Breakout

by L.R. Wright, Yvon Cormier (Foreword by)

Breakout is a seminal work in African-American literature that further exposes the imposed separation between so-called "black" and "white" cultures, recounting the buried thoughts and feelings of two African-American men who came of age in predominantly white academic environments. Leaving categories behind, Wright and his companion have a personal conversation dealing with the universal aspects of a misshapen culture, including materialism, racism, and the denial of true individualism, while expressing the complexities of being black in America and negotiating educational opportunity, taboos, questions of "selling out," and definitions of success. An everyman's autobiographical novel with a twist, Breakout leaves the reader knowing that asking the avoided questions and being true to one's self is the pivotal beginning of any quest for knowledge, as individuals and as a nation of amalgamated identities.

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2004

About the author

L.R. Wright was born Laurali Rose Appleby on 5 June 1939 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Known as Bunny, Wright grew up in Saskatoon and in Abbotsford, British Columbia. She worked as a reporter in Calgary before becoming a full-time writer in 1977. After publishing her fourth book, Wright returned to school, receiving an M.A. in Liberal Studies from Simon Fraser University. She taught writing at the University of British Columbia and wrote adaptations for several of her books for radio, film, and television. L.R. Wright died of breast cancer on 25 February 2001.

Series:
* Karl Alberg
* Eddie Henderson

Awards
Arthur Ellis Award: Novel
* 1991 – A Chill Rain in January – Winner
* 1996 – Mother Love – Winner