"Real Historians are Novelists"
Carlos Fuentes asserted that the real historians in Latin America
are its novelists. Novelists born within the borders of the United States have no less tirelessly and successfully recorded
her past. Each semester, soldiers, scholars, and students examine this premise by reading classics and new works by
contemporary novelists. The debate that follows ranges from literary analysis of novels to discussion of the historical
events and personages depicted therein. Your audience's interest is in how novelists dramatize the history of their
regions, and how their fiction illuminates our understanding of the "real" history.
 In First Dark: A Buffalo Soldier's Story, readers follow the lives of the central soldier-characters
and witness their arguments about their limited career options, government policy, loves won and lost, and their admiration
of selected entrepreneurial role models. The same characters participate in the storied development of young America
during her Civil War and the political upheaval of the period called Reconstruction that followed; and, observe first hand
simultaneous violent methods employed "dealing" with the "Negro and Indian problems." The rise of
outlaw rustlers and railroad barons and their impact did not escape their notice.
The
characters in First Dark provide moving lenses through which readers see events of the nineteenth
century for disparate geography - from South Carolina across the southern tier of states to New Mexico; and then, south of
the border from the Gulf of California to the Gulf of Mexico. The
novel, Will and Dena, is history told as a love story. The story assists in developing understanding
in persons expected to express how experiences of a people have contributed to, and been shaped by, political, cultural, and
economic forces - nationally and internationally. Specifically, through characters in Will and Dena,
readers vicariously experience these and other life issues in the middle of the twentieth century: 1. social class and arranged marriages 2.
prominent social role of baseball 3. soldiers
fighting to fight as soldiers 4. impact of
race in every aspect of living 5. mores and
jim crow law
These novels, and the more that
one hundred fifty items in their combined bibliographies, form the foundation for custom ninety minute multi-media seminars
that includes period photographs, audio (music), video (hit tunes, fashion, and military), and live performances rendered
by volunteer student-actors in Bob Rogers' delivery. His seminars are designed for the general public, military families,
and students in literature, history, African-American Studies, American Studies, or War Studies. Audiences will identify with
and follow the lives of ordinary Americans in the novel. Bob's seminars also address the creation of characters and
plot. Author participation adds another dimension; giving audiences the opportunity to engage in discussion
(during and after seminars) of the broader context of events based on research regarding real actions, and explores the boundary
of where fact meets fiction. Please use the link below to
contact Bob. He is ready to engage with you on behalf of your audience. _______________________________________ Historical
Fiction in the Classroom The period of
Will and Dena begins early in 1943 when the outcome of World War II was much in doubt and the book
ends in January 1945 before the war comes to a close. Audiences will  engage in vigorous and heated debate over the roles played, with war as a back drop, by jim crow laws, questions like when
did the campaign for civil rights really begin, the prominent role of  baseball in the 1940s, writer Langston Hughes, singer Billie Holiday, racist Edward Almond, the Roosevelt Administration,
segregated army units, parental mate selection, the rare existence of a judge like Julius Waites Waring in the American south,
and more. (The matters of apartheid faced by characters in First Dark, with war as a backdrop,
the black codes upon which jim crow laws were based, and the violent overthrow in the 1870s of civil rights laws enacted in
the 1860s demonstrates that not much progress had been made by the time of Will and Dena.) One history teacher said, "When students read about characters
living what they are studying, it brings history alive and makes it real. It's no longer just words on a page, but a real
experience for the characters and themselves." An
essay by history teacher and author Michelle Moran (Nefertiti: A Novel), and recent conversations
with Dr. Cheryl Butler Brayboy (Humanities Department at Johnson C. Smith University) and Dr. Helen V. Carby (Acting Chair,
African American Studies at Yale University) have convinced me of the significant potential benefits for students and educators
who read novels like Will and Dena in a coordinated cross-curriculum setting. Educators are welcome to use Bob Rogers as an additional resource in
their individual or combined classes. ______________________________________________________________________________________
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What People
are saying... "Bob Rogers entertained
and informed Greensboro[, NC] residents about the [Buffalo] Soldiers' historical significance. Rogers transforms
his knowledge and passion for Buffalo Soldiers into an interesting and educational experience
for his viewers." Twi Brown The Carolina
Pacemaker "Bob,
everyone enjoyed the Buffalo Soldiers program. You were very articulate,
organized and professional and the program was both fun and educational. I hope
you’ll come back next year." Deborah Blacknall City of Greensboro Benjamin Branch Library "This presentation was an educational and inspirational experience.
Students from different disciplines had the opportunity to play the role of three of Mr. Rogers' characters
during his seminar. We left with a heightened consciousness of life during World War II." Isaiah Chapman Student and president of the JCSU Chapter National Association of Black Journalists "Praise for the seminar was still coming in days after the event." Dr. Cheryl Brayboy JCSU Professor of Humanities "Bob Rogers is a great speaker and really connects with audience
members. He recently spoke to my communications class and grabbed the attention of my students
who later had various questions about what it takes to be a successful writer. If you are in need of someone who can connect
with your audience, Mr. Rogers is the guy." Benny L. Smith Professor and Director of Public
Relations Johnson C. Smith University ___________________________ Bob's Bio:  Bob Rogers is an author, entrepreneur, speaker, and volunteer Information Technology instructor. He is the founder
and CEO of Global Medical Data, Inc., a medical records company based in Charlotte, NC, that serves physician practices and
clinics in Texas and North Carolina. Bob is a former army captain, paratrooper, and combat veteran of the Vietnam War.
Today, he writes historical fiction and speaks to fulfill his goal of "entertaining to educate." His lead
characters are ordinary people - privates, corporals, and sergeants - who struggle to love and live through the turmoil of
war. During and after his thirty-three year sojourn at IBM, Bob created curricula and taught gratis computer classes
for the young and aged persons on the wrong side of the digital divide.
Read more...
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Bob speaks before these and
other interested audiences: Bob
speaks on these topics and is willing to tailor his
talks to your meeting theme: ________________________________________
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