Customer Reviews

Man Walking on Eggshells (Old School Books)

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This novel is an interesting, readable story; it presents an accurate view of different cultures (white and Negro ((as it would have been called when the novel was written; Afro-American it would be called today)))as they existed at the time; it touches on a social problem which was little-recognized then and remains so today--the "inherited" and devastating nature of abuse, particularly verbal abuse; and although it reflects the prevailing literary style of its time (it is reminiscent of both Joyce and Faulkner) it is predictive in that it contains some elements that are pre-McLuhan, McLuhanism. What more could one ask of a classic?

This book...it sings. It's music, heartbreak, pain, hope. It is one of the most powerfully and beautifully written things I have ever read. I sat on the plane from L.A. to Tucson and it filled up my chest the way tears sometimes do when you're holding them back, but only because I kept stumbling across sentences that were so exquisite I could hardly bear them, and living the pain of the characters and burning with anger at a racist violent world that should never have been allowed to exist, that we should have destroyed before it was even born...and yet that always will contain beauty and strength because people always have that in them. And Simmons' words ball it all out like Raymond Charles Douglas' horn, like Miles Davis, like the blues, the hurting beauty that does a heart good.

Ha, you can tell I am a big old sucker when it comes to words, these are some of the best.

The title of this novel is, I think, taken from a critics description of the the playing of jazz great Miles Davis. The back cover of the book says the author was inspired to write this because of Miles. Though, I didn't personally know Miles Davis,based on various published material I really don't see the connection. The real Miles came from an upper class family. His father was a dentist. He went to New York to study at Julliard and fell into the bebop life where his talent evolved. He was a heroin addict and even for a time, a pimp. The hero here is Raymond Douglas who basically grew up in the ghetto's of St. Louis. He played football well, learned the trumpet and for a time was quite successful selling pot. His growing up is well chronicled as well as some romantic interludes and the maturation of his musical talent. The only connection that I see to Miles Davis is that both were Black, both hailed from the St. Louis area and both played the trumpet. Of course Miles was a world wide innovator and universally acclaimed star. In this book, Raymond Douglas received nowhere near that stature.So, if one removes the supposed Miles Davis connection,this is a decent novel with a jazz flavor but certainly not a particularly memorable read.

From the opening lines you feel the turmoil of one man's struggle with becoming a man. There isa deep sadness and confusion throughout the book that is masterfully captured in imagery and dialog. It reflects the soul of a jazz musician to its darkest and most enlightened moments. Beautiful piece of American Literature.