Tony Gentry

@logentry.bsky.social

1714 Followers 2034 Following

Writer and woods walker. Lifetime lefty. Bon Air, Virginia, US #Harvard #NYU #UVA #VCU occupational therapy prof emeritus. Licensed OT. Photos: @wandering.wow2.bsky.social Writing: https://tonygentry.com #fiction #books #photography #RVA

Excerpt from Topher's Library review on Fable: I’m not sure I can fully put into words what it was like to read Covenant City by Tony Gentry. On one hand, this is a fast-paced, immersive, and highly accessible novel told from the perspective of a 19-year-old. On the other, the subject matter feels so unfortunately plausible that there were moments when I found myself bordering on nausea. This is a dystopian, coming-of-age-esque novel set in Richmond, Virginia, and because I live in the area, the setting made the story especially immersive. I could picture many of the places being described, which made the world of the book feel that much closer and more unsettling. Because the story is told from the perspective of a 19-year-old, it occasionally reads like YA, but I think that is intentional. It does not diminish the impact of what Gentry is doing. If anything, it makes the book incredibly easy to enter and difficult to put down. What the novel captures particularly well is how quickly a society can slide into groupthink and accept ideas that once would have seemed unthinkable. By the time people finally stop and ask, “How did we ever get here?” the machinery is already in motion. The book explores fascism, racism, racial purity, and what can happen when certain beliefs about identity, power, and belonging are carried to their logical extremes. Some of what unfolds may initially feel far-fetched, but history has shown repeatedly that societies are capable of normalizing things that once seemed impossible. That awareness is part of what makes the novel so uncomfortable. That is one of the reasons I think Covenant City could be an excellent book club selection, particularly for a group made up of people with different beliefs, ideologies, and political perspectives. With clear boundaries and a willingness to listen, this could lead to an incredibly rich discussion. This is a book I would encourage almost anyone to pick up.
10. The great American poet Chuck Berry's most overtly patriotic song, though everything he sang was straight up America 9. The saddest song every sung about American capitalism, and what is America but that? 8. Like Chuck Berry, everything the Band sang was about America, though in the Band's case, its folk history. So could have picked any of theirs - this one will do. 7. Close second to Holiday's critique of capitalism, with a dollop of cronyism thrown in for good measure 6. Bruce, too, is of, by, and for America, the American workingman to be specific. Considered choosing Darkness on the Edge of Town, considered Rosalita, but couldn't not add this one, right? 5. Name me a better song about the American dream and struggling for it 4. I first heard Charles' version on his LP "A Message from the People" I got from Columbia House mail order in high school. That whole album is an overlooked gem from his later years 3. This was Simon's Bicentennial dirge in the wake of Vietnam and Nixon. 50 years later, more on point than ever, ain't it? 1. Tie for Number One. We sang Guthrie's song in grade school, around the time Dylan was hitting his stride. Like Berry, and the Band, and Bruce, everything our nation's two great folk tune bards have sung is about these United States. Okay, anyone care to play? What would you add or subtract from my little list? Happy 250 everyone - may we survive to 251.
cover of my new novel Covenant City with golden statue of fat man in long necktie centered. Caption reads: People keep saying the election will fix things, but what if there are no elections? The story imagines a radical remigration plan put in place after elections are canceled and martial law enacted, with Richmond, Virginia ground zero for the experiment.
color photo, covers of the following 3 novels, side-by-side: It Can't Happen Here (1934) is a stark reminder of how close America came to white supremacist fascism before WWII, and boy did Lewis nail small-town, small-minded goobers. 1984 (1949) is, of course, the uber dystopia. The jaw-imbedded AI minder in my book is an auditory version of the 2-way Big Brother tv screens in Orwell's. Chilling to think how our devices track us, and how easy it would be for the govt to take over that surveillance to control us. American War (2017) could be a sequel to my novel; set in 2074, amidst the Second Civil War (this one fought over oil), its horrors - the coastline cities underwater, a pandemic that kills half the population, killer robot drones -- all too plausible. Your turn - what's your favorite dystopian novel? Movie?
Reading list for The Literature of Social Reflection course: Let Us Now Praise Famous Men Invisible Man The Moviegoer The Road to Wigan Pier The Death of Ivan Ilych Native Son White Mule (William Carlos Williams) The Displaced Person (Flannery O'Conner) Tell Me a Riddle (Tillie Olsen) Gravity and Grace (Simone Weil) Poor People (William T. Colman One note - I'm just one of so many impacted by Dr. Coles' work and career. It strikes me now that everything I write is filtered through these books and the way Coles taught them - focus on empathy, caring, dignity, de-othering. Dear Dr. Coles, may you rest in peace.
Another of those Trump "I Did That!" stickers, this one on a slab of NY Strip steak that costs $45.20 (at Midlothian, VA Wegman's).
Guy in blue short-sleeved shirt at a podium in front of shelved books, expression suggesting, "Who me?"
color photo - MAKE AMERICA GAY AGAIN rainbow flag stretched across a restaurant window
color photo, frontispiece to book. On left page an etching of a casually posed man in shirtsleeves and a hat. On right page title Leaves of Grass. Brooklyn, New York, 1855. (Whitman left his name off, intending the etching to convey who he was.)
color photo, closeup of gas pump screen showing price of gas. A sticker with pic of Donald Trump pointing to screen reads "I DID THAT!"
poster showing book cover with golden statue of fat man in business suit with long necktie, title Covenant City, a novel by Tony Gentry. On right a QR code linked to a purchase site and blurbs calling the book darkly compelling and heart-pounding.
color photo - shaggy juvenile black bear facing camera behind hedge
Cover of book Can it Happen Here? and title page of It Can't Happen Here (that fragile 1935 first edition book cradled in a protective box)
poster for my book launch, June 6 from 1-3 pm at Book People bookstore, 10464 Ridgefield Pkwy, Henrico, Virginia. Headshots of me and Katy Munger and cover shot of the book
color photo showing covers of Philip Caputo's A Rumor of War and Acts of Faith side-by-side
Two photos, one the cover of my novel Covenant City featuring a golden statue of fat man in a business suit, the other a Truth Social post from the President showing an actual golden statue of him in Miami
color photo, Virginia Capitol facade wrapped in white sheeting during renovation.
color photo showing projected memorial, a metal-framed open tent-like structure next to the original Medical College of Virginia, now known as the Egyptian Building
color photo showing people seated in rows and standing ahead of my reading from The Night Doctor of Richmond at Book People RVA on June 6, 2024. That's me in the middle, wife Christine holding my hand.
color sketch (clipped from Commonwealth Times newspaper), showing courtyard outside VCU's Egyptian Building with some sort of monument at center in back.
color photo showing a Welcome to Richmond mural on the side of a brick building. Red slashes cancel out Richmond and graffiti beneath it reads COVENANT CITY. Robot dog on sidewalk and words: new novel.
NYT graphic and headline showing voting result for Virginia redistricting measure, yes = 50.7%. No = 49.3.
color photo, crowd with signs around a park gazebo, Hashmi at podium
poster for No Kings rally
color photo, posed shot of the 14 members of 25-26 VCU Rams Men's basketball team.
color photo showing blue facade and display windows of Split Rock Books, a couple with a stroller standing at the door, looking in
color photo of book cover, title Covenant City, a novel by Tony Gentry, red ink, all caps, vertically placed. In center, a golden statue of a fat man in a business suite and long necktie, ahem.
screenshot from NYT article about a two-story tall gold Trump statue to be erected at one of his golf courses
color photo showing five Buddhist monks in brown robes and sneakers walking in a line, greeted by people along the road.