Library of America made major news this year with the release of The Man Who Lived Underground, a previously unpublished novel by legendary American author Richard Wright. Written between his landmark books Native Son (1940) and Black Boy (1945), at the height of his creative powers, The Man Who Lived Underground is a devastating portrait of police violence and racial injustice, and one man’s struggle to come to grips with their impact on his life—a story powerfully resonant with today’s headlines. News of the book’s release met with wide interest from reviewers and readers, and it debuted on the New York Times Best Sellers list some eighty years after it was written.
Thanks to the generosity of our members and donors—listed in a special Honor Roll below—the Fall 2021 LOA in the Classroom initiative will provide free copies of The Man Who Lived Underground to educators across the country to enrich their lessons with crucial historical context for issues at the forefront of our national consciousness.
Wright considered the novel his finest work, “the first time in my writing I could burrow into places of American life where I’d never gone before,” but his publishers found it too controversial and wouldn’t touch it. Eventually, Wright would publish a truncated version as a short story, excising the portions of the book that depicted police brutality.
By special arrangement with Wright’s daughter, Julia Wright, and following extensive study of original typescripts and letters, Library of America published the full, authoritative text of the novel for the first time this spring, accompanied, as Wright had intended, by his revelatory companion essay, “Memories of My Grandmother,” which describes the genesis of the novel. Malcolm Wright, the author’s grandson, contributes an afterword.
It’s not too late to participate in this year’s LOA in the Classroom initiative. You can make a donation to help bring Richard Wright’s powerful novel to our nation’s classrooms, and we will gratefully recognize your gift in the Honor Roll below.
The Fall 2021 LOA in the Classroom Honor Roll
List as of 11/5/21
The following individuals demonstrated their commitment to the mission of Library of America, and to teaching students nationwide about one of our greatest writers, by making a generous contribution to the Fall 2021 LOA in the Classroom campaign:
Peter D. Aerni
Robert Albano
David and Melanie Alpers
Erik A. Amundson
Nick R. Angelo, Jr.
Eduardo Anzola
Retta Baines
Alexander F. Baker
Albert W. Banker
Keith W. Bantz
David A. Bard
Richard Barsam
Anthony Baumann
Nancy Beals
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick W. Beinecke
Alfred Bendixen
Thomas W. Benson
Paul W. Bercik
David A. Berry
Juliette Bethea
Elizabeth A. Bettenhausen
James Biggar
Debbie L. Blackwell
Connie Blair
Erik A. Bledsoe
Stephen Blower
Alexis Boehmler
Wade and Jamie Boese
Martha Boethel
J. David Bone
Robert A. Bonner
Kevin S. Borgard
Kent H. Borges
James R. Bostwick, Jr.
Stephen S. Bowen
Blair Brainard
Orlie T. Brewer, Jr.
Ruth K. Brown
Dr. Richard L. Brundige
Anne M. Buckley
Royce E. Buehler
Brian and Lori Burton
Gary Buseck
H. James Buske
Anthony Buttitta
Charles Y. Caldwell III
Trippe Callahan, Jr.
Jeffrey L. Canfield
William S. Carpenter, Jr.
Karen J. Carter
Patty L. Caruthers
Tim Cena
William A. Chamberlain
Sewell Chan
Joel and Joan Chinitz
Elizabeth Circe
Pauline P. Circe
Joan Hardy Clark
D. Sherman Clarke
Robert S. Clayman
Robert R. Cline
Aaron Cloutier
Ilicia M. Cohen
Ann P. Colburn
Peter Cole and Adina Hoffman
Teresa Corio
James M. Corry
Susan Coult
Robert W. Cover II
Thomas R. Cowan
Dean Crawford
Greg D. Cusack
Jean Dalenberg
Richard Dannay
Louis M. Dauner
Jerry Davis
Hubert O. Davis, Jr.
