Novel About Racism Enjoys Success

Tennessee TRIBUNE, The
03-10-1999
Novel About Racism Enjoys Success

Not many authors owe their success to the rapid growth of the World Wide Web. But for Stanford University graduate, Joseph Green, the ability of people to purchase his book from online bookstores such as amazon.com and Borders.com has meant a boom in book sales for this 31 year-old author. "Finding my books used to be a problem because of limited distribution," state Green. "Now they are available to anyone with access to the Internet via computer. Psuedo Cool is a fictional tale about five African-American College students struggling to survive at a prestigious and predominately white California university. Their problems range from institutionalized racism to drug abuse and prostitution. Although some at Stanford criticized the book for its somewhat graphic content and what some consider too harsh of a portrayal of the minority college experience, Mr. Green stands by his tale. "It's far out story that entertains while touching upon a lot of black and white truths."

Although Stanford University is never directly mentioned in the novel, the similarities are definitely there. Pseudo Cool was published by Hollywood House Publishers while Mr. Green was still a junior at Stanford University. "It is a very eye-opening experience to have gotten published so soon. But when you're published by a small publishing house that doesn't have a large amount of money to invest in publicity, it takes a miracle for your book to get any amount of sustained attention."

For Joseph Green, his miracle just may be the Internet. With a little help from ads placed in college newspapers and word of mouth, Mr. Green's novels, Pseudo Cool, and Souls Bizarre, a novel about five African-American Stanford graduates, are enjoying a steady increase in popularity, and sales. Anyone with access to the Internet can now purchase books that aren't made widely available in local bookstores, supermarkets, or department stores.

When asked about how he feels about promoting a book published almost a decade ago, Green states, "At first I was concerned that it was too late for Pseudo Cool to get the attention it deserved, and that it was unworthy because it was published several years ago. But I've changed my mind. I doubt that I'll ever be able to write anything as raw and as honest again. The book is now it its second printing, complete with a newly redesigned cover.

Article copyright Tennessee Tribune. ********************************************************

Ethnic NewsWatch SoftLine Information, Inc., Stamford, CT