Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
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Book Overview
From an acclaimed playwright comes "an American masterpiece" (Newsweek) about the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Twilight is a stunning work of "documentary theater" that explores the devastating human impact of the five days of riots following the Rodney King verdict. From nine months of interviews with more than two hundred people, Smith has chosen the voices that best reflect the diversity and tension of a city in turmoil: a disabled Korean man, a white male Hollywood talent agent, a Panamanian immigrant mother, a teenage black gang member, a macho Mexican-American artist, Rodney King's aunt, beaten truck driver Reginald Denny, former Los Angeles police chief Daryl Gates, and other witnesses, participants, and victims. A work that goes directly to the heart of the issues of race and class, Twilight ruthlessly probes the language and the lives of its subjects, offering stark insight into the complex and pressing social, economic, and political issues that fueled the flames in the wake of the Rodney King verdict and ignited a conversation about policing and race that continues today.
Twilight is a stunning work of "documentary theater" that explores the devastating human impact of the five days of riots following the Rodney King verdict. From nine months of interviews with more than two hundred people, Smith has chosen the voices that best reflect the diversity and tension of a city in turmoil: a disabled Korean man, a white male Hollywood talent agent, a Panamanian immigrant mother, a teenage black gang member, a macho Mexican-American artist, Rodney King's aunt, beaten truck driver Reginald Denny, former Los Angeles police chief Daryl Gates, and other witnesses, participants, and victims. A work that goes directly to the heart of the issues of race and class, Twilight ruthlessly probes the language and the lives of its subjects, offering stark insight into the complex and pressing social, economic, and political issues that fueled the flames in the wake of the Rodney King verdict and ignited a conversation about policing and race that continues today.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0385473761
ISBN13:9780385473767
Release Date:March 1994
Publisher:Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Length:320 Pages
Weight:0.60 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.2" x 8.0"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
AMAZING
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
Anna Deavere Smith truly brought out what the LA riots of 1992 were about. She shows us how blind we can all be, how an action of one person can actually cause the suffering of another for the rest of their lives. It was scary to think that this could have happened anywhere, or anytime. She showed us that sometimes, we have to open out eyes and watch was is going on around us. It was a great experience. The characters touched me deeply. I recommend it to everyone.
A largely unknown intellectual
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
I had the extreme pleasure of sitting in two classes with Ms. Smith as she talked about Twilight. It is a wonderful work with a documentary foundation that educates you on the happenings during the infamous Los Angeles riots, from Korean shopkeepers to Black gang members to White-male politicians--Smith has made sure every reader gets the full spectrum of views. Each monologue is actually an interview Smith personally conducted; each are placed in an order that somehow manages to flow together to tell a collective story of an unfortunate occurence in recent American history and justice. It will remind you that the passions of the event had personal roots for all involved.
Good read for theater and history folks
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Even though the reading of this book can't really capture all of the essence of seeing it staged, Anna Deveare Smith's Twilight is still something that should be bought. She takes interviews and performs the poeple exactly the way they are in order to reveal a truth. It's very moving.
Brilliant and provocative.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 28 years ago
A brilliant and procative work, one that truly captures the American conscious during a benchmark moment in our history. Lest we forget ourselves in the years to come, we have "Twilight" to help us reflect and remember
Brilliant and provocative.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 28 years ago
A brilliant and provocative work, one that truly captures the American conscious during a benchmark moment in our history. Lest we forget ourselves in the years to come, we have "Twilight" to help us reflect and remember
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