Four Freedoms (novel)

Four Freedoms

First Edition Cover by William Morrow Books
Author	John Crowley
Cover artist	Mary Schuck
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	World War II
Genre	Historical fiction
Publisher	William Morrow
Publication date	26 May 2009 (1st edition)
Media type	Print
Pages	400 (Hardcover edition)
ISBN

Four Freedoms is a 2009 historical novel by John Crowley. It follows the adventures of several characters centring on a fictional aircraft manufacturing plant near Ponca City, Oklahoma during World War II, specifically from 1942 to 1945. The plant chiefly produces the fictional B-30 Pax bomber. It is Crowley's first novel after the completion of his Ægypt Sequence, and marks a turning in his style from the historically speculative series to historical realism.

The novel deals with the manufacturing and war industries during World War II, but rather than dealing with the most able-bodied during this period, the novel takes up the story of minority groups, the disabled, and many others still awaiting rights of full citizenship taking an active role in America. In his Afterword, Crowley explicitly theorizes that the period would strongly influence later civil movements in the United States

For most of them, and for many of the African American men and women, Hispanics, Native Americans, and people with disabilities who also served, the end of the war meant returning to the status quo ante: but things could never be restored just as they had been, and the war years contained the seeds of change that would eventually grow again.

The novel's title is a reference to the Four Freedoms Speech given by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941. Critics have noted that the partially paralyzed President inhabits the novel in spirit (though not actually appearing). Crowley notes in his afterword that though the B-30 Pax bomber is a fictional creation, it bears striking resemblance to the real Convair B-36 "Peacemaker", which he was not aware of until he had already created the fictional bomber.

The novel's style is somewhat similar to that of Crowley's earlier novel Little, Big, with the story proper loosely narrated amid frequent narrative spurs to the various Back-stories of characters introduced working at the plant. It is implied by his dealings with Diane as well as with Vi that since conclusions of both women's backstories are given to Prosper, his instigation brought them about. Martha's story is explicitly instigated by Prosper, making the novel's structure itself a reflection of Prosper's empathy.