"The Sport of the Gods" by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a story set in the early 1900s that follows the Hamiltons, a Black family led by Berry, a dedicated butler, as they grapple with the harsh realities of life in post-Civil War America. The book tackles big ideas like prejudice, social standing, and who people are, as the Hamiltons struggle against unfair treatment after Berry is wrongly blamed for stealing from his boss. At the beginning, the Hamiltons are shown living peacefully on the land of Maurice Oakley, Berry's employer, showcasing Berry's strong connection to the Oakley family, his modest roots, and the secure life he has built with his wife, Fannie, and their kids, Joe and Kit. As Berry gets ready for an important goodbye dinner for Mr. Oakley's brother, the book highlights the family's close bonds and their hopes for a brighter future. However, this peaceful life is soon shattered by a coming disaster and accusations that will turn their world upside down.
The Sport of the Gods
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
A devoted family's secure life is destroyed by false accusations, thrusting them into a world of prejudice and social struggle.
Summary
About the AuthorPaul Laurence Dunbar was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American Civil War, Dunbar began writing stories and verse when he was a child. He published his first poems at the age of 16 in a Dayton newspaper, and served as president of his high school's literary society.
Paul Laurence Dunbar was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American Civil War, Dunbar began writing stories and verse when he was a child. He published his first poems at the age of 16 in a Dayton newspaper, and served as president of his high school's literary society.
More Like This
Explore books similar to the one you're viewing
The ghosts of their ancestors
By Weymer Jay Mills
The heart of happy hollow A collection of stories
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
Victor Ollnee's Discipline
By Hamlin Garland
Dick Hamilton's Football Team; Or, A Young Millionaire On The Gridiron
By Howard Roger Garis
The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
The Garies and Their Friends
By Frank J. Webb
More by This Author
Discover other books written by the same author
Related by Category
Discover books in the same genre or category
Palace and Mosque at Ukhaidir: A Study in Early Mohammadan Architecture
By Gertrude Lowthian Bell
Adieu
By Honoré de Balzac
The Texican
By Dane Coolidge
Christian Schools and Scholars or, Sketches of Education from the Christian Era to the Council of Trent
By Augusta Theodosia Drane
An Adulteration Act The Lady of the Barge and Others, Part 10.
By W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs
Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second Series
By William Bottrell