For most people in this book and to readers as well, the Los Angeles riots were a one of kind experience that truly showed or exposed them to the violent nature of humanity that many never experienced or even observed before.
Those feelings and this book lends itself to the deeper narrative of California literature that describe the struggles that many minority groups and people of a lower economic standing continually face. This book leaves readers with the understanding of how people felt when the riots occurred and how they most likely still carry those feelings today. The book also makes a lot of points of how media can often skew images and reports and often worsen situations.
In the book, Paula Weinstein states that she thought it was, "a media fest of making white people scared of the African-American community" Smith, There are several other accounts that make references towards the media feeling that they actually over exaggerated tensions. It's a very interesting perspective on how the media can influence people's feelings and actions.
This book has many strengths however I believe the biggest strength is how each monologue is a verbatim account of the interviews that Anna Deavere Smith conducted. Not only does it make itself seem more real, but you also feel more connected to the person speaking. For example, before getting into the monologues of the Park family she gives a long explanation of the setting and people around her, "a very pleasant, sunny high-ceilinged new modern home in Fullerton The feel of the place is airy but there is a lot of furniture Park speaks in the rhythm of a person who has full authority and ease, and a person who has all of the facts exactly straight" Smith, The other strength within this book is the fact that Smith took the time to interview people of many different ethnicities, background, and economic standings.
The diversity of the people she interviewed helps readers have an even bigger understanding how many Los Angeles residents felt when these riots occurred.
Although this book has many strengths, there is also a major weakness that needs to be addressed. She also managed to conduct an interview with a firefighter yet completely missed this one side that most likely had plenty to say about the Los Angeles riots. There were many monologues that discussed the law enforcement that were there during those riots, yet never gave an officer that was there the chance to describe their understanding or feelings of the during and after the riots.
For example, Stanley K. Sheinbaum stated "at the same time, I had been on this kick, as I told you before, of I mean this city has abused both sides. The city has abused cops. Don't ever forget that" Smith, Even getting an interview from one of the members of the military that were sent out to Los Angeles during the riots would have been an interesting addition to this play.
This book will help those who were not born during the time of the riots gain a deeper understanding of the problems and feelings that contributed to the Los Angeles riots. Dec 04, Emma Getz rated it it was amazing Shelves: read-for-a-class , favorite-plays , drama.
Extremely fascinating analysis of the Rodney King riots in LA using real quotes from interviews and court hearings. This piece touches on so many racial nuances and perspectives of the whole situation. It's amazing how relevant this play is still in our historical moment, and there are so many parallels to modern current events.
I would recommend this play to anyone, but especially those who are unfamiliar with Rodney King and the riots. Smith is truly a pioneer of documentary theatre, Extremely fascinating analysis of the Rodney King riots in LA using real quotes from interviews and court hearings.
Smith is truly a pioneer of documentary theatre, a genre that I hope grows in popularity. Jan 16, Carol rated it liked it. This book is, essentially, a re-ordered transcript of Anna Deavere Smith's act.
These pages include more of the interviews, and each interview is presented as a kind of lyric. While I appreciated that choice to present the interviews as poetry , the transcripts don't have anywhere near the same impact as watching the interviewees being acted out. The documentary is particularly effective as a means for discussing race because of Smith's embodiment of various people May 21, BrookeAshley rated it really liked it.
Twilight: Los Angeles, is a play written by Anna Deavere Smith telling the thoughts and feelings of people who resided in Los Angeles during the riots. Sparking the tension was the unjustified beating of Rodney King by four white cops which later led to an acquittal of all four policemen.
The verdict is essentially what started the fire blazing riots that killed 53 people and caused over one billion dollars in property damage. The L. Twilight explores those who observed, were part of, or affected by the riots, telling true stories laced with emotion, injustice, and loss. Having interviewed people in the Los Angeles, California area, Smith incorporates in her play multiple perspectives on the riots, delving deep into the underlying problem of division and racism L.
