Review Fix Exclusive: William Reese Hamilton Talks ‘Wonks and Let’s Not Obscure History’s Lessons By Eliminating Insensitive Words’

Review Fix chats with author William Reese Hamilton, who discusses his new article, “Let’s Not Obscure History’s Lessons By Eliminating Insensitive Words” and his novel, “Wonks.”

About “Let’s Not Obscure History’s Lessons By Eliminating Insensitive Words”:

At what point does paying careful attention to how we speak – to how we refer to certain events, groups and sentiments – cross the boundary between being simply “politically correct” and become censorship?

William Reese Hamilton, former WWII prisoner and author of Wonks, asks this question in a new article titled “Let’s Not Obscure History’s Lessons By Eliminating Insensitive Words”. In it, he draws on his recent experience getting caught up in this debate due to his novel’s historically accurate but socially insensitive language, and explains what may be lost if we remove all insensitive references from books and literature that are set in the past.

Review Fix: What inspired you to write this article?

William Reese Hamilton: I was about to be interviewed on a local TV station about my novel WONKS, based on my experience in a Japanese prison camp during WWII. The narrator/protagonist is a 15-year-old who has spent three years suffering under very rough circumstances. He freely uses the word “Jap” when referring to the enemy. The station called off the interview, fearing his use of Jap might be taken out of context and used against the moderator and the station.

Review Fix: Why do you think there is this seemingly excessive need to be politically correct today?

Hamilton: Minorities have been abused over many years by the dominant group of a particular region. What happened to Japanese Americans is something we should be morally upset about. Looking at our history, we can be sensitive to wrongs of previous generations and take them into consideration when evaluating who we are and where we’ve come from.. As Steinbeck did in The Grapes of Wrath. But that is not trying to whitewash the past. I will still read Shakespeare, Twain and writers like J.T. Farrell, whose characters used every foul ethnic name his Chicago mugs could dream up. I will still listen to comedians who use epithets painfully. But using an epithet in a routine is very different from directing it toward the person in front of you. Or behind his back.

Review Fix: What’s your solution?

Hamilton: Don’t just have a negative reaction to every portrayal of your group that comes from outside your group. The question might be asked, “Can a white author create a black character? Can a man create a woman character?” Well, I damn well hope they’ll try. The more we try to walk in an Indians moccasins, the less likely we’ll treat him as an object. I live in a Venezuelan village where I’m the only Gringo. I have a clue what it feels like to be an object.

Review Fix: What are your goals for this article?

Hamilton: I was naturally stung about losing a TV interview and the chance to talk about what it’s like to be an enemy prisoner as a boy. Our camp was in Manila, a beautiful city completely destroyed in a single month. We experienced extreme starvation and brutality along with the full force of modern warfare. Yet the survivors moved on..I  think that’s worth telling.

Review Fix: What’s next for you?

Hamilton: I have another novel in the wings, but right now I want to give WONKS the fair chance I think it deserves. I want people to get to know Johhnny, Polecat, Ruth and Harry, Southy Jack and the Colonel. And Abiko, the ruthless lieutenant of the guard.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Hamilton: WONKS is available in paperback, digital book and audiobook through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other bookstores. Perhaps the best deal right now is with Audible, where you can listen to WONKS for free.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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