Customer Reviews

Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson

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3 star:		(1)
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I was a bit surprised that Mayme Johnson still lived, or that Bumpy even had a wife or anything for that matter. It was great to be able to be a part of those who helped to bring this book to the light. Then to actually get the book in my hands and read it, oh I just couldn't put it down. See, I really thought that Bumpy was a character in "Hoodlum" with Laurence Fishburne. My father told me that while he lived in Harlem, he saw him walk by since he was a fixture there and when I did my research I find that the man truly lived and had the lock down on Harlem. It was a very interesting book about his life from his birth to his death in 1968 just as he was about to eat at a restaurant. Very interesting and captivating. She talks about the many celebrities that crossed her path, such as Billie Holliday, Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, etc the real deal about Frank Lucas of American Gangster fame, also some info on Madam Stephanie St Clair, who was featured in Hoodlum, as well. Very interesting book. Thank You Mrs Johnson and Ms Miller.

Imagine sitting around on the living room floor in your grandmother's house, listening carefully as your grandmother recaps your family history. That is the feeling I got while reading Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson by Mayme Johnson and Karen E Quinones Miller.

Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where he was already making a name for himself. His parents, worrying about his safety, send him to live with his older sister, Mabel, in Harlem. This was the beginning of a new sheriff in town, and he meant business.

If loyalty is what you wanted; Bumpy was the man to find. Anything happening in Harlem had to be approved by him as well, and he never ever backed downed. Especially when he knew he was right. Though his main business was numbers running and protection, he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison, on a drug trafficking charge. Something he did not see coming, for all of Harlem knew the type of man he was.

Mayme Johnson wanted to set the record straight about the type of man, her husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, was. The type of people he kept company with and how he dealt with those who thought they could bring him down. At 93 years-old her memories of the things which took place, from the time Bumpy was young all the way up until the day of his death, was impressive. Though she met Bumpy in 1948, he along with his true friends shared the events of his earlier days with her, as well as things that took place when she was not there.

Mayme Johnson and Karen E Quinones Miller cleared up a lot of falsified information in Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson. Sometimes they flipped back and forth within the timeline, but it was not hard to keep up with. The main thing I had a concern about was the lack of proper editing. There were numerous errors of all sorts. The binding was also an issue for me. I found it hard to hold the book comfortably. All and all I still recommend Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson to anyone wanting to know the truth about the real American gangster.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

First I want to commend Karen E. Quinones Miller for helping Mrs. Johnson write this book. Finally, the truth comes out about the real Bumpy Johnson and not what was depicted in Hoodlum and American Gangster.

And speaking of American Gangster, after reading this book I can't believe the out and out lies about Bumpy Johnson that were told in that movie. Hollywood, you should be ashamed of yourself! And if it was Frank Lucas that told Hollywood those lies, Mr. Lucas you should hang your head.

This book gives all the details about Bumpy's life from his childhood in Charleston, to his death in 1968. (And no, he did not have a heart attack and die in some department store like they said in American Gangster.) It also details all of his criminal activities dating from back when he was a teenager. Most importantly, after reading this book you feel you've gotten to know the REAL Bumpy Johnson, and not just the legend. He was something else.

It also has wonderful little stories about people like Sugar Ray Robinson (you've got to read what Mrs. Johnson said about Mrs. Sugar Ray!) and Lena Horne (tsk, tsk, tsk, to you Ms. Horne!) as well as gangsters like Lucky Luciano and Dutch Schultz.

I had to wait for like a month to come out, but it was worth the wait! I'm a big fan of gangster books like The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano, Shoot the Dutchman, and different bios on Meyer Lansky and others . . . but it's so good to read a bio about the most famous black gangster who ever lived. This is now my favorite gangster book.

Oh. I almost forgot to mention that I enjoyed reading about Mrs. Johnson's relationship with Bumpy Johnson. You can tell those two were really in love. And there are some parts, like what happened between them right before he died, that will bring tears to a lot of eyes.

This was a great book.

