If He Hollers Let Him Go - Book Report/Review Example

A slight expression of rage which could be intentional or unintentional or an expression of desire could spell disaster for a black man at that time through termination of a job, arrest and jail term. It can also bring about accusation which may range from rape to assault. Bob takes us through the ordeals he faces from the time he wakes up, and drives to the ship yard through to the time he gets back home. It begins as Bob is looking for a job whereby he approaches several Southern whites asking for a job and through their facial expressions that are not only mesmerized but also shocked that Bob given that he is African America has the audacity to ask a white man for a job.

This depicts the height of racial segregation in Southern California at this time. During this time Bob witnesses people with Japanese ancestry being ousted forcefully from Los Angeles. He also remembers the widespread violence against Mexican American youths in the Zoot Suit riots and both events reverberate in his psyche feeding his fear of a personal racial apocalypse and through this he fears for his life and constantly awaits his time to loose his job to come. The Japanese and Mexican Americans are treated more like the Negroes at which one can be charged and jailed without witness and even without having a chance to present their case just because of their skin color.

Bob gets a job as a crew leader at a ship yard during this time that the world war two is underway and factories are humming with war time production and blacks like Bob are experiencing a new found authority as supervisors to facilitate the black workers cooperation during this war time effort. This nevertheless doesn’t change the situation as the black men face resentment by whites at the workplace leave alone the white females who have the power of hanging judge by merely alluding to a pass by a black man.

During this time Bobs life seem to take