Many Thousand Gone: An American Fable

by Ronald L. Fair

1971 mass market paperback, Ronald Fair. In an imaginary Mississippi county, a group of downtrodden Negroes write about their plight to the President of the United States. - Googlebooks

First published June 1, 1965

Reviews

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Progressively engaging until downright triumphal, I would dissuade only the reader with a hard distaste for fabular storytelling. There are times I can hew this way (usually in a funk more bleak than 'swampy clavinet with wah-wah'), so heed that a positive frame going into Many Thousand Gone will, in my fucking unimpeachable opinion, hugely inform the reading. Temper with my cautioning that this short novel is centered around a speculative county in Mississippi were emancipation has been withheld knowledge from its slave population; some gen-u-wine cracker motherfucker sheriff demons; human bondage into the 1960s with lynchings a-plenty; put it all together...and it sounds like I've written a goddamn recipe. I should have some idea of what I am going to write before I start. Ho hum.

Important bit: Ask yourself this while reading: what would Gene Hackman do? Yeah? Then do that shit.


*Actual Rating: 4.2026 (adorbs)

[Oscreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating

[Del Shelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many Thousands Gone: An American Fable

This was a good read and a quick read. The story was interesting. It is sad the way things have gone in some parts of America. Black people have Bern taken advantage of since we arrived on these shores.

[Aguirre Fitzcarraldo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many Thousand Gone is an American fable about Jacobsville, Mississippi a deep Southern town that is so isolated from society that slavery never ceased and still continues into the 1960s. The Black people have been treated reprehensibly since anyone could remember, far more than just the hundred years since slavery was abolished. Granny Jacobs sits as the central character in this story. It is her great-grandson Jesse, who in their customs is believed to be a prince. His father had escaped to the North, in Chicago and through Granny Jacobs' bravery she manages to convoy Jesse to reunite with his father. It is through the courage of this act, as well as ordering a magazine from Chicago that is the key to freeing the slaves of Jacobsville. The magazine acts as the slipping of the horrific mask of Jacobsville that teaches the Black citizens their worth and value as they see the Prince Jesse posing with his beautifiul family and his property which is nicer than all of the White people's in Jacobsville. With a newfound since of pride in her people, Granny Jacobs and the Preacher named Harris write a letter to the President requesting help in their dire situation. Eventually federal marshals investigate the city and the entire house of cards comes down ending with the physical and metaphorical burning of that wretched city.

There are three key themes which Fair embeds into his story: Isolationism, Dehumanization, and Pride.

Jacobsville has managed to evade the progression of society because of its physical isolation from the rest of the nation. Its White citizens have conjured up a mental isolation as well, disregarding any moral or ethical objections to the pain and suffering they had perpetuated for hundreds of years. A society, like an essay cannot find its ultimate form without the review and feedback of editors. In the same way, a society cannot progress without the influence of global perspectives. Isolationism is the root cause of the terrors still being conducted in Jacobsville into the 1960s.

The sheriff and his goon citizens can only uphold the status quo of White rule because of the generational systematic dehumanization of its Black citizens going as far back as anyone can remember in Jacobsville. The power that dehumanization has cannot be understated. It has castrated a people so far in self-loathing that the Black people of the town cannot recognize any worth in themselves or their neighbors. The logical conclusion of dehumanization is a slippery slope that inevitably always leads to genocide unless intervening forces can alter the path, in this story, the courageous revolt of the Jacobsville's Black population burning the town.

Maybe the most important takeaway of the fable is how important pride is to groups of people as it ensures ones' survival and flourishment. Only through the pride of their prince being sent off to Chicago and pride in the magazine write-up on Jesse and the life and family he has built for himself were the Black people of Jacobsville finally able to break the shackles of slavery and dehumanization. Regardless of the status of any peoples or person, having pride in oneself and actions gives the momentum to build up and grow. The ceiling of potential was maliciously set very low as to prevent any development from the Black citizens. So when Prince Jesse escapes to Chicago where the barriers of Southern Mississippi are removed, he can reach his full potential and he creates a sense of pride that ripples across the nation, all the way to the three thousand Black citizens of backwards Jacobsville. Pride in essence is contagious and inspiring. It raises people out of their lowest points, creates enthusiasm for the work they do and the lives they live, and pushes us all to a greater sense of accomplishment and progress.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that I'm surprised isn't being assigned as required reading in schools. It's short, concise, well written, impactful, and certainly starts a conversation.

"Many Thousand Gone" has so much packed in its pages, that it's hard to believe how much one learns about these people and their history after only a brief period of time with them. (It only took me about two and a half hours to read the whole book.) Since it's such a short read with such a powerful message told in a wonderful, beautiful way, I can't recommend this one highly enough to move you and get you thinking.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An American fable on the legacy of slavery in the south and the resiliency of black excellence. Many Thousand Gone is presented as if slavery never ended, but reading these pages you might notice the lives of these characters feel contemporary. Ya know, slavery by any other name and all that. Fables are all about the conclusion, and this one does not disappoint.

[Jon Nadler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required reading in high schools. Helps one to understand the world from a different perspective. Did much change in the south after civil war?? After end of Jim Crowe?? When will the whites start to learn of the advantages they’ve been given from racism in USA??

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfying!

[Nadiyah Timmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journalism! It’s cross century influence is so evident. And so needed. Reading this story, while short, has made me appreciate my time in J School a little bit more these past few weeks. Not quite reaching the caliber of a favorite read of 2024, Many Thousand Gone was a great testimony to the way Black media can inspire change. Revolution. Progress.