CHARLES W. CHESNUTT

February was Black History Month. The Kodiak Perspective expanded his black education by reading two books by Charles W. Chesnutt. Who, you may ask, is Charles W. Chesnutt? He is the 31st honoree of the United States Postal Service, and his stamp is available at the post office.

Charles W. Chesnutt was born in the post civil war era, and his writings deal with issues of race. From his first novel “The House Behind the Cedars”: “Right and wrong must be eternal verities, but our standards for measuring them vary with our latitude and our epoch”.

The language of the writing is beautiful, and the story doesn’t always go as expected. Well worth the read.

His 2nd novel “The Marrow of Tradition” spends the greater part of the text developing the characters and events leading to the action that is hectic at the end.

Both of these books are available at the Kodiak Public Library, or will be soon, as The Kodiak Perspective will donate “The House Behind the Cedars” on the morrow.