James Jones Turns 99

Today, November 6, 2020 is James Jones 99th birthday. His debut novel “From Here to Eternity” was published in 1951 and received the 1952 National Book Award. What most people didn’t know, when they read the novel in 1951 was that there were some incredibly truthful references taken out of the book because his editor feared it wouldn’t get past the censors, or be delivered by the U.S. Postal service. 

In 2011, the book was re-released digitally unexpurgated, after his daughter, Kaylie, struck a deal with Open Road Media to publish the book. Now, millions can read the novel as Jones intended it to be read: honest, raw, and authentic to the experiences of average rank-and-file soldiers stationed in the South Pacific during WWII. 

My conversation with Jones’s daughter got me thinking about censorship in general, and how it still can plague us in the 21st century. So...meet the new boss...same as the old boss. Here’s my conversation with the novelist and publisher, Kaylie Jones, on the day her dad turned 99.