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Those Other People
In a somewhat episodic format the book brings problems such as racial bigotry, atempted rape, and incest to the reader's attention . . . The author treats her subject with sensitivity, compassion, and understanding.--The Horn Book.
- GenresFiction
186 pages, Hardcover
First published January 3, 1989
68 people want to read
About the author
Alice Childress
35 books65 followersAlice Childress (October 12, 1916 – August 14, 1994) was an American playwright, actor, and author.
She took odd jobs to pay for herself, including domestic worker, photo retoucher, assistant machinist, saleslady, and insurance agent. In 1939, she studied Drama in the American Negro Theatre (ANT), and performed there for 11 years. She acted in Abram Hill and John Silvera's On Strivers Row (1940), Theodore Brown's Natural Man (1941), and Philip Yordan's Anna Lucasta (1944). There she won acclaim as an actress in numerous other productions, and moved to Broadway with the transfer of ANT's hit comedy Anna Lucasta, which became the longest-running all-black play in Broadway history. Alice also became involved in social causes. She formed an off-broadway union for actors. Her first play, Florence, was produced off-Broadway in 1950.
Her next play, Just a Little Simple (1950), was adapted from the Langston Hughes' novel Simple Speaks His Mind. It was produced in Harlem at the Club Baron Theatre. Her next play, Gold Through the Trees (1952), gave her the distinction of being one of the first African-American women to have work professionally produced on the New York stage. Her next work, Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White, was completed in 1962. The setting of the show is South Carolina during World War I and deals with a forbidden interracial love affair. Due to the scandalous nature of the show and the stark realism it presented, it was impossible for Childress to get any theatre in New York to put it up. The show premiered at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and later in Chicago. It was not until 1972 that it played in New York at the New York Shakespeare Festival. It was later filmed and shown on TV, but many stations refused to play it.
In 1965, she was featured in the BBC presentation The Negro in the American Theatre. From 1966 to 1968, she was awarded as a scholar-in-residence by Harvard University at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
Alice Childress is also known for her literary works. Among these are Those Other People (1989) and A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich (1973). Also, she wrote a screenplay for the 1978 film based on A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich. Her 1979 novel A Short Walk was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Childress described her writing as trying to portray the have-nots in a have society. In conjunction with her composer husband, Nathan Woodard, she wrote a number of musical plays, including Sea Island Song and Young Martin Luther King.
(from Wikipedia)
She took odd jobs to pay for herself, including domestic worker, photo retoucher, assistant machinist, saleslady, and insurance agent. In 1939, she studied Drama in the American Negro Theatre (ANT), and performed there for 11 years. She acted in Abram Hill and John Silvera's On Strivers Row (1940), Theodore Brown's Natural Man (1941), and Philip Yordan's Anna Lucasta (1944). There she won acclaim as an actress in numerous other productions, and moved to Broadway with the transfer of ANT's hit comedy Anna Lucasta, which became the longest-running all-black play in Broadway history. Alice also became involved in social causes. She formed an off-broadway union for actors. Her first play, Florence, was produced off-Broadway in 1950.
Her next play, Just a Little Simple (1950), was adapted from the Langston Hughes' novel Simple Speaks His Mind. It was produced in Harlem at the Club Baron Theatre. Her next play, Gold Through the Trees (1952), gave her the distinction of being one of the first African-American women to have work professionally produced on the New York stage. Her next work, Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White, was completed in 1962. The setting of the show is South Carolina during World War I and deals with a forbidden interracial love affair. Due to the scandalous nature of the show and the stark realism it presented, it was impossible for Childress to get any theatre in New York to put it up. The show premiered at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and later in Chicago. It was not until 1972 that it played in New York at the New York Shakespeare Festival. It was later filmed and shown on TV, but many stations refused to play it.