T. Fuller Dean
Gary A. Debele
Michael J. DeLoye
John E. Dieter III
Mamadou K. Diouf
Robert Doonan
James Drake
James A. Duncan
David Dunham
Joseph R. Duquette
J. Porter Durham, Jr.
Frederic L. Edelman
Madeline Einhorn Glick
Donald E. Elder
William Etter
Michael J. Ettner
Aline Faben
Darlene Farabee
Michael Farris
Alan and Millie Fell
David Fettig
Joseph Flynn
Larry R. Fondation
Charles T. Ford
Michael J. Forster
Travis Foster
Ruth Freeman
Jerry Gagelman
Thomas J. Gallagher, Jr.
Alison L. Gates
Linda Gawthrop
Louis H. Geeraerts
Charles C. Gilbert III
Michael Gilchrist
Brian C. Gillum
John S. Gordon
Christabel Gough
Andrew B. Gray
Karen Gray
Jonathan D. Green
Patricia M. Green
George P. Griffin
Michael D. Haines
Glenn Halberstadt
William Edward Hall
William D. Hamilton
James Hanser
Alton D. Hardman
Rachel M. Hartig
Prof. James E. Hartley
Barbara E. Hasek
Mary K. Hawkes
Harold Henke
John E. Herbst
William Herschman
Thomas Hester
Harold J. Hicks
Jan Hilley
Mark Hiser
Rick Hite
Dennis J. Hoffman
William T. Hoffman
Paula and Ken Horn
Glen Horstman
Beth F. Houston
Frank Howard
Dale W. Hughes
Max D. Hughes
David Hurley
Daniel Hwang
Erin L. Ireland, Jr.
Julia Jackson
Orton P. Jackson, Jr.
Ann E. Jacobson
Douglas James
Deborah Jenner
Nizar Jetha
Mark A. Johnson
M. Joiner
William P. Jollie
Steven Jonas, M.D.
Michael Jones
Richard and Katherine Kahan
Thomas P. Kane
Marc D. Kaye
Robert V. Keirans
Gregory Kerwood
Eslee Kessler
David A. D. Key
Robert Kidd, Jr.
Pamela J. Kilstein
Dale King, Ph.D.
Martin Knapp-Cordes
Jared Knicley
Dennis J. Kosterman
Christine A. Koyanagi
Donald and Vearian Kroeck
Karl Kronmann
Mark and Lisa Krosse
Mark and Elisabeth Kuhlman
Harris J. Kuhn
Stefan Kwiatkowski
Robert K. Landers
Linda F. and Julian L. Lapides
Robin Lasell
Bonita Lawrence
Jack Lawson
Paul and Judy Leavis
Joseph E. LeBlanc
Don LeDuc
Jacque Leighty
Linda M. Lemiesz
Harry Kay Lesser, Jr.
Les B. Levi and Leslie DeBauge
William A. Levine
Harris Levy
Matthew E. Lewis
Tylor S. Loest
Erik R. Loy
Tom W. Lozinsky, Jr.
Roseanne T. Lucianek
C. Townsend Ludington
Bradley N. Lundell
Matthew Luter
David Luterman
Elizabeth Lynch
Susan T. Mackenzie
Thomas R. Maeglin
Thomas J. Mann
Stuart Markowitz
James C. and Charlotte G. Martin
Jeanne M. Martineau
Laurin G. Martinson
Ellen McCain
Richard C. McCullough, Jr.
Camilla and Hugh McFadden
Thomas and Monica McGonigle
Margaret McKeon-Baker
Robert L. McLaughlin
Christopher McLoughlin
Michael McMaster
Sheldon I. Mednick
Jack W. Mendelsohn
Jason Messick
Charles L. Meyer
Nathan L. Miczo
Aaron Milbank
Bruce W. Milem
Carolyn Miller
Hugh T. Miller
James P. Miller
Peter H. Miller
Ronald A. Mills
Kirk Monfort
Linda A. Moore
Michael Moore
Mario and Irene Morales
James T. Morley, Jr.
