--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The other thing that I got back then…" description: "\"The other thing that I got back then - the Parker novels have never had much of anything to do with race. There have been a few black characters here a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/donald-e-westlake-4285_black_the-other-thing-that-i-got-back-then-the_37835.jpg" --- # The other thing that I got back then - the Parker novels… ![“The other thing that I got back then - the Parker novels have never had much of anything to do with race. There have been a few black characters here and there, but the first batch of books back then, I got a lot of letters from urban black guys in their 20s, 30s, 40s. What were they seeing that…” quote by Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/donald-e-westlake-4285_black_the-other-thing-that-i-got-back-then-the_37835.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/donald-e-westlake-4285_black_the-other-thing-that-i-got-back-then-the_37835.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/donald-e-westlake-4285_black_the-other-thing-that-i-got-back-then-the_37835.jpg) > “The other thing that I got back then - the Parker novels have never had much of anything to do with race. There have been a few black characters here and there, but the first batch of books back then, I got a lot of letters from urban black guys in their 20s, 30s, 40s. What were they seeing that they were reacting to? And I think I finally figured it out - at that time, they were guys who felt very excluded from society, that they had been rejected by the greater American world.” [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author observes that readers, particularly urban Black men, felt the novels ignored their lived experience, leading to a sense of societal exclusion. **In simple terms:** Readers felt excluded by mainstream culture. Key Takeaway Literature can unintentionally marginalize groups. Themes representation identity social exclusion cultural resonance author‑reader relationship Mood thoughtful critical empathetic Type observational analytical When to use this quote - urban Black men reading genre fiction - authors receiving fan letters - publishers assessing market demographics - community discussions on representation Key Concepts racial representation urban experience reader feedback cultural relevance Practical Applications - informing inclusive writing practices - guiding editorial policies Questions to Reflect On - How can writers ensure diverse readers feel seen? - What role should authors play in addressing societal exclusion? A Different Perspective Some argue that genre fiction's primary goal is entertainment, not social commentary, so exclusion may be incidental rather than intentional. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [It was always a false assumption that white American writers cannot write novels about race unless they're approaching it from a very oblique angle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-row/it-was-always-a-false-assumption-that-white-american-writers-cannot/) [Jess Row](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-row/) > [Donald Westlake's Parker novels are among the small number of books I read over and over. Forget all that crap you've been telling yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-block/donald-westlake-s-parker-novels-are-among-the-small-number-of-books-i/) [Lawrence Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-block/) > [Whether early or late, the Parker novels are all superlative literary entertainments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-teachout/whether-early-or-late-the-parker-novels-are-all-superlative-literary/) [Terry Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-teachout/) > [Queer black characters have been the sidekick for long enough. It's time for us to finally take the lead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-waithe/queer-black-characters-have-been-the-sidekick-for-long-enough-it-s/) [Lena Waithe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-waithe/) > [With 'Black Panther,' black artists were provided with the opportunity and agency to create art that captures the full range of their imaginative possibilities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/with-black-panther-black-artists-were-provided-with-the-opportunity/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [Growing up, I was always super into fantasy and 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'Game of Thrones' and all of that, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/growing-up-i-was-always-super-into-fantasy-and-the-lord-of-the-rings/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [I think a lot of times stereotypes come when there are disconnected white writers who maybe have two or three black friends, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorian-missick/i-think-a-lot-of-times-stereotypes-come-when-there-are-disconnected/) [Dorian Missick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorian-missick/) > [I didn't want to write a 'black' book because black characters are a tough sell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/i-didn-t-want-to-write-a-black-book-because-black-characters-are-a/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [That existential crisis is something you rarely see portrayed by black characters; the idea that people think about their own existence and that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/that-existential-crisis-is-something-you-rarely-see-portrayed-by/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [If we look at 'Black Panther,' it did so well. 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I was always looking out for black characters - black women -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/growing-up-i-didn-t-receive-the-representation-that-i-wanted-so-badly/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [There is an appetite for things that are different and a story with Black characters that's going to appeal to a lot of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/there-is-an-appetite-for-things-that-are-different-and-a-story-with/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [The black characters on TV are the sidekicks, or they're insignificant. You could put all the black sidekicks on one show, and it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/the-black-characters-on-tv-are-the-sidekicks-or-they-re-insignificant/) [Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/) ## More by Donald E. 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Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [“Well, you might not think it to look at me,” Dortmunder told him, “but I got a family crest.” “Have you?” “Yeah. And it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/well-you-might-not-think-it-to-look-at-me-dortmunder-told-him-but-i/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [“telling the jokes—was the setups. Why were that priest, that rabbi, and that minister walking down that street? Where were they headed? How had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/telling-the-jokes-was-the-setups-why-were-that-priest-that-rabbi-and/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [“Dortmunder followed Kelp as he carried the tray down along the bar past the regulars, where the third was now saying, “The idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/dortmunder-followed-kelp-as-he-carried-the-tray-down-along-the-bar/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [Nothing about it interested me. Or about anything else, except making up stories. If literacy weren't so nearly universal, God knows what I'd be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/nothing-about-it-interested-me-or-about-anything-else-except-making/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [When Stark isn't off sulking somewhere, or whatever he's doing when he won't return my calls, I alternate between the two. That usually works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/when-stark-isn-t-off-sulking-somewhere-or-whatever-he-s-doing-when-he/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [“There are no Territories to light out for, not in this century. It was no longer easy to become the new you. New or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/there-are-no-territories-to-light-out-for-not-in-this-century-it-was/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [“wish you would.” “Right. When I had the emerald again, I was in a cell. I guess they were afraid the rest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/wish-you-would-right-when-i-had-the-emerald-again-i-was-in-a-cell-i/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [Seem to be telling this, but really telling that. Three-dimensional writing, like three-dimensional chess. Nabokov was the other master of that. You could learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/seem-to-be-telling-this-but-really-telling-that-three-dimensional/) [Donald E. 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We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. 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