Strivers Row CD [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Kevin Baker (Author), Thomas Anthony Perry (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 31, 2006

The dramatic and riveting final installment in Kevin Baker's New York Trilogy, "Strivers Row" is the story of two young men trying to find their way through the temptations and pitfalls of life in World War II Harlem. The Rev. Jonah Dove is the son of a legendary Harlem minister, and a man troubled in both mind and spirit. He feels himself unworthy and incapable of taking up the burden of running his church from the larger-than-life figure who is his father. He is haunted both by his own, shameful history of "passing" as a white man in college, and by the prospects for his people in the harsh, new, racist age he fears the world is entering. Malcolm Little, better known as Malcom X, is a teenage hustler, a young man on the make, trying always to be something bigger, tougher, savvier, and more confident than he really is. On his way to New York, Malcolm happens to come to the rescue of Jonah and his wife, Amanda, when they are attacked by some drunken soldiers on the train. From then on, their paths cross repeatedly as they each go about trying to find what they really want out of the roiling, wartime city, until the moment when Harlem finally erupts around them, as a people driven beyond endurance strikes out blindly at all the forces keeping it entrapped in misery and hopelessness. Stranded on the streets of a rioting city, Jonah and Malcolm meet each other once more, as they come to grips with what they are and what the future will hold for them.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Penny's luscious baritone brings to life the denizens of Strivers Row and 125th Street in Harlem. He doesn't raise his voice to a higher pitch to create the novel's women, but he produces such a unique cadence, accent and intonation for each individual that the listener knows exactly which characters are speaking, whether they are black or white, upper or lower class. Though Penny's voice doesn't sound like Malcolm X, one of the novel's two main protagonists, his characterization captures the personality of the young Malcolm. Penny's rendition of Rev. Jonah Dove's last sermon is a monologue worthy of a stage performance. Blues riffs nicely frame the beginning and end of each CD. The overly long tracks—only six to eight per CD—might cause those without minute counters or resume controls to have to search for their place or re-listen to major portions. Harper has added a nice touch: titles for each track printed on each CD. However, the tiny silver print on an orange background makes it hard to read. Sit back and enjoy a fast-paced, beautifully wrought novel about the Harlem of World War II.
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From Bookmarks Magazine

The novel is daring in capturing the mood and history of New York's blacks, particularly since the author is white. Relying on sources including The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Baker melds fact and fiction to paint a vibrant portrait of pre?civil rights America. The period details, the descriptions of Jonah's "passing" in white locales, and Baker's incisive depiction of racism's psychological damage stand out. Yet some critics saw this panoramic history as too ambitious while at the same time falling into the conventional; some felt that this era is still too sensitive to examine objectively. Either way, Strivers Row captures a Harlem whose glitter masked its racial violence.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: HarperAudio; Unabridged edition (January 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060876719
• ISBN-13: 978-0060876715
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 5 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,657,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Least Fiery of Baker's Trilogy, October 31, 2006