Steven and Lynda Morley
Gregory B. Mowry
Patrick J. Mulcahey
Judith Muncy
Scott M. Murray
Robert Nardini
Kenneth Nassau
Anfernee J. Neal
Erik A. Nelson
Anthony Neumann
Dr. Frederick Newsome, M.D., M.Sc.
David North
Joseph J. Nunes
Lewis L. Nunnelley
Robert P. Odell
James D. Olesen
Mary Olsen
Gary M. Olson
Sandy and Gene O’Sullivan
Kwaku Owusu-Tieku
John S. Page, Jr.
Tari Pantaleo
Norman K. Pearce
Jason Pearson
Harry C. Peddicord
Kathy M. Peeters
Sharon R. Perkins
William Petersen and Susan Sharko
Karen Petley
Wayne and Laurie Pipke
Jeffrey M. Pittman
Mark Planellas
Linda M. Polenzani
George R. Porta
Brent Porter
Richard and Ann Posey
Benita and Stephen Potters
Michael A. Pysno
Barry V. Qualls
Brian Abel Ragen
Harold Ramage
Nicholas Rampton
Rudolph S. Rauch
Harry M. Reasoner
Dennis M. Reese
Joseph R. Reilly
Barbara B. Reitt, Ph.D.
Marc A. Revere
Kevin M. Reynolds
Greg S. Rich
Nancy Richardson
Herminio Rodriguez
Gordon Rogoff
Sharon C. Ross
Louis Rothschild
Nancy Rudolph
William G. Rusch
Peter M. Russell
Michael Ryan
Stephen W. Ryder and Nicola Helm
John A. Sahayda
Stuart P. Salomon
Eugene Sandberg
Reda A. Santinga
Allison B. Saxe
Judith Schainen
Rhoda Schlamm
Daniel R. Schloemer
Lee Schneider
Frank Schulenburg
George R. Schumacher
Larry Schumann
Edward F. Schuyler, Jr.
Robert Schwab
Francine Farkas Sears
Dr. Michael L. Seewer
Marc M. Seltzer
Susan I. Sewell
John Shannon and Jan Serr
Allison Sharp
John Shaw
Linda J. Shorey
Daniel M. Sibo
Richard B. Silbert
James B. Silcott
Kent H. Skinner
Ward and Carolyn Smith
Melanie Smith
Michael K. Smith
Peter Solet
Roberta L. Spalding
Thomas C. Spavins
Robert and Kate Speckman
David and Deirdre Stam
Laura A. Starrett
Ida J. Stevenson
Shale Stiller and Ellen Heller
Cynthia F. Stillwell
Patricia H. Strang
Steven L. Strange
David Strollo
Elizabeth Strout
Stephen L. Sweetland
Szilvia Szmuk-Tanenbaum
John D. Tabor
L. E. Thelwell
Mary S. Thomasset
William M. Thome
Nye S. Thuesen
Terence J. Thum
Kari Thyne
Richard Timko
David Toberisky
Christopher Tobias
William Tolle-Rodrigues
Lawrence Toppman
Raymond D. Tracy
Lorraine H. Truitt
Joel Truman
Cecilia Tyne
Robert Upchurch
James C. Van Dongen
Dolph J. Vanderpol
Brian Vikstrom
Gregory S. Villepique
James S. Vinson
Robert and Alycia Vivona
Megan A. Vorm
Christine Walsh
Jay L. Ward
Andrew Weatherly
John Weingartner
Janet and Ethan Welch
Lawrence Wells
Jason Welsh
Carol Wheeler
Gary Wiesendanger
Alicia R. Williams
Reba and Dave Williams
Joseph Willis
Roddy Gilbert Willis
Dave A. Wilson, Jr.
Leslie Wilson
Jackie Winston
Geoffrey R. Winterowd
Jeffrey S. Wood
Adonna Works-Minter
Daniel Wulff
Joan M. Wyrwicz
Gail P. Yates
Chris Yorgason
Patrick A. Young
Bonnie A. Zitofsky, in memory of Edith L. Segal
(List as of 11/5/21)
(To correct or update a listing, please send an e-mail to lists@loa.org.)
