Angel of Harlem: A Novel (Strivers Row) [Hardcover]

Kuwana Haulsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2004 | Series: Strivers Row

Inspired by the extraordinary events of Dr. May Chinn’s life, Angel of Harlem is a deeply affecting story of love and transcendence. Weaving seamlessly scenes from the battlefields of the Civil War, during which her father escaped from slavery, to the Harlem living rooms and kitchen tables where May is sometimes forced to operate on her patients, this fascinating novel lays bare the heart of a woman who changed the face of medicine.

A gifted, beautiful young woman in the 1920s, May Edward Chinn dreams only of music. For years she accompanies the famed singer Paul Robeson. However, a racist professor ends her hopes of becoming a concert pianist. But from one dashed dream blooms another: May would become a doctor instead–-the first black female physician in all of New York.

Giddy with the wonder of the Harlem Renaissance and fueled by firebrand friends like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, May doggedly pursues her ambitions while striving to overcome the pains of her past: the death of a fiancé, a lost child, and a distant father ravished by the legacy of slavery. With every grief she encounters, a resilient piece of herself locks into place. At times risking her life–attending to men stabbed in their homes and women left to die in filthy alleys–May struggles to carve out a place for herself within a medical world that still teaches that a “Negro” brain is not anatomically wired for higher thinking. Yet against the odds, she achieves her goal, starts her own practice, and becomes one of the first cancer specialists in the city.

Alive with the pulse of black unrest in 1920s New York, this beautifully textured novel moves with fearlessness and grace through a history that is by turns ugly and sublime. With Angel of Harlem, critically acclaimed author Kuwana Haulsey gives poetic voice to the story of a remarkable woman who had the courage to dream and live beyond her era’s limitations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

May Edward Chinn (1896–1980), the first black female doctor in New York City, is the inspiration for Haulsey's (TheRed Moon) stirring second novel. May's mother, Lulu, makes tremendous sacrifices for her talented daughter, working to send May to the best schools and to secure a piano for May to explore her musical talent. A high school pregnancy is a hurdle, but Lulu arranges for the baby's informal adoption, and May aces the entrance examination for Columbia's Teacher's College. When a racist professor forces her away from music, she turns to science, doggedly continuing through medical school despite setbacks and discouragement, earning the grudging respect of her colleagues, the gratitude of her patients and the attention of a series of suitors. After she completes an internship at Harlem Hospital (the first black woman to do so), she works in a sanatorium before eventually opening her own practice. The novel is faithful to the known details of Chinn's life, and the vibrancy of 1920s Harlem shines through in Chinn's fictitious encounters with prominent historical figures of the time, from Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes to Jean Toomer, Fats Waller and Wallace Thurman. Haulsey's respectful homage to Chinn and her accomplishments will bring overdue attention to this notable figure in African-American history.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

This novelized account of the life of Dr. May Chinn, a woman who broke the barriers in the medical profession in the 1920s and became a leading specialist in cancer treatment, also features the dazzling cultural, social, and political life of the Harlem Renaissance. Haulsey traces Chinn's early life of abject poverty, a childhood illness that left her face scarred for much of her life, and the stultifying social conditions of the time, including the evaluation of a racist professor that forces her to give up a life in music and switch to medicine. Written in the first person, Chinn recounts rejection by her father and a lifelong effort at reconciliation, lost loves, and an unerring dedication to providing health care to the poor and dispossessed. Along the way, she develops friendships with Harlem's luminaries, including Paul Robeson, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston. Haulsey manages to convey the human dimensions of a young woman struggling with self-doubt, family conflicts, and societal limitations. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: One World/Ballantine (September 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375508708
• ISBN-13: 978-0375508707
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,107,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History Comes Alive, September 30, 2004

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angel of Harlem: A Novel (Strivers Row) (Hardcover)

Dr. May Edward Chinn, New York's first black female doctor, serves as the inspiration for Kuwana Haulsey's ANGEL OF HARLEM. So often, persons of historical significance are narrowed down to brief biographical sketches, but HaulSey has truly brought the life of Dr. Chinn alive in this stirring novel. Dr. Chinn's early childhood is explored, and her mother's lifelong commitment to her education is highlighted. Her father's narrow views of what was considered proper for women, strict rules and emotional distance, also had a strong influence on his daughter's life. In spite of her achievements, Dr. Chinn's life was far from easy. She became pregnant by her high school sweetheart, who upon learning this, he promptly ended the relationship. She was forced, by her parents, to give her child up for adoption.

