Customer Reviews

Run Man Run (Himes, Chester)

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Here's a tough crime novel by Chester Himes without Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones that takes an uncompromising look at American racism in New York City. Though published in 1966, it has a strong '50s feel that comes through in the language and the cultural references both.

Himes' dialogue and language can be occasionally stilted, but there are chase scenes here that will make you sit up and take notice, and the focus on black-white relations is especially good. It's the story of a white cop who accidentally on purpose shoots to death two black 'porters' (workers who unload trucks for a restaurant) and then goes after a third, Jimmy, who manages to survive the cop's onslaught.

The depiction of the cop as sometimes conflicted by his actions is well done and his liaison with Jimmy's black girlfriend is strong stuff indeed. There's a somewhat uneasy mix here, though, of academic and street thinking. Jimmy is studying at Columbia University and shows it in his speech, but when other characters speak, it sometimes sounds like they're struggling to catch up to Jimmy's psychology and often it doesn't feel right.

Nevertheless, what makes this compelling is, as mentioned, the focus on race relations and racism, the chase scenes, and the cop's wacked psychology.

An interesting read.

A murderous racist cop trying to cover up his drunken mistakes and a black truck driver who's the only surviving witness have a suspense-filled chase through Harlem. Not always believable, but always thrilling. A good introduction to the hard- boiled fiction of Chester Himes, and a piercing look into the sources of racism.

Himes did a lot of wonderful writing that was not all about racism. In the Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed series, for example, people of all hues misbehave in all manner of outrageous ways. Race and racism are important to the stories, but they provide a background in which individuals are free to act honorably or not (usually not). In Run, Man, Run, by contrast, everything is easy. Black men good. Black men very good. White men bad. White men very bad. White policemen, even worse.

There's a couple of ironies here. By his later years, Himes had been living and writing in Europe for decades. Somehow, American racism grew worse while Himes was away. The other irony is that Himes is never charitable with his black female characters. The book is a more accurate reflection of Himes' sexism than of America's racism.

The wonder is that Himes wrote as many books and stories as he did that are so much better. No small accomplishment.

Chester Himes's hard-hitting thriller is all about racism.
'Fat Sam had never realized that the thought of Negroes could send a white man out his head ... this sight of violence unleashed because of race.'
'I'm not supposed to talk about it because he's white and it might prejudice the civil rights movement.'

The main theme of this novel is also an affair of discrimination: 'He's a white detective and I'm just a poor colored porter'; and, ' "the true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government" being a legend'.

Chester Himes portraits New York as a scary city for non-whites: 'a few black and brown faces everywhere ... wondered how many of them were scared too.'
'This was a violent city, these were violent people.' The City is 'not for thinkers, it's for stinkers'.

But the survivor of a shooting raid will not shut his mouth, 'not as long as I am black.'

The novel begins with viciously scary scenes, but from the middle on, it becomes rather mainstream with its (not very probable) sex scenes and unsurprising interrogations. It ends on a rather disappointing soft note.

A worth-while read.