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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Oakland Reconsidered, December 27, 2003
"Blues City," which is a part of a series of books published by Crown that features prominent authors and their observations of several key locations around the United States, is written by Ishmael Reed ("Mumbo Jumbo," "Flight to Canada," etc.) about Oakland, California. Reed, known for his "writin' is fightin'" style of nonfiction (see his most recent collection of essays, "Another Day on the Front" [2003], for a taste of his pugilistic prose), is as calm as you will see him in "Blues City." A journal of sorts, Reed relates his experiences on various historical tours around Oakland as well as his attendance at scattered cultural festivals around the city. In the process, Reed portrays Oakland as an important site of multicultural achievement, as a city inhabited by whites, blacks, latinos, asians and gays who have contributed significantly to the economic and cultural development of the city. It is interesting to note that Reed does not dwell on Oakland's present-day reputation as a hotbed of crime. But he is not entirely apologetic about this city which he definitely loves. He cites how the founding of Oakland happened because East Coast whites stole land from the Peralta family who inhabited the land before them. He also talks about the drug epidemic that plagues the Oakland neighborhood he lives in. The most poignant sections of the book focus on David Hilliard, one-time chief of staff of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. Reed attends a tour of sites of historical importance to the Black Panthers. The Panthers had been highly influential regarding Oakland politics over the years, but their contributions have been neglected, forgotten or viewed as criminal disruptions (see Elaine Brown's "A Taste of Power" [1992] for a more detailed description of the Black Panthers' immersion into the political world of Oakland), and Hilliard's tour is filled with fond memories as well as darker ones. Reed's portrayal of Hilliard's disappointment, disgust and sadness with how the Panthers were destroyed as well as the kind of political movements that currently operate on the Left is well-balanced and poignant--never condescending or reverent. But if there is anything this book seems to be, above all else, it is a rant against current Democratic mayor Jerry Brown. Brown, according to Reed and others, has betrayed his campaign promises to the minority communities who supported them by gentrifying Oakland. In these instances, the Reed's punchy rhetorical style returns. For those such as I, this is classic Reed. But others might find that some of his more controversial statements have little to do with Oakland, and that the book lacks any sort of organizational system. This book is far from being a complete statement on Oakland, but it does not have to be--it is simply one man's perspective on the city.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oakland gets a love song, November 25, 2003
Ishmael Reed, Oakland, CA's longtime resident, poet, novelist, essayist, and faculty member of UC Berkeley, pens a love song to the much maligned city across the bay from San Francisco, its more glittery neighbor. In the process, he proves that Gertrude Stein was wrong, wrong, wrong when she pronounced, "There is no There, there." Au contraire, there's plenty of There: beautiful hills, vibrant waterfront, central Lake Merritt, richly diverse neighborhoods, political radicalism that spills over the Berkeley line, cultural diversity, etc. Reed delves into Oakland's past: Bret Harte, Jack London, Bobby Seale and the Black Panthers, Gay Pride uprisings - and into the present with Mayor Jerry Brown who lives along the newly-emerging gentrified waterfront, Yoshi's (the Japanese jazz restaurant and nightclub, the artists and blue-collar workers and the ordinary working stiffs who give the "other" city by the bay its uniqueness. I've lived here for more than 30 years myself, and I learned a LOT I never knew before.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Oh, what could have been, January 1, 2005
Ishmael Reed's "Blues City" is a lot like Oakland itself: full of promise, but fraught with serious problems. To be sure, Reed is a provocative writer. His resume speaks volumes to his varied literary talents -- poet, novelist, essayist -- and large swaths of the boook reflect these skills. Reed tells it like it is in Oakland and he's surely developed a deep fondness for his adopted hometown. Sadly, though, the book frequently veers off course and morphs into political tirade. In other parts, Reed descends into bitter racism. This, in itself, doesn't make the book a disaster. But it certainly seems that the author taints what could have been a timeless memoir of Oakland with large dollops of political and racist invective. After all, Jerry Brown will some day leave office. But "Blues City" deserves to stay on our shelves for many years to come.
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