She grasps each character perfectly with tone, characterization, and imagery. Each monologue is told with undeniable passion and, together, express an overall need for change in the city of Los Angeles and, quite possibly, in the entirety of the United States. Anna Deavere Smith not only wrote Twilight but also acted it out as a solo actor.
Available on pbs. The play itself is considered California Literature due to the sense of community, or lack thereof, throughout the text. Smith does a fantastic job capturing the mood of the City of Angels not only during the riots but also in general over the span of time. One example of how well Smith grasps the characters so well with tone is an interview with Cornel West, a scholar, who has a very particular way of speaking that comes across expertly in his monologue: Uh, but!
At the beginning of each monologue, Smith gives a description of her interviewees, putting her skill at characterization to work. The description is very long but gives a strong idea of the type of family the Parks are. Parts of it read: A very pleasant, sunny, high-ceilinged new modern home in Fullerton. There is a winding staircase that comes into a hallway.
The furnishings are replicas of Louis XIV. Walter Park, who has had a gunshot through the eye, has a scar on the left side of his face […] Mr. Park speaks in the rhythm of a person who has full authority and ease, and a person who has all of the facts exactly straight. They make the characters more appealing.
Her use of imagery goes hand-in-hand with the characterization as seen above with the staircase and Mr. Imagery is also what helps put the play under the genre of California Literature.
For instance, one character walks Smith through their drive from one location to the next detailing street names that are very familiar to Los Angeles residents Another character goes a bit deeper with their description of L. Twilight is really a fantastic read all around but as with any written work, it has weaknesses.
Profane words are common because of the type of people Smith interviews. It is understandable considering that some of the characters are ex-gang members or just simply people who tend to curse a lot. If one does have any issue with curse words, I would recommend watching the play over reading it because PBS censors it. Another weakness Twilight has is the organization of the interviews. There is kind of one but not really. It seems to string along from perspective to perspective without much of a reason behind why one interviewee is being put before or after the other interviewee.
It is a weakness that can be well overlooked but is there anyways. Overall, Twilight: Los Angeles, is an excellent read. The information on the riots in L. The way each monologue is told makes the play appealing and true to character. Smith makes it easy to envision each person in their environment as well as empathize with them. The feeling of Los Angeles and community comes across very strong as well especially for those who live in the surrounding areas or even just in California itself.
Once I got to the end of the work, I started formulating my own opinions on race and diversity. The play made me think harder about the issues at hand in every state in America but really made me give thought into what kind of city Los Angeles is. To make her readers aware of others and their differing perspectives. If so, Smith does effectively. Jun 25, Selena rated it really liked it. I pulled this book out of my stack of books that I had bought but never read but did write papers on?
This was a fairly quick read about the LA riots and was in a unique style - a collection of short interviews meant to be performed as a play. Although I sometimes struggled with that style it also allowed for so much more emotion and such a wide range of viewpoints a I pulled this book out of my stack of books that I had bought but never read but did write papers on?
Although I sometimes struggled with that style it also allowed for so much more emotion and such a wide range of viewpoints and characters since each interview was fairly short. The parallels were honestly alarming and frustrating and some of these interviews could very well have been talking about the stories of police brutality that are being highlighted right now. I also found the storylines highlighting the tensions between the Korean and Black LA communities interesting, although that was a small portion of this book.
I know I have a lot more research to do both on race in general and specifically on the LA riots as the book focused more on the emotions surrounding these events than the details of the events themselves. View all 4 comments.
Sep 18, Pam rated it liked it. I would like to have given this book three and a half stars. On one hand I consider it a book well worth reading; my understanding of the time period has been broadened by its content especially the interviews. On the other hand, I found the vehicle of poetry I am a retired English teacher who loves reading, teaching about, and teaching the writing of poetry often difficult to follow- not as effective as an actual interview. I'm aware, of course, that this was written primarily to be performed I would like to have given this book three and a half stars.
I'm aware, of course, that this was written primarily to be performed. While a disturbing read, it offers valuable information one did not get from watching news sources of the day.
