Praise for There's the Rub
Rossmoor News by Douglas Hergert
Joseph M. Humbert's fresh and absorbing new historical novel explores the distinctions between white and black filmmaking of the time, side-by-side with the larger conflicts between white and black life in America. He handles his topic with a light and engaging touch, but always with an underlying sense of historical gravitas. Will Jimmy succeed in cinema? Will he resolve his recurring nightmare about the disappearance of his mother? Will he etch out a life of achievement and dignity in an early-20th-century environment of prejudice, chauvinism, and bigotry? This is the story that Joseph Humbert tells in There's the Rub, a thoughtful, moving, and stellar first novel.
Full review
Kirkus Reviews
An intriguing novel about the birth of the motion picture industry, as seen through the eyes of a young man striving to strike it big. The novel’s historical setting comes to life with detailed references to 1910s Hollywood, from the intensive artwork of Griffith’s sets to the lower-budget yet groundbreaking work of actors such as Charlie Chaplin and producers such as Noble Johnson, founder of the Lincoln Motion Picture Company. [The novel’s] rich detail and the mystery of Jimmy’s mother’s disappearance, make for an engrossing read.
Full review
ForeWord Clarion by Catherine Thureson
There's the Rub is an interesting story about life in the entertainment industry when motion pictures were new and racism was pervasive. Through the story of the Johnson family, author Joseph M. Humbert aptly depicts a time that was both exciting and hopeful, but also relentlessly unjust. Readers will appreciate the skillful way the author has blended his fictional characters into a backdrop of historical fact, introducing a cast of real-life figures, such as film director D. W. Griffith, actor Noble Johnson, and actress Madame Sul-te-wan.
Full review
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Joseph M. Humbert's fresh and absorbing new historical novel explores the distinctions between white and black filmmaking of the time, side-by-side with the larger conflicts between white and black life in America. He handles his topic with a light and engaging touch, but always with an underlying sense of historical gravitas. Will Jimmy succeed in cinema? Will he resolve his recurring nightmare about the disappearance of his mother? Will he etch out a life of achievement and dignity in an early-20th-century environment of prejudice, chauvinism, and bigotry? This is the story that Joseph Humbert tells in There's the Rub, a thoughtful, moving, and stellar first novel.
Full review
Kirkus Reviews
An intriguing novel about the birth of the motion picture industry, as seen through the eyes of a young man striving to strike it big. The novel’s historical setting comes to life with detailed references to 1910s Hollywood, from the intensive artwork of Griffith’s sets to the lower-budget yet groundbreaking work of actors such as Charlie Chaplin and producers such as Noble Johnson, founder of the Lincoln Motion Picture Company. [The novel’s] rich detail and the mystery of Jimmy’s mother’s disappearance, make for an engrossing read.
Full review
ForeWord Clarion by Catherine Thureson
There's the Rub is an interesting story about life in the entertainment industry when motion pictures were new and racism was pervasive. Through the story of the Johnson family, author Joseph M. Humbert aptly depicts a time that was both exciting and hopeful, but also relentlessly unjust. Readers will appreciate the skillful way the author has blended his fictional characters into a backdrop of historical fact, introducing a cast of real-life figures, such as film director D. W. Griffith, actor Noble Johnson, and actress Madame Sul-te-wan.
Full review
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