Beyond the Book: Background information when reading A Changed Man

Beyond the Book

This article relates to A Changed Man

Francine Prose is the author of about 20 books, including Blue Angel (2000) which was a finalist for the National Book Award; she is considered one of America's sharpest cultural satirists. She says "I really do love my characters...I don't find them guilty of anything that I'm not guilty of myself."

She says she was inspired to write A Changed Man after seeing two skinheads on the New York subway, all dressed up with jackboots and shaved heads, but looking terrified - it was clear to her that they were out of their element, which made her curious about what kind of people they were. Later she saw a middle-aged man with hair growing over his tattoos, one of which looked like a swastika and she thought 'this is my character, 10 years later.'

Interesting Link:
Information about American hate groups at the Anti-Defamation League website, whose charter is to "secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike and to put an end forever to unjust and unfair discrimination against, and ridicule of, any sect or body of citizens."

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This "beyond the book article" relates to A Changed Man. It originally ran in March 2005 and has been updated for the February 2006 paperback edition. Go to magazine.