Local author pens ‘The Radical Jack London’

Jonah Raskin, chair of the Communications Studies Dept. at Sonoma State, released his newest book “The Radical Jack London,” an anthology of London’s speeches, short stories and news articles.
Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun

Jonah Raskin, local literary pundit, author, and chair of the Communications Studies Department of Sonoma State University, is the author of the just-released book, “The Radical Jack London,” an anthology of 27 speeches, short stories, newspaper articles and excerpts from London’s novels. Along with an authoritative introduction, the words of Jack London are arranged chronologically, so the reader can witness the evolution in London’s political beliefs.
Although we usually remember Jack London for his dog stories and Northern tales, he was a political thinker foremost and always. He illuminated the hard topics of war, class struggle and imperialism with wisdom and prescience.
In a recent interview, Raskin described what prompted him to write his latest book.
“Jack London is my hero, although he possessed flaws as all heroes do. He pushed life to the limits, he explored to the ends of the earth – and to the limits of the human mind as well.
“As I wrote the book I felt excited about Jack London, and I wanted my language to reflect my excitement. I absorbed myself in Jack London, I read Jack London, I was saturated in Jack London; and so when it came time to write, the words just flowed out.
“London had hope about the possibilities for human life upon the planet, and I think it helps to have optimism, to not be cynical about the possibilities for change. I think you have to believe it is possible to make a difference.”

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