In spite of the fact that she never completed high school, she was accepted at Columbia University where she first wanted to study music. Because of discrimination, she eventually changed her major and this led to her career as a physician. Dr. Chinn fought discrimination on two levels, race and gender but was persistent enough to succeed in spite of these limitations. In addition to her academic and professional accomplishments, her social life allowed her to cross paths with many notable Harlem Renaissance figures such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Fats Waller, and Madam C.J. Walker. She also served as a pianist who accompanied Paul Robeson in many of his early performances.

This book is a wonderful testament to the life of a truly amazing woman who was persistent enough to break down walls and bring down glass ceilings. While there were moments when I felt the story stalled, overall the author did an excellent job. She provided a thoroughly developed setting, and well developed characters. With great sensitivity the author addressed through the characters such issues as the role of women in society, the color complex, discrimination, teen pregnancy, homosexuality, and poverty through the lenses of the 1920's Harlem era. ANGEL OF HARLEM is not only an enjoyable read, but it is also a book that will encourage readers to embrace the past and make an extra effort to learn more about some of the trailblazers that have helped to make this country what it is today.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay

of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Extraordinary Woman in an Extraordinary Time!, October 8, 2004

By 

Phyllis Rhodes (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angel of Harlem: A Novel (Strivers Row) (Hardcover)

If one believes that some people are truly destined for greatness regardless of their station in life, then Dr. May Edward Chinn is a perfect example. May is conceived as a "love child" of a married middle-aged former slave and an orphaned teenaged Indian maiden. The shame of their affair forces her parents to relocate to Harlem only to meet unemployment, impoverished living conditions, and rampant racial discrimination. Despite her father's negativism, chauvinistic views, and emotional abandonment, it is her mother's tenacity and belief in education that propels young May to become proficient in her studies and master the piano. Her dreams of studying at Julliard on a music scholarship are crushed by an unplanned teenaged pregnancy in which she unwillingly gives the child up for adoption. She eventually drops out of high school due to a lengthy bout of depression stemming from the adoption and deferred dreams.

Fate intercedes and through several well-timed networking opportunities along with a little name-dropping (and/or perhaps coincidence), she applies, is accepted, and enrolls at Columbia to study music only to be harassed by a racist professor. However, when one door closes, a window opens and through a series of what could be considered "divine" interventions, she changes her major to science and the rest is history. She eventually becomes the first African American female doctor in New York City and a renowned medical pioneer - however, her road to success is an arduous journey filled with racism, colorism, sexism (even from African American men), financial burdens, and familial strains which the author construes with great sentiment. There are wonderful episodes in which she falls in love, tours with Paul Robeson, dines with Zora Neale Hurston, and parties with famous Renaissance-era Harlemites like Jean Toomer, Fats Waller, Countee Cullen, and Langston Hughes.

Hausley's writing and overall biographical presentation is suburb! Compassion and respect exude in her the depiction of Dr. Chinn, the woman; and the utmost humility is conveyed in the stories of her personal and academic trials and tribulations. Albeit, I found the pacing a bit slow at times, I quickly realized that this is not a story that should be rushed. It is history and Haulsey took her time to create an authentic early 20th century setting, complete with social attitudes, and wonderful descriptions of New York City's sites, sounds, language, and particularly Harlem's colorful clientele. The author left me in awe of Dr. Chinn and wanting to know more about her and the fate of other characters in the book. A job well done!

Reviewed by Phyllis

APOOO BookClub

Nubian Circle Book Club

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-Written, Positive Story, February 19, 2005

By 

Ondre (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angel of Harlem: A Novel (Strivers Row) (Hardcover)

This is a very strong novel by a talented young writer. Dr. May Chinn's story is an important and inspirational one. I didn't know that much about the actual facts of her life, so I'm not sure just where the fiction starts and ends in this version of events, but that's part of the magic of this book. Haulsey creates a credible protagonist and leads us along through the pitfalls and triumphs of her life. I was often reminded of the terrible aspects of racism still prevalent in America throughout the twentieth century - and reminded that these things were not just for the South. That's valuable too. Haulsey isn't heavy-handed with this; it's just a fact of life and part of the fabric of the times she writes about. I'd also recommend this one to highschool age readers. Overall, a well-written, positive story. I look forward to whatever she does next. I'm hopeful that she'll soon emerge as one of our most prominent voices. That's the only reason I didn't give her five stars. I'm, hopefully, saving that last one for her next book.