Daddy Was a Number Runner [Hardcover]

Louise Meriwether (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1970

Told from the perspective of a 12-year-old girl, this popular novel documents the disintergration of a black family in Harlem in the 1930s. A compelling, readable, occasionally funny work, it vividly illuminates the life of the ghetto, not just the despair and the violence, but the pride and the vitality as well.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For Francie, childhood in 1930s Harlem means having one brother in the gangs and another who gives up his dream of being a chemist because "how many firms gonna hire a black chemist?" It's having a big, beautiful father who can't find legal work and a mother who defies her husband and hires out as domestic labor in order to keep the family from starving. Childhood for Francie is having household chores like attaching the jumper to get free electricity and facing the disdain of Mrs. Burnett when she buys groceries from her on credit. It's avoiding the groping hands of the butcher, the baker and the fat little white man who sits next to her in the theater, or maybe not avoiding them for the extra meat, rolls, or dime they might offer. It means reading "smutty" comic books and walking down 118th street where the prostitutes work, but not knowing what is happening when her period starts. Francie's Harlem is a powerful, pent-up place, where dreams and good people are changed and destroyed, a neighborhood with strength and beauty, love and friendship, all trying to grow like plants without soil or water. And for Francie, during the year she turns from twelve to thirteen, living in Harlem means exchanging her longing for the white-hatted cowboy in the movies for a feeling of kinship with the Indians and a realization of what it means to be black and female in the United States. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Erica Bauermeister --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Trade (June 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131971034
• ISBN-13: 978-0131971035
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,813,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Treasure, May 13, 2001

By 

Zane "NY Times Bestselling Author" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daddy Was a Number Runner (Paperback)

Reading Daddy Was A Number Runner for the second time as an adult was like visiting an old friend. I first read the novel when I was in junior high and the only thing I remembered from it was this freaky movie theater scene. That and the fact that it was good. Now that I am grown, I took a lot more away from it this time.

Francie is twelve and growing up in 1930's Harlem. She has two older brothers who have totally different aspirations in life. One wants to be a hoodlum and the other wants to quit school to become an undertaker. Her father, a number runner of course, is too proud to go onto public assistance and that causes a lot of turmoil between her parents. She has a best friend that likes to beat her up most of the time. Old white men try to feel her up whenever they get a chance. Francie really endures a lot for a person her age. If you are into period novels, this is a must read because it gives insight in a generation we know nothing about.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent scheme of the 1930's era for a black family, August 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Daddy Was a Number Runner (Paperback)

I have been searching for this book since 1978. My sister checked it out at the local library during that time. I enjoyed reading it so much that I told my husband about it. We ordered it. I can't wait to read it again. I have read many black interest books, but I think that this one is my all time favorite. Throughout the struggles that Francie and her family faced, they still loved each other very much. Their neighbors in the story were also very close. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Read, April 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Daddy Was a Number Runner (Paperback)

This book was assigned for my English 3 class. I am a freshman in highschool. Most books I read that were assigned in school are boring at the beginning. This book is interesting from the beginning to the end. This book showed me how hard it was during the Depression in Harlem.Fracie tells how her and her family suffer with money and how hard it wasto live. Some people say that this book should not be recommended to teens but I am a teen and if they are mature enough to understand it then they should be able to read it. After we read this book our teacher took us on a trip to Harlem where Francie lived. We saw where she lived and how far she had to walk when she went to her Aunt Hazels house. We went on the trip because HArlem looked pretty much the same since the time this book took place. I enjoyed the book and I am sure other people as well as teens my age will enjoy this book. Great to use for a report based on the Great Depression.