Many of the ideas that permeated Rogers’ later work can be seen germinating in From Superman to Man. Like the novel’s protagonist, Rogers would devote his professional life to such interdisciplinary research. The porter’s arguments and theories are pulled from a plethora of sources, classical and contemporary, and run the gamut from history, anthropology to biology. Rogers used this debate to air many of his personal philosophies and to debunk the heinous stereotypes about black people and white racial superiority. In essence, the porter is the author's alter ego. Its very title is an ironic twist on both George Bernard Shaw’s "Man and Superman" and Nietzsche’s idea of the “Superman.” The central plot revolves around a debate between a Pullman porter and a white racist, Southern politician. "From Superman to Man" is a polemic against the ignorance that fuels racism. Rogers' first book, "From "Superman" to Man", self-published in (1917), attacked notions of African inferiority. This appetite for knowledge would eventually be expressed in Rogers' numerous self-published writings. Through this travel Rogers was able to increase his appetite for knowledge, utilizing various libraries in the cities that he visited. The job of Pullman Porter allowed Rogers to travel and observe people. While Rogers was in Chicago he worked as a Pullman porter. Rogers lived most of his life in Harlem, but also lived in Chicago for some time. Rogers immigrated to the United States in 1906. Joel Augustus Rogers ( Septem(some sources say 1883 ) - March 26, 1966) author, journalist, historian was born in Negril, Jamaica.Īlthough Rogers was the son of a minister and a schoolteacher, his parents were not able to afford to give Rogers, or his ten siblings, more than a rudimentary education.
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