‘The First Black President Blues’: Speculative Alternate History Fiction
Many books have been written by, for, and about presidents, presidential candidates and their family members. With tomorrow’s important U.S. election, many such books have recently been published. Biographies - both unofficial and official - of Barack Obama and John McCain have popped up on shelves. John’s daughter, Meghan McCain, wrote a children’s book. There have been political commentaries, criticisms, and spoofs. 
And now there is a time-appropriate fiction novel that is also seemingly riding the 2008 election wave.
Promoted as a what-if political novel, David L. Dukes’s The First Black President Blues goes there. Yes, there. As in speculating that America is not ready for a African-American president because there would be an assassination attempt.
Here is President Blues synopsis: “Re-elected to a second term, Louis Hayes, America’s first black president, finds himself lying speechless and paralyzed after having been shot at his inaugural party. During the ensuing struggle to survive, Louis retraces his life’s path - from a childhood in Baltimore’s projects to leader of the free world - and comes to grips with his own true American identity”
I’m not sure what Dukes was thinking.
This is Dukes’s third alternate history fiction book where he speculates on possible future scenarios surrounding current sociopolitical conditions. His first two such novels are The Zebra Confessions, about America’s second civil war, and The Last White Soldier, about World War III. All three novels were self published through leading independent book publisher Author House.
Want to know who I’m voting for tomorrow? Read about my struggle to find a candidate that I like.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
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