I Wonder as I Wander: An Autobiographical Journey (American Century Series) Paperback – August 1, 1993

Mr. Hughes takes you on a vivid journey to 1930's Haiti, Cuba, the Deep South, San Francisco, and the Soviet Union.His observations & conversations speak for themself. There is no agenda. There is no motive.Here Are The Facts & the facts illuminating.After reading this beautiful book, I thought about Langston's poem Let America Be America Again. A perfect epilogue to our present state of affairs.Let America be America again.Let it be the dream it used to be.Let it be the pioneer on the plainSeeking a home where he himself is free.(America never was America to me.)Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed—Let it be that great strong land of loveWhere never kings connive nor tyrants schemeThat any man be crushed by one above.(It never was America to me.)O, let my land be a land where LibertyIs crowned with no false patriotic wreath,But opportunity is real, and life is free,Equality is in the air we breathe.(There's never been equality for me,Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.I am the red man driven from the land,I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—And finding only the same old stupid planOf dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.I am the young man, full of strength and hope,Tangled in that ancient endless chainOf profit, power, gain, of grab the land!Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!Of work the men! Of take the pay!Of owning everything for one's own greed!I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.I am the worker sold to the machine.I am the Negro, servant to you all.I am the people, humble, hungry, mean—Hungry yet today despite the dream.Beaten yet today—O, Pioneers!I am the man who never got ahead,The poorest worker bartered through the years.Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dreamIn the Old World while still a serf of kings,Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,That even yet its mighty daring singsIn every brick and stone, in every furrow turnedThat's made America the land it has become.O, I'm the man who sailed those early seasIn search of what I meant to be my home—For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea,And torn from Black Africa's strand I cameTo build a "homeland of the free."The free?Who said the free? Not me?Surely not me? The millions on relief today?The millions shot down when we strike?The millions who have nothing for our pay?For all the dreams we've dreamedAnd all the songs we've sungAnd all the hopes we've heldAnd all the flags we've hung,The millions who have nothing for our pay—Except the dream that's almost dead today.O, let America be America again—The land that never has been yet—And yet must be—the land where every man is free.The land that's mine—the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME—Who made America,Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,Must bring back our mighty dream again.Sure, call me any ugly name you choose—The steel of freedom does not stain.From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,We must take back our land again,America!O, yes,I say it plain,America never was America to me,And yet I swear this oath—America will be!Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,We, the people, must redeemThe land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.The mountains and the endless plain—All, all the stretch of these great green states—And make America again!

This biography is so informative about writers and times when Afro-American pioneers were cutting across the US restrictions on Russia before the Cold War. South Samarkand -Forbidden Territory is a fascinating part of this book.

What a great read. I am savoring it nightly. Langston Hughes shares his life and travels so generously with the reader. It is like listening to travel adventures from an old friend-if your friend were also a great and loving writer. For Langston Hughes, "Black Lives Matter" and he is always adding the racial perspective on the many continents and situations he encounters. As he visits many different places and interacts with so many important figures, pieces of world and literary history light up and their contexts are revealed as you read. The book is not only about a journey, but reading it is a journey too.

I have made a wonderful discovery!We are mariners!Wow!This guy would be a real travel partner! Wow! Wow!

:-)

The book that I have has a green cover instead of the mustard color. It is good for what I paid. I am happy with the price, the status of the book. I am sure I'll enjoy it.

If you’re interested in contemporary world history, this is your next book.

I read this book as a restless twenty something, with a lifelong case of wanderlust. As a 46 year old, I still have it, and I'm rediscovering this beautiful autobiography of a fellow soul.

C'est le 2ème tome de l'autobiographie de Howard Hugues (contrairement au 1er tome, il n'a pas été traduit en français). C'est la suite de la vie aventureuse de Howard Hugues toujours passionnante. A lire et relire.