About this episode
The episode discusses the novel 'Great Black Hope' by Rob Franklin, focusing on themes of race and class through the story of a queer Black man.
Smith is a queer Black Stanford graduate arrested for cocaine possession. In the novel “Great Black Hope”, author Rob Franklin shows a young man protected by his class but betrayed by his race.
People in this episode
Guest: Rob Franklin
Topics covered
- race
- class
- queer identity
- drug possession
- literature
Keywords
- Rob Franklin
- Great Black Hope
- queer
- Black
- Stanford
- cocaine possession
- race
- class
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Great Black Hope
Places: Stanford
More episodes of All About Books
- The 2026 One Book - One Lincoln 3 finalist selections · June 10, 2026 · 14 min
- “This Beautiful, Ridiculous City” Kay Sohini · May 27, 2026 · 8 min
- “Is a River Alive?” by Robert McFarland. · May 20, 2026 · 9 min
- “Small Ceremonies” by Kyle Edwards · May 13, 2026 · 8 min
- “Sea of Grass" by Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty · May 6, 2026 · 10 min
- “What We Can Know” by Ian McEwan. · April 29, 2026 · 8 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the All About Books podcast page.