A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Alice Childress
- First Published: 1973
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social criticism
- Time of Work: The early 1970’s
- Setting: Harlem, New York
- Principal Characters: Benjie Johnson, Rose Johnson, Craig Butler
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: African Americans, 1960’s, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Parents and children, Teenagers, Race, New York City, Friendship, Substance abuse, Inner cities or inner-city life, Fathers, Single parents or single-parent families, Dropouts, Drug addiction or addicts, Drug education or counseling, Drugs, Heroin
- Locales: Harlem, NY
The Novel
A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich traces the devastating effects of drugs on its principal character, Benjie Johnson, his family, and society. Born into a poor family in the ghetto of Harlem, Benjie wanders aimlessly into the jaws of destruction. Benjie has been taught never to be “chicken,” so when he is challenged into taking drugs, he responds by showing his friends that he can take heroin without becoming a casualty. The issues of identity and the quest for wholeness that surround Benjie’s motivation for taking drugs become significant in light...
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