In 1965, she was featured in the BBC presentation The Negro in the American Theatre. From 1966 to 1968, she was awarded as a scholar-in-residence by Harvard University at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
Alice Childress is also known for her literary works. Among these are Those Other People (1989) and A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich (1973). Also, she wrote a screenplay for the 1978 film based on A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich. Her 1979 novel A Short Walk was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Childress described her writing as trying to portray the have-nots in a have society. In conjunction with her composer husband, Nathan Woodard, she wrote a number of musical plays, including Sea Island Song and Young Martin Luther King.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 18, 2012
I really liked this book. I think the feelings expressed by the characters was honest and people's biases were true. Also the different characters ability to deny that their actions or thoughts were not right was amazing. But at the same time it's only amazing based on whose story you believe to be a true accounting of things. In that way, the book reminds me of Liar by Justine Larbalestier. Another reason I like the book is because it deals with "microaggressions." The little things that even progressive, open-minded people say that are offensive even if they are not intended to be (or maybe they are...). My few dislikes were that there was some ways of speaking that didn't fit the characters for me. This book is older and maybe I had to be of that time period to relate. Also I got confused about whose story was reading while I was reading it. But if you can keep things clear this book is great!
October 11, 2013
Those Other People by Alice Childress is a book about the high school students that are popular and the students that people don't really pay much attention to. It speaks upon their personal lives and struggles. In the book their is a 17 year old boy named Johnathan Barnett,He just graduated high school and decided that he wasn't going to go to college right away because of his sexuality.He felt as though it was something his parents were pushing him to do but he really didn't want to do.So he moved out of his parents house and rented an apartment.His parents didn't know that he was gay because he pretended to like a girl named Fern who helped him get a job around his apartment.Johnathan ended up being a computer teacher and Mini Town High and taught an interesting group of students. One of his students named Theodora Lynn was sexually molested by her gym teacher Mr.Hardy, Johnathan and another student named Tyrone Tate witnessed the occurrence and was asked to testify in court on behalf of Theodora Lynn. Tyrone's parents didn't agree with him testifying because he was only 14 years old. Johnathan knew that testifying against Mr.Hardy was the right thing to do but, he decided that he wasn't going to do so because Mr.Hardy knew he was gay and the rest of the staff didn't. Mini Town was an all white neighborhood and Tyrone Tate was African American so he struggles with fitting in at Mini Town High. Which was another reason why his parents didn't want him testifying. In the end Theodora ended up dropping all charges and Mr.Hardy went on living his life as a Husband but he was fired from his teaching job. Johnathan Barnett ended up quitting and moving back with his parents an went off to college.
I honestly love, love, love this book! One thing I don't really like about it is the story structure! The author gives away all the spoilers in the beginning of the book which makes the end of the book very boring! The author did a very good job with explaining each of the characters background and I feel as though it is exactly what happens in a high school.The title of the book is what really made me want to read the book because at first I thought it was a bias book about certain groups of people but when i started reading it I totally got into it and I felt like i couldn't put the book down!! It made me think twice about judging people I don't really know. One question I have for the author is what made her write a book about this topic?
I honestly love, love, love this book! One thing I don't really like about it is the story structure! The author gives away all the spoilers in the beginning of the book which makes the end of the book very boring! The author did a very good job with explaining each of the characters background and I feel as though it is exactly what happens in a high school.The title of the book is what really made me want to read the book because at first I thought it was a bias book about certain groups of people but when i started reading it I totally got into it and I felt like i couldn't put the book down!! It made me think twice about judging people I don't really know. One question I have for the author is what made her write a book about this topic?
February 27, 2012
This book was pretty good it is about gays, african american's,rapist,racism. It is all about "Those Other People". How everyone in this world is different. I thought this book was pretty good overall.
December 1, 2016
Quick read, enjoyable character development, but the ending was all together too quick
April 21, 2019
This young adult novel doesn't shy away from heavy topics: incest, homophobia, sexual assault, and racism are all discussed from various viewpoints as Alice Childress jumps from one character to the next in chapter after chapter. Admittedly the voices sound fairly alike, with corny slang to boot, but "Those Other People" has a gripping narrative that cries out against the patriarchy at a time when John Hughes thought such matters a lark.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews