't for me. I wanted to like it but I just didn't care about the characters at all.

[Angela Gyurko · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Why should I help anyone? No one helped me and I turned out just fine. -- If this is something you believe, you didn't turn out just fine." I saw this meme recently, and it reminded me of a boss I had decades ago, a boss who deliberately undercut women, because that's what her male bosses did to her in the 70s and 80s, because only the tough survive.

Having lived through the feminist version of Mr. Washington, I found the characterization of him in this novel spot on, a point I know many reviewer disagree with. I suspect the critics who fault the characterization never met a Mr. Washington (lucky ducks!), let alone worked for one.

That aside, Southgate's effective capturing of teens makes this book. From Rashid's simmering rage to Jana's still-fresh memories of jubilance of kids doing what they love, there is an authenticity to this book that resonates.

This novel may have come out too soon. Ms. Southgate might have given this gift to the world before it was ready. Now that discussions like Mr. Bryson's speech are commonplace, I think it is time for this novel to reemerge to a new set of readers.

[Lyn Nguyen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I did finish this book pretty quick, don't be fooled. I was not driven by my interest in the book but rather I just wanted it to be over sooner rather than later.

I wanted this book to be sentimental and important, however, it was jaded by poor writing and an unneeded romance. These were the two main aspects that shifted the book from being impactful to sloppy. The author did not provide enough background for the characters and you could only ever know what they felt when they spoke their feelings aloud.

The reason I add two stars is because I feel I did learn something new. Although I did not know the characters well, I did find Mr. Washington interesting. Being a black man in the 1990's, he has a strong prenotion that everyone deserved what they got and that his success came solely from his efforts. His values stop him from being progressive and allowing other black people to be just as successful as himself.

Overall, I was disappointed.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not badly written. I’m just afraid racist white people are going to use this fictional character as a reference when they are arguing to keep black kids out of rich white schools. “Well, I read about this one black man who was really intelligent and he taught in a rich white school and HE didn’t think the school should recruit more black students on the basis of race. So why should I want more black kids to attend my child’s rich white school?”

Recently there was a video posted online of rich white people ENRAGED by the fact that more poor kids and people of color would be attending their children’s precious schools. They were absolutely vicious. It was ugly.

I don’t have any answers about integrated education . This book was fine.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a novel that inspires visceral responses, and The Fall of Rome exemplifies realistic fiction’s capability to truly move you. As someone who experienced single sex prep school education, I recognized Rashid’s struggles with identity. I identified with his desire to invest in himself as a Black man coming up in a white world by attending private school. Like me, Rashid runs toward this promise of social mobility only to find an unwelcoming environment. Here’s the truth: white man ridicules the Black man for not educating himself, but when the Black man takes up the classroom, then the white man ridicules him for daring to try. It’s a paradox, a conundrum that people like Rashid and myself can’t escape. I thoroughly appreciate Southgate’s exploration of race in elite classrooms.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fall of Rome by Martha Southgate is an experience I wish I could keep on experiencing. Quickly becoming one of my favorites, Southgate demonstrates race relations to a tee. Being a Mexican male from a predominately minority area to institutions full of people not like me, Rashid's story comes close to home. Maybe this is why I love this book so much. The depiction of Rashid's life is so real and raw that it needs to be documented and represented more. I highly recommend this book for anyone, as it's such a good read.

[Cyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I picked this up for 50 cents at my local bookstore's remainder rack. Excellent novel about what it means to be Black in the first years of the 21st century. Well crafted story. It would make an excellent discussion prompt for a teen group. I will look for more of Southgate's work.

[DeWayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, providing multiple perspectives on the events unfolding, and remarkably relevant nearly twenty years after its publication. Was disappointed, however, in the way the story ended--after such a well-developed plot, it just dropped off too quickly for me.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good and thought provoking! A really interesting look at race relations and education systems. A quick read and a page-turner. Very relevant and I hope more people will read this book!

[Evan Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating examination of being an outsider in an environment inherently not built for you. Speaks well to the realities of the dichotomy of race and class within private school while being frame from the viewpoint of compelling characters.

[Lukia · Rating 3 out of 5]

as campus novels go, this one’s strong—and refused to indulge in any of the usual flowery accoutrement that often accompanies the setting. perfectly nice, if just a bit grandiose and ambitious at points.