The author and television news director Jeffrey Blount discusses his latest novel The Emancipation of Evan Walls (Köehler Books, 2019), with Joseph Planta.

The Emancipation of Evan Walls by Jeffrey Blount (Köehler Books, 2019). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Emancipation of Evan Walls

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

The author Jeffrey Blount joins me now. He has just published his third novel, The Emancipation of Evan Walls. It has won a number of awards already, and tells the story of Evan Walls covering his life as a child in 1960s Canaan, Virginia, wanting to overcome the racism and class status imposed on him by being black. The book goes through Evan’s formative years through to the 1990s when he and Izzy have a daughter. At that point, Izzy, who doesn’t know much about the challenges Evan has endured, finds out. I’ll get Mr. Blount to tell us as much as he’d like about his book, its genesis, the other characters, and the themes that are discussed in the book. Why is acting white such a problem in the black community? And what is acting black enough all about? And why does that perhaps preclude education? It’s good to talk to Jeffrey about America today and race, as he covers both in the book. Jeffrey Blount has written two previous novels Almost Snow White, and Hating Heidi Foster. He is an Emmy award-winning director, and a 2016 inductee to the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. In his thirty-four year career at NBC News, Mr. Blount directed Meet the Press, The Today Show, the NBC Nightly News, and major special events. Visit his website at www.jeffreyblount.com for more. The Emancipation of Evan Walls is published by Köehler Books. We taped this interview late last week with Mr. Blount joining me from Washington, DC. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jeffrey Blount; Mr. Blount, good morning.

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