If He Hollers Let Him Go

If He Hollers Let Him Go by Chester Himes

Robert Jones is an Ohio-born black man living in Los Angeles during the time of World War II. Things seem to be going pretty well for him. He has a well-to-do girlfriend, a nice car and a well-paying supervisor job at the shipyard that exempts him from military service. Then everything falls apart due to racism. It is his response to racism that causes just as much problem as the racism itself. Things start when a white Texas girl uses a racial slur. He responds with a racial slur of his own. This gets him demoted and he later gets beat up by some white guys. He plots to kill the ringleader that beats him up. He even appears a few places near him to scare him. However, sense prevails and he doesn't carry it out. Then he tries to talk with the girl. She thought nothing of the incident. Her relative then spouted off about Texas coloreds knowing how to stay in their place. He finds himself falling for her. He goes to her house and is let in. She tries to encourage him, but he ends up thinking better and leaving. He finally comes to his senses and decides to focus on his girlfriend. He has put the rage behind himself. He proposes to his girlfriend and plans for the future. He is now ready to be contrite at work and try to get his job back.

Then everything falls apart due to a fluke. As he is walking around the ship, he happens to stumble upon the very Texas girl off sleeping in a compartment. She tries to come on to him and locks the door. She later screams "rape" when she hears voices nearby. He gets beat up by the white guys. Then after waking up from his injuries, he tries to run from the law. Eventually, he is caught after a routine traffic stop in a white neighborhood. He happened to have a gun in the car and is hauled in for that. The rape charge is dropped. The judge offers to drop other charges after he serves in the military. The book ends with him enlisting.

The portrayal of war-time Los Angeles is very dark. While some periods are described as hot, it is hard not to view this as the sepia hues of detective movies. What may seem like an innocent comment by a single person ends up setting off the chain reaction that leads to the destruction of another's life. (And it came close to destroying a few other lives.) There are many steps where people could have stopped the chain reaction, but didn't. It is a challenging message for society.