What could be further apart than New York City's Harlem and Brooking County, S.D., in the late 50's and early 60s?...and today, too. It's certainly not the world in which I grew up. That period of Harlem is the setting of Colson Whitehead's Harlem Shuffle, copyrighted 2021. "Ray Carney, (the main character) was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked..." Carney has a legitimate furniture store in Harlem but is willing to fence items others have stolen. His involvement with the crooked, both thieves and police, provide the tension that a good novel needs, and, it is a good novel.
Deftly woven into the story is the discrimination and racism that Black Americans had to navigate before, and even continues after, the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Is this an accurate portrayal of life in Harlem? It's likely, however, I am certainly in no place to judge. The feeling of authenticity to this reader is all that can be mustered. It is certainly readable and a fascinating story.
Recommended reading, yes, with four stars out of five.
Takk for alt,
Al
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