May 21, Jeff Winger rated it liked it. Smith is a playwright who tries to capture the different voices in the community of Los Angeles. Twilight is a culmination of interviews that Smith had with key players of the events those who were directly influenced. These interviews serve as the foundation for the dialogue that ends up creating this one person performance play. Each chapter of the play is a performance of the dialogue of what each interviewee said.
It has been assigned in ethnic studies and literature classes because of the content of including different racial voices. The main argument of the book surrounds the idea that people should understand the viewpoints of the other races to improve relations among races. The book is broken into different sections mainly in chronological order showing cause and effect. It starts out with a Mexican man being treated with inferiority throughout his life as he was called names in his youth and later beaten by white police officers.
The following section focuses on established racial tensions under the topics of gangs along with the police versus the citizens of color. The next section of the book highlights the Rodney King beating and proceeding trial. It gives the perspectives of a former police officer, a witness to the beating, a white juror from the trial, and the district attorney. The next portion talks about the riots itself.
There are interviews from multiple angles such as the Korean and black conflict, first responders, and leaders from the community and different organizations. The final sections discuss the effects of the riots, the ideologies, and how racial interactions can improve. Now since this book has the setting of California, we can talk about it in the special genre that is California literature. When we think about California literature, we think of things such as harmony, peace, nature, diversity, along with rich and poor in regards to the state itself in which it reflects the literature.
The goal of California literature should be to positively promote the actual unity among the people and the different regional cultures of the state. California is thought of as the melting pot of cultures due to its diversity. Due to this thought, there is an inherent idea that people of different race and culture should get along well.
Unfortunately, this book seems to tear into diversity and highlight the negativities of a diverse culture. That is to say it promotes that one race is superior to the other, whether it is white over black or black over white. Some people may say that the officer was doing their job within their parameters and there was no brutality through overpowering the other.
From this, attacking the officers would cause the same uprising. It simply is a game of which group is superior. That is what the readers get out of reading that. Overall after reading all the chapters from the viewpoints of the different people, there is still one group being favored over the other. Blacks are portrayed as the victim and whites are portrayed as the enforcers, everyone else other minorities are in between. Through the victimization of the black people, readers are forced to feel bad for them from the onset.
Although the book brings in the perspectives from the other side of the equation like white police employees and government employees, it does not overcome the problems that the blacks faced. The book plays with the emotions of the reader just like how the events surrounding the riots were ignited by the emotions of the affected.
People may think that such victimization brings compassion towards everyone and promotes the want for equality. Instead, it fuels even more hatred for each side towards each other because one side will always think victimization is unfair and that those people would need a safe-space.
Unfortunately, this goes against the spirit of California literature and therefore this book is not a good representative of California literature based on that idea.
Mar 12, Shelby Grace with Books rated it liked it Shelves: nonfiction , school , reviewed-books , theater-play. This was such an interesting look at racial conflicts in I do think this is a play that should be taught to more students because it has so much to say about prejudice and hatred.
The world is a messed up place, but by reading and understanding different perspectives, we are closer to peace. Jan 03, Meg Petersen rated it it was amazing. This makes an excellent companion to the Netflix movie LA Sep 05, Ashley rated it really liked it.
An explicit look at the complexities of the human experience. Smith holds nothing back while interlocking the accounts of several different subjects. Apr 23, Linda rated it it was amazing Shelves: history , non-fiction , highly-recommended , theatre-drama , social-and-economic-justice. American history is known for certain signature triumphs. Anna Deavere Smith's Twilight is a crucial exploration of what is arguably American culture's signature tragedy : that whatever it is that one thinks makes the United States "great", that thing exists side by side and in constant tension with our ongoing failure to address social injustice, economic inequality, and the clash of race, power, and privilege.
For those who may not be familiar with Anna Deavere Smith's work, she has pioneered h American history is known for certain signature triumphs. For those who may not be familiar with Anna Deavere Smith's work, she has pioneered her own style of drama, creating one-woman shows based on one-on-one interviews conducted with literally hundreds of real people. Onstage, she takes on the voices of the interviewees, using their own words, pacing, verbal tics, and gestures, transitioning seamlessly from one character to another, creating a mosaic of monologues all centered on a particular theme.
