Part of our time cover

Part of our time

by Murray Kempton

Publisher description: First published in 1955, Part of Our Time consists of ten incomparable "novellas" that profile individuals whose lives were transformed by the radical movements of the thirties. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Murray Kempton writes of people who "shared at one time or another the conviction that the most important thing in life was a remorseless effort to throw down the society which had raised and alienated most of them." Included are portraits of Alger Hiss and Whittaker Chambers, Walter Reuther, Lee Pressman, Paul Robeson, Edmund Wilson, and James T. Farrell; the writers of the Hollywood left; as well as many now-forgotten labor leaders, politicians, and mobsters--all of whom were caught up in what the author calls "the myth of the thirties."

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?