I was dubious about buying this book, but I decided to go ahead and get it since I'm familiar with the author. I knew it wasn't something I would like myself, but figured my boyfriend would so it wouldn't be a waste.
After I got it I flipped through a few pages before my giving it to my boyfriend. Well why did I do that! I was hooked from the very first page.
This is really and truly one of the best books I've ever read.
It tells the story of Bumpy Johnson, the gangster who ran Harlem after fighting it out with the Mafia in the thirties. I had seen the movie Hoodlum, so I knew Bumpy was a colorful character, but the movie didn't tell the half of it. This books tells Bumpy's early life, how he turned to a life of crime, and the principles he had while in the life. He wasn't like the thugs they have out here now. He was tougher than any alive, for one. But also, as tough as he was (and he was tough!) he still was a good man in a lot of ways. That's why he was so loved.
The book tells about Bumpy's childhood in Charleston, his arrival in Harlem in 1919, and how he got started as a gangster. We also learn about a lot of the other colorful characters he ran with like Bub Hewlett and Madame Queen who were also portrayed in the movie Hoodlum, and also what eventually happened to them.
It also tells about Bumpy's time in prison, and how he raised so much hell there the wardens were trying to figure out how to get him the heck out of prison. Can you imagine that?
The book also tells about other Harlem characters who've never been written about. Like Dickie Wells, who was a gigilo who romanced white movie stars and got rich doing so, and then spent all his money uptown in Harlem, treating black women to a good time. He was a gigilo who never took a dime from a black woman but bilked white ones for all they had.
And the book also talks about Red Dillard Morrison, who was almost (but only almost) as colorful as Bumpy.
And the book gives an interesting history of Harlem that I never knew, and how the black people had to hire people like Bub Hewlett and Bumpy Johnson (they called them the Harlem Bad Men) to protect them from the whites who would come up from Hells Kitchen and try to break black heads. Bub really put a stop to that!
There's also great stories about Bill Bojangles Robinson, Lena Horne and others. And I didn't know that Bumpy was godfather to Sydney Poitier's oldest daughter. But with all that, Bumpy was still a bad man, and a colorful one that you can't help taking a liking too. He didn't smoke or curse around women he didn't know, but he would still shoot or cut a man in a minute.
Like another reviewer already said, the book reads like a novel, and a really good one. Even though it's more than 200 pages I flew through it and then was mad when I was finished because it was so good I didn't want to stop reading it.
I can't say enough about this book. Like I already said, it's one of the best I've ever read. I really, really, really recommend it to everyone!

Compelling, engrossing, fast read (I read while on a flight). It moved like a great crime novel. Bumpy Johnson is a fascinating character and I especially liked that this long overdue BIO came from the most credible source possible (Bumpy's wife - Mayme). This book clears up a lot of misreprentations depicted in movies and other literature. I also enjoyed that it provided a first hand historical account of 1920's/1930's Harlem - one of the most rich and undiscovered slices of American history. My wife even read and enjoyed this book and she generally has little interest in this type of material. My only criticism is that I wish Ms. Johnson had covered a bit more about Bumpy's more cultured side - the fact that he was pretty well read, socially active and thoughtful about the politics of the day. In any case, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of books or movies about the American Mafia or Organized Crime. This rich and detailed account is as good or better than anything out there.

I really loved this Book.. After spending years searching for any information on Bumpy Johnson, I was excited to find that this book would be published. When I recieved my copy I read it in two days, and was very happy to learn about the "Real Bumpy Johnson". He was some man... The movie couldn't get it right, but this book certainly has... Congratulations to the author on a job well done...

This book is GREAT!. I love the way Bumpy Johnson's story is told from his wife's point of view without the book being all about her. Ms. Quinones-Miller is such an excellent writer that you forget while reading it that it is a non-fiction book. I read this book from the moment I got it until I finnished and I was not dissapointed at all. I suggest this book to anybody who loves BIOGRAPHIES AND URBAN FICTION. It is the best!!!

Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson by Mayme Johnson and Karen E Quinones Miller, is a non-fiction book about crime in Harlem from 1930s to the late 1960s. Violent fights for the numbers racket (we called it Policy in Chicago), beatings, and killings filled the pages from beginning to end. Nearly all of the action takes place on the streets of Harlem, New York down to the exact corners. Considering all of the above, it's still an entertaining read about a life-size thug, gangster, big-time criminal and Black Godfather of Harlem. Want to know the link to the movie American Gangster and Frank Lucas's relationship to "Bumpy?" Mrs. Johnson tells it all. She lived it. Her voice is authentic and true to the era. At 91, she did a remarkable job of telling Bumpy and his cohorts' story. Karen E Quinones Miller did an excellent job cowriting and laying down Mrs. Johnson's words into an easy flow. Harlem Godfather is even comical in places - I found myself laughing out loud. Honor among thieves? Mrs. Johnson says sometimes.

Make no mistake, this is an adult book. I enjoyed the change of pace.

Enjoyed reading the wife's point of view about her husbands life. Though I doubt she had all the inside knowledge of what exactly was going on with his "business"; she still gave you insight on what the man himself was like.

I read this book in 2 days. I couldn't put it down. I was captivated. I'd always wanteed to know more about Bumpy Johnson ever since I was junior high and found out he really existed as I was a huge fan of the Cotton Club since I was a little girl. I am so glad this book was written because it dispels the rumours and lies and lays out the truth. With so much detail and information that anyone with the inclination to do the work could very well research it. I loved getting a more detailed insight not into just the obviously complex man Mr. Johnson was but also the mindset of the people of th Harlem Renassaince and learning allthese different and interesting factoids about celebriites I've heard about but never here all the true strides and accomplishments they had like the great Sarah Vaughn. I say this is information that needs to reach more people.