Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
biblioteca avatar reviewed on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


Even someone who does not know the life of Thoreau would enjoy this unique examination of his concerns about conformity, war and slavery. This is a thinking man's play requiring a little knowledge about transcendentalism, the Mexican War and Ralph Waldo Emerson so as to enrich ones understanding of the material. It has a nice balance between humor, philosophy (a rather deep subject) and anger toward the issues of Thoreau's times. This is a thoughtful brief read of only 101 pages. My reservations arise from a concern that too many subjects may have diffused the force of the play.