Historical Context
The political atmosphere in the United States during the time of the book's publication was particularly contentious as civil rights, women’s rights, and gay rights movements became visible in the public sphere. It has been suggested that the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), whose symbol was a seven-headed cobra, were influenced in their choice of name by Greenlee's use in the novel of the word "symbiology", derived from the biological term "symbiosis" that describes disparate organisms living together in a mutually beneficial relationship.
The original book jacket carries quotes by Dick Gregory ("...an important, original, nitty-gritty book"), Len Deighton ("...will cause many readers great annoyance - and what more can a writer ask than that?") and Stephen Vizinczey ("in the manner of the best thrillers, the hero's life is always in danger and there are women about who undress with passion but might give him away. Still, there is more at stake than the hero's life or the reader's entertainment - this first-class thriller is also a genuine novel which is not only exciting but moving as it unfolds the black man's dream, the white man's nightmare").
Read more about this topic: The Spook Who Sat By The Door (novel)
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