We are pleased to announce that 'Simply to Be Americans? Literary Radicals Confront Monopoly Capitalism, 1885-1938 ' by Joel Wendland-Liu has been reviewed by Elisabeth Armstrong (Smith College, Northampton, MA) in ‘Socialism and Democracy’, Vol. 40, No. 2, 174–177. (Published online on 18 Aug 2026):
Joel Wendland-Liu picks up the gauntlet thrown down by W.E.B. DuBois in the ambitious cultural history, “Simply to Be Americans?”. DuBois posed the question at an NAACP dinner in 1926 of whether his audience aspired simply to be Americans or sought a more emancipatory future. DuBois answered the question with a resounding no, to be simply American on its terms would never suffice. “’America,’” as Wendland-Liu describes, “configured as a collectivity composed of white, racially pure human beings, although fraught with the presence of non-beings, substantiates, mystifies, and fetishizes racial whiteness as a metonym for the perfectible nation, state power, and ‘bad faith’ required by 100% Americanism” […]
Wendland-Liu places in conversation a wide range of radical authors and their literary production between 1885 and 1938 to develop the deeper, and more difficult answer to DuBois’s question. […]
Each chapter skillfully weaves together close readings of several authors on key themes of fugitivity, anti-patriarchy, anti-capitalism, anti-Black and anti-immigrant racism. […]
The answers to DuBois’s challenge from 1926 are still resonant one hundred years later. […]
These are all current debates and answers, ones we join in today’s politics. […]
[Extract from book review at the journal ‘Socialism and Democracy’, Vol. 40, No. 2, 174–177. (Published online on 18 Aug 2026). Reviewer: Elisabeth Armstrong (Smith College, Northampton, MA). https://doi.org/10.1080/08854300.2026.2710485 ]
Find out more about the book and order your copy here: Simply to Be Americans? Literary Radicals Confront Monopoly Capitalism, 1885-1938
| Recommended by CHOICE, June 2026 Vol. 63 No. 10 |
'Simply to Be Americans?' delves into the transformative power of radical U.S. literature from the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries, uncovering how writers boldly confronted the intertwined forces of Americanism, capitalism, racism, imperialism, and patriarchy. Through the works of visionaries like Lucy Parsons, Albert Parsons, and Sutton Griggs, this book reveals how early literary radicals challenged the foundations of monopoly capitalism and white supremacy, planting the seeds for a culture of resistance that would flourish in the decades to come.
Exploring the speculative genius of Mark Twain, Jack London, Gertrude Nafe, and W.E.B. Du Bois, 'Simply to Be Americans?' showcases how allegory and satire became powerful tools to dismantle nationalism, imperialism, and racial hierarchies. While these pioneers often grappled with the complexity of these systems, a study of their work illuminated both the possibilities and limitations of early radical thought.
As the twentieth century unfolded, U.S. writers embraced revolutionary internationalism, forging connections between domestic struggles and global anti-imperialist movements. Figures like John Reed and Hubert Harrison championed solidarity across borders, while the Russian Revolution and worldwide labor uprisings inspired a new wave of politically charged art. Writers like Genevieve Taggard and W.E.B. Du Bois called for literature that expresses urgent struggles against systemic oppression.
In the 1920s and 1930s, luminaries like Mary Burrill, Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, H.T. Tsiang, Josefina Niggli, Lola Ridge, and Dorothy West rejected assimilation, exposing American society’s capitalist and imperialist core. Their works vividly exposed the intersections of race, class, and gender, advocating for unity among the oppressed.
'Simply to Be Americans?' redefines the legacy of U.S. radical literature, tracing its evolution and celebrating its enduring impact. This groundbreaking study reveals how these writers critiqued their world and laid the foundation for future movements against exploitation and injustice, offering timeless insights into today’s struggles.