A History of the African-American People (Proposed) by Strom Thurmond, as Told to Percival Everett & James Kincaid

By the PEN/Faulkner finalist and acclaimed author of Telephone and Erasure, Percival Everett offers a fictitious and satirical chronicle of South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond’s desire to pen a history of African Americans—he and his aides believe he has done as much, or more, than any American to shape that history.

An epistolary novel, The History follows the letters of loose cannon Congressional office workers, insane interns at a large New York publishing house, disturbed publishing executives, homicidal rival editors, kindly family friends, and an aspiring author named Septic.

Strom Thurmond appears charming and open, mad and sure of his place in American history.

Endorsements

“A truly funny sendup of the corrupt politics of academe, the publishing industry and politics, as well as a subtle but biting critique of racial ideology.” — Publishers Weekly

“A hilarious high-concept satire.” — Publishers Weekly

“Outrageously funny... it could become a cult classic.” — Library Journal

“I think Percival Everett is a genius. I’ve been a fan since his first novel... He’s a brilliant writer and so damn smart I envy him.” — Terry McMillan, New York Times bestselling author of It’s Not All Downhill from Here

“God bless Percival Everett, whose dozens of idiosyncratic books demonstrate a majestic indifference to literary trends, the market or his critics.” — The Wall Street Journal