Book Review: Fences

Fences, by August Wilson

I went to see this play this weekend at one of my local theaters, and loved it. But I figured I missed a few things, so I asked my daughter -- the real theater nerd in the family -- if she had a copy of the play. She did. Of course she did. It's her favorite play by her favorite playwright.

It's also a Pulitzer prize winner.

So I read it, and picked up a few things I had missed. More importantly, as I am learning to read plays, I discover it is easier to do so once you have seen the show.

This is outwardly a simple play, shown in a stark  format. Even the stage directions are sparse. All the scenes are in the bleak and dusty yard of the main character. This is a play that depends on its writing for its impact.

It is the story of Troy Maxson, a black sanitation worker in Pittsburgh in the late 1950s. Troy is bitter about how life has treated him because of his race. He is particularly angry that his baseball days -- he was a power hitter and one of the top players in the Negro Leagues -- coincided with the ban on African-Americans playing in Major League baseball. He especially hated when he was told he simply came along too early.

"There ought not never have been no time called too early," he shouts at one point early in the show.

The story revolves around Troy's relationship with his family and friends. It explores how his past -- including the racism he experienced and continues to experience -- influences his thoughts and actions. It's a remarkable play by a remarkable author.