What makes Twilight extraordinary is that it is at once an immensely valuable artifact of a particular moment in time, and a thought-provoking challenge to any complacency on the state of the US today. Smith gives us the stories of an incredible range of people touched by those events -- from Rodney King's aunt, to community leaders, affected shopowners, politicians, police officials, victims of random violence, fearful neighbors, to Reginald Denny, the white truck driver whose beating during the riots was also captured on video.
What comes through most is the fear and the pain and the bewilderment of ordinary people caught up in or witnessing the riots, a repeated sense of not understanding how all these things happened -- while at the same time understanding, consciously or not, why they did. Sometimes the characters in Twilight express optimism about the future, but again and again, we see them grappling with questions of race, inequality, and privilege.
Why, in the "land of opportunity" that the US claims to be, are opportunities so often closed off to some people, and so much more accessible to others? Why is race the most persistent dividing line in American society? How can it be that white residents of a city like L. What is it that keeps people so far apart? And why do we continue to accept it? Twilight doesn't presume to find answers to these difficult problems; instead, the main lesson to be learned from it is that 20 years later, the questions it raises largely remain the same.
As such, Twilight should be considered required reading for just about everyone: the view from its stories is moving, powerful, and essential. Feb 23, Nathan Lamp rated it really liked it Shelves: plays , american-history , performance-studies , ethnic-studies. This isn't somebody else's house, it's our own house.
This is the city we are living in. Maxine Waters, U. Congresswoman, CA pg. The beating of Rodney King and the subsequent L. Riots happened 25 years ago, but concerns about police brutality, urban decay, structural inequality, and the role of the media are at the center of our political discourse today. This play, crafted from the words real people that Anna Deavere Smith's interviewed regarding the King incident and the riots, is simultaneously a historical document, a brilliant piece of documentary theatre, and a chilling reminder of how far we've come as a nation, but also how little we've accomplished in the way of social betterment.
There is still work to be done to solve problems of police brutality, poverty, and income inequality. Anna Deavere Smith's play demonstrates the human cost of letting inequality fester. There is, sadly, much to learn from this slice of history in Apr 25, Maiya Peterson rated it really liked it.
Smith does a good job choosing a variety of people to include for telling the story of the riots from multiple angles journalist, storekeeper, juror, family members, etc. She writes a "realness" to their stories via dialect Angela King's stutters and pauses , emotion Paul Parker's outrage that people across the world only cared about Reginald Denny's beating because he's white , and stage directions Mrs.
Young-Soon Han slapping the table as she describes the hardships of the Koreans. Each scene is cleverly titled as well based on content of the interview "The Unheard" was my favorite. Dec 08, Benewaa rated it liked it. This book like Fires In The Mirror was inspired by a racial tension. This was inspired by the Rodney King riot riot in Los Angeles. The riot was sparked by the brutally beaten of an African American man by four white policemen.
This incidence like the Fires in the mirror incidence was associated with racism and many people stood up to let their voices to be heard. Sergeant Charles Duke. Stanley K. Josie Morales. Charles Lloyd. Joe Viola. Production Manager. Production Assistant. Original Music. The Story. The Reason. The Reviews. The Reaction. The Promotion. The Twilight: Los Angeles, Team. Alan Kim.
Ananka Kohnitz. Malinda L. Trevor B. Julye Newlin. Barbara Alicea-Aponte. Mark Lewis. Howard Block. Jay Gracia. Aaron Joseph Herrera. Philip Kershaw. John Baker. Callina Anderson. Nicky Ballard. Niesha Dayshaun Bentley. Shelby Blocker. Derrick Brent II. Detrah Brown. Domonique L. Fong Chau. Kevin Daugherty. Misha Elle. Jeff Featherston.
Christine Weems. Jimmy Vollman. LaKeisha Randle. Giovanni Sandoval. Krystal M. Melissa J. Hannah Lee. Pin Lim. Kyle Anthony Mosley. John Patterson. John Raley. Donna Bella Litton. Todd Thigpen.
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