Plot Summary

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

James Agee
Guide cover placeholder

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1941

Book Brief

James Agee

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1941
Book Details
Pages

432

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

American South • 1930s

Publication Year

1941

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Roundup icon

Super Short Summary

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee, with photography by Walker Evans, is an uncompromising look at the lives of three impoverished tenant farmer families in Depression Era Alabama. Through a mix of meditative prose and striking, black and white photographs, the book provides an intimate portrayal of their daily struggles and hardships while exploring the complex relationship between the documentarians and their subjects. The book includes themes of severe poverty and hunger.

Gritty

Melancholic

Contemplative

Informative

Challenging

Reviews & Readership

4.1

4,251 ratings

71%

Loved it

17%

Mixed feelings

12%

Not a fan

Roundup icon

Review Roundup

James Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men receives acclaim for its poignant prose and unflinching portrayal of tenant farmers during the Great Depression. Critics laud its emotional depth and innovative blend of journalism and literature. However, some find its dense, often meandering style challenging. Overall, it's celebrated as a powerful, albeit demanding, read.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Let Us Now Praise Famous Men?

Readers who appreciate deeply introspective, poetic prose and photographic documentation will enjoy Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee. Fans of works like Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath or Walker Evans' photography could find this exploration of sharecropper lives equally compelling and moving.

4.1

4,251 ratings

71%

Loved it

17%

Mixed feelings

12%

Not a fan

Book Details
Pages

432

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

American South • 1930s

Publication Year

1941

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Buy This Book

We’re just getting started

Add this title to our list of requested Study Guides!