John Ridley discusses his book, “ A Conversation With the Mann.” He begins by explaining the plot of the book: a young black man’s struggle to become a comedian on The Ed Sullivan Show and achieve fame. He describes some of the other characters in the book and their effects on the life of the protagonist. He discusses how he added informational essays in between chapters because he wanted the reader to know historical facts that were happening in the 1950s when the book was set. He explains how he did research on famous comedians and singers and how he decided to include real people in his fictional book. Ridley ends the interview by talking about how a good fictional book should include both fact and fiction, and how he drew inspiration from Hollywood legends.
African American comedians - Fiction Civil rights movements - Fiction African American men - Fiction Comedians - Fiction Racism - Fiction Harlem (New York, N.Y.) - Fiction
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