By Jaimie Julia Winters
Kearny native and author Richard Sackerman explores a little-known chapter of American history in a historical fiction work centered on the 1916 explosion that destroyed Black Tom Island, a munitions depot in New York Harbor—an unprecedented act of terrorism on U.S. soil. The novel follows August Landesmann, a young German immigrant employed at Black Tom Wharf on the Hudson River and in the Kearny rail yards between the Passaic and Hackensack rivers.
The story resonates powerfully today amid ongoing national debates over immigration. In Target Hudson, August must navigate a climate of suspicion and prejudice as anti-German sentiment surged during WWI. Although the U.S. did not enter the war until April 1917, hostility toward German immigrants had already intensified following events such as the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania.
Reviewers have been drawn to August’s personal journey, from a dockworker who narrowly escapes death to a man driven to make a life-altering decision—volunteering as an ambulance driver with the American Field Service in the aftermath of the explosion. On Amazon, the novel holds a 4.4 out of 5-star rating, with readers praising Sackerman as a “great storyteller” and describing the book as “very well written.”
Sackerman was born in Harrison and has lived in Kearny with his wife since 1976, where they raised three children. He recently retired from New York’s Office of Management and Budget.
The Kearny Museum will host a book talk with Sackerman on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 6:30 p.m., in the museum on the second floor of the Main Library, 318 Kearny Ave.
Kearny Life sat down with Sackerman to discuss his work. Here is that interview:
Kearny Life: What first drew you to the Black Tom Island explosion as the subject for a novel, and why did you feel now was the right time to tell this story?
I began work on the Black Tom idea just before the 100th anniversary, but it took a few years to complete in my spare time. Nonetheless, folks now consider the disaster a topic of interest once more, and perhaps this book will provide an escape.
I chose the Black Tom sabotage incident as background for the story of my main character, August, a young German immigrant who lived nearby. The year 1916 was a time of growing anti-German sentiment spurred on by newspapers, which favored the English and French allies in their struggles of “Fighting the Hun/.” The subject of the war was always a topic of discussion, and August was often asked by friends or neighbors just what he would decide to do if America should enter the war. August was conflicted, since he had many family members still living in Germany. However, he often discussed this with his father, and the two of them had realized that they were now first and foremost Americans. However, if he went to war as an American soldier, he might end up killing old friends or relations! Eventually, he decided to become a volunteer ambulance driver for the American Field Service. In my next book, Argonne Awakening, he goes to the Western Front, and events have a profound effect on him.
Kearny Life: Before writing Target Hudson, how familiar were you with the Black Tom sabotage, and were you surprised by how little-known this event remains?
Dad brought home a Newark Library book about the disaster around the 50th anniversary. At age 11, I probably just looked at all the black and white photos of the destruction, but I thought it was cool. The next time I heard about it was from New Jersey Bell’s “Tel-News” that came with the monthly bill back in the 1980s. Sadly, I lost that pamphlet. Other than that, I had never heard anyone speak about it in town. Out in the wider world, however, a lot of attention has been given to Black Tom since the 100th anniversary. I read something about it in 2015, and it struck a chord. I had the idea to use the catastrophe as a central event around my main character’s development in a series of novels. The disaster helps him make an important choice in his life.
Kearny Life: Why did you choose historical fiction, rather than nonfiction, as the best way to explore this moment in American history?
Fiction allows us to use our imaginations, which helps keep us young! In my career as an office worker, my writing always had to be fact-driven, proven, tested, and double-checked. Meanwhile, on my own time.
Kearny Life: What kind of research went into recreating New York Harbor, the docks, and the rail yards of 1916?
Back in the 1960s, Dad took us on the #43 bus a few times down to the Hudson Docks at Communipaw in Jersey City. I can still smell the creosote, the diesel engines, feel the spray and sound of the river, and see the many pairs of train tracks that end in large concrete blocks. I was afraid of falling in, as you could see the water between the wooden, splintered planks.
The Meadowlands and Kearny freight yards were my old stomping grounds when I was a kid. We would climb on the box cars, cabooses, and gondolas, chase rabbits, and walk the rails all summer long. We would sometimes even take a dip in the Passaic River, if you can believe it.
More recently, I located old maps of the Yards on the internet, examined many vintage photographs, and read up on local stories of the day. I referred to some Ragtime piano works by Scott Joplin, Charlie Chaplin movies, and my general knowledge of the time, to help round out some of the things folks found interesting.
Kearny Life: How important was it for you to portray the U.S. as officially neutral, yet socially and politically tense, in the years before America entered World War I?
It was very important for me to show that social and political tensions at the macro level were present, but did not always filter down to individuals of the immigrant neighborhoods of mixed national origins in Jersey City back then ( “Today the Germans are bad, tomorrow who else? The Irish again? The Poles, or Lithuanians?”). I think the residents knew each other well from the daily struggles of life and were quick to help when hard times struck. The one thing in common they shared was that America was a big improvement over where they all came from.
Yes, the United States was ostensibly neutral, yet Germany was not allowed past the British naval blockade, so they were unable to trade with America, and vice versa, without British interdiction. A lot of German-Americans were sensitive to that. They were also bombarded by Allied propaganda in most of the newspapers, discriminated against, and sometimes beaten. Yet many German-Americans gave their all when they fought against their old homeland to defeat the Kaiser.
Kearny Life: August Landesmann is an “everyday” character rather than a historical figure—why was that perspective important to you?
The name “Landesmann” literally means “Countryman”, which I used to denote the common man — those who were sent off by the millions to be killed or maimed by the Kings, Kaisers, presidents, and the associated military higher-ups of both Axis and Allied forces. Back home in Jersey City and the men working on the rails and docks, I wanted to show the camaraderie of the groups who did the dirty work; men of grit and courage who found time to enjoy a beer with one another or who would sometimes put down their tools to take in a beautiful sunset in silent homage to God’s wonders.
Kearny Life: What challenges did you want to explore through August’s experience as a German immigrant during a period of growing anti-German sentiment?
I wanted to explore if patriotism is something inside an individual that can be re-aimed with changing situations, such as emigrating from the Fatherland to the new hope of America. Many German immigrants of the late 19th century had to flee Germany or face forced conscription in the army, for example. Others were held back by a suffering economy, religious and social class restrictions, etcetera. They hoped to find a new land they would come to love. I think that August loved his new country enough to serve her as a volunteer, even if it may one day cost his life.
Kearny Life: How is that related to today’s climate?
As always, people have varied ideas of what makes them tick, and they follow their own drummer. I am uncertain if that has changed much since 1916, but the social and geopolitical climates between then and now are like night and day. One thing that remains is the adage, “The grass is always greener on the other side.”
Kearny Life: The novel explores suspicion, identity, and loyalty during wartime. What questions about belonging or citizenship did you hope readers would wrestle with?
I imagined that deep inside, readers would relate to the challenges August and his work buddies faced and possibly grade themselves on how they would personally come out on the issues. The men were concerned about the killing on the Western Front and talked about it all the time. When Molly, the nurse who was responsible for the proper provisioning of the Ford ambulances, found fault with how the fellows did their work, they were deeply saddened that, while young men were fighting and dying in far-off trenches in the grime and the mud, they themselves had acted like a group of baboons. That propelled them into the job at hand better than any other criticism that could have been given. We all fail from time to time, but let’s get going and get it done right, boys!
Kearny Life: What do you hope readers take away from Target Hudson after they close the book?
I hope folks find it thought-provoking, a bit humorous, and nod their heads in agreement with August’s decision to become a volunteer ambulance driver on the Western Front.
Kearny Life: Finally, what’s next for you as a writer—are you already working on another project?
I just completed book two of this trilogy and will soon publish it on Amazon Kindle Publishing. It is called Argonne Awakening. In it, August Landesmann goes to WWI France as a volunteer Ambulance driver with the American Field Service. It is quite moving at times. As with life, things just don’t go as expected. “Man plans, and God laughs.”
I am just beginning to write Book three and am excited about that.
