The Artificial Black Man

"The Artificial Black Man" depicts the journey of an older Southern white man through four politically-charged decades in two states, Georgia and New York. During this journey, Mr. Head slowly comes to grips with the realities of race in America at the same time as he witnesses the disintegration of his own immediate family—and self. Though the dominant presence in Mr. Head’s life becomes Nelson, his grandson, this grandfather is surrounded by revealing characters of various kinds in, and around, Milledgeville, Atlanta, and Manhattan: a liberal white schoolteacher; subservient black help; white law enforcement; “uppity” black travelers; complacent or angry whites; and the choral-like crowds that gather around, if not menace, Mr. Head on trains, subways, and city sidewalks.