George Cain
Encyclopedia
George Cain was an African American
author who is renowned for writing Blueschild Baby, a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1970. The basis of the book is about the life of a drug user who finally overcomes his addiction
. Cain was a drug user too, but unlike the character in his novel, he never overcame his addiction nor went on to write another book.
Born on October 27, 1943, as George Maurice Hopkins, he would adopt the pen name
Africa Cain, later choosing to use his original first name. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
and moved with his family to Teaneck, New Jersey
after graduating from the McBurney School
, which he attended on scholarship
. His basketball
skills earned him a scholarship at Iona College
, but he dropped out as a junior and headed to the American Southwest. While in Mexico
he was charged and sentenced to six months in jail for possession marijuana.
After completing his sentence he moved to Brooklyn
and started writing Blueschild Baby. George Cain's representative character in the book starts using drugs in high school
, which starts his descent into the drug world, following the death of a favorite grandmother in a fire. The George Cain in the book finally finds his way and stops using drugs, but Cain himself had his life destroyed by drugs. The book describes how Cain's middle-class parents moving to the suburb
s only to find themselves "surrounded, hounded and harassed by the white mob". Reviewer Addison Gayle, Jr., of The New York Times
called the book "the most important work of fiction by an Afro-American since Native Son
", describing "a world that only black people can fully comprehend", written in "a language that abounds in colorful in-group symbols and metaphors".
Despite favorable responses to the book, he never completed a planned sequel to his debut book and as described by his ex-wife Jo Lynne Pool he "had a lot of friends from the street, and they were going down", and he went down along with them, his life and family falling apart.
Cain died at the age of 66 on October 23, 2010, in Manhattan
due to complications of kidney disease. He was survived by two daughters, a son and five grandchildren.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
author who is renowned for writing Blueschild Baby, a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1970. The basis of the book is about the life of a drug user who finally overcomes his addiction
Addiction
Historically, addiction has been defined as physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive substances which cross the blood-brain barrier once ingested, temporarily altering the chemical milieu of the brain.Addiction can also be viewed as a continued involvement with a substance or activity...
. Cain was a drug user too, but unlike the character in his novel, he never overcame his addiction nor went on to write another book.
Born on October 27, 1943, as George Maurice Hopkins, he would adopt the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Africa Cain, later choosing to use his original first name. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
and moved with his family to Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
after graduating from the McBurney School
McBurney School
McBurney School was a college preparatory school in Manhattan run by the YMCA of Greater New York. Among its alumni are actors Henry Winkler and Richard Thomas , novelist J. D...
, which he attended on scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
. His basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
skills earned him a scholarship at Iona College
Iona College (New York)
Iona College is located in New Rochelle, New York, 20 miles north of Manhattan in suburban Westchester County. The college occupies 35 acres on North Ave. The college also operates a Graduate Center in Pearl River, Rockland County, New York....
, but he dropped out as a junior and headed to the American Southwest. While in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
he was charged and sentenced to six months in jail for possession marijuana.
After completing his sentence he moved to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and started writing Blueschild Baby. George Cain's representative character in the book starts using drugs in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, which starts his descent into the drug world, following the death of a favorite grandmother in a fire. The George Cain in the book finally finds his way and stops using drugs, but Cain himself had his life destroyed by drugs. The book describes how Cain's middle-class parents moving to the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s only to find themselves "surrounded, hounded and harassed by the white mob". Reviewer Addison Gayle, Jr., of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the book "the most important work of fiction by an Afro-American since Native Son
Native Son
Native Son is a novel by American author Richard Wright. The novel tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, an African American living in utter poverty. Bigger lived in Chicago's South Side ghetto in the 1930s...
", describing "a world that only black people can fully comprehend", written in "a language that abounds in colorful in-group symbols and metaphors".
Despite favorable responses to the book, he never completed a planned sequel to his debut book and as described by his ex-wife Jo Lynne Pool he "had a lot of friends from the street, and they were going down", and he went down along with them, his life and family falling apart.
Cain died at the age of 66 on October 23, 2010, in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
due to complications of kidney disease. He was survived by two daughters, a son and five grandchildren.