Harlem Shuffle

What’s it about?

This story takes place in Harlem in the early 1960’s.  Ray Carney owns a furniture store in Harlem and is struggling to support his wife and daughter.  He has worked hard to get through college and move away from the life he was raised in- a life of crooks and thugs.  However, his cousin Freddie keeps bringing him back in and he needs the money.

What did it make me think about?

” ‘Entrepreneur?’ Pepper said the last part like manure.  ‘That’s just a hustler who pays taxes.’ ”

Should I read it?

Who can argue against reading a book written by Colson Whitehead?  However, this was not my favorite of his novels.  I just did not care enough about the characters or what was happening in the story to want to pick it up.  The pages with the character of Pepper were my favorite.  I am hoping sometime in the future he will write more about Pepper.

Quote-

“No one really cares about other people when you get down to it- their own struggles are too close-up.”