7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why, September 5, 2001
This review is from: A Renaissance in Harlem: Lost Essays of the WPA, by Ralph Ellison, Dorothy West, and Other Voices of a Generation (Paperback)
"A Renaissance In Harlem", is one of the better history books I have read this year. In fact it is one of the better books that I have read in a long time regardless of genre. There are many reasons a book like this goes unnoticed, however to mention any of them, instantly is to be branded with the various labels created by simpletons. If you enjoy reading History, read this collection of work, it will not disappoint.
As part of the New Deal, the Federal Government paid several thousand writers across the nation to write about what they observed. The collection of stories that is included in this volume all center upon Harlem and its so-called Renaissance. These essays are written by some writers that are well known, and by several who cannot be traced to this day. They all share a level of excellence that can result when talented people write about a place they are a part of. This collection is not a romanticized view of Harlem, The Apollo Theater, or any other landmarks you may know. The stories are stripped of all pretense, they each are small documentaries of what life was like for those who lived, worked, exploited, and were exploited by Harlem's unique population. It would be easy to dwell on portions of this book that would raise the anger that remains associated with various groups. This may be part of the reason this book was not embraced. Free Speech is a difficult taskmaster, and this may explain why these stories found their home in the archives of The Library Of Congress until they were finally brought to the light of day.
You will read of what, "Rent Parties", rapidly became once they were fashionable. The life of, "Thursday Girls", will leave you as numb as the stories of John Steinbeck. And for those who may think that the exploitation by today's televangelists is nauseating, come to know, "Father Divine", who entered Harlem in a one off custom built Dusenberg.
"Amateur Night at The Apollo", will bring insight into this famed theater that is as important as the polished versions so often written of this landmark. Fatso the Slickster, Big Bess, and Kingfish will entertain and sadden. And the story, "Finger Waves and Nu Life Pomades", will roll as smoothly across the minds eye as it does the ear.
My favorite part of the book was the manner these writers recorded the spoken word. They wrote what they heard, and while at times a reader may pause to get in step with some of these street poets, the language is priceless. This speech was a centerpiece of the stories of street vendors and the songs that made their days pass and their goods sell. Men and women who had their street music they would adapt as the blocks they passed changed, and the colors and religions of those who lived there changed as well.
This is a wonderfully collection of a piece of American History. No brief comment can do the work of these writers justice, and certainly is not enough to thank those who found, collected and edited the lives into this book.
It is a treasure, a gift, and a literary time capsule.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
From the regular folk's point of view, July 28, 2004
This review is from: A Renaissance in Harlem: Lost Essays of the WPA, by Ralph Ellison, Dorothy West, and Other Voices of a Generation (Paperback)
This is something I enjoyed very much. I enjoyed reading about the times from the everyday person's point of view. It brought a certain type of authenticity that may have lacked if it was told by an outsider. It also has encouraged me to find more material about a pivotal time in history.
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