A review by gellifromtheblock
The Man Without A Country by Edward Everett Hale

4.0

My uncle lent me his copy of this classic novella. It does what good short stories do, pressing on big themes with economy. Here, the moral of the story—presented through the tragedy of Philip Nolan, sentenced today never hear of his country for the rest of his life after denouncing it—is to embrace patriotism, lest one face a lifetime of isolation. While originally written to support the Union’s efforts during the civil war, reading this today with the knowledge of the United States’ transgressions against POC and the Global South, feels strange. Still, it’s a worthwhile allegory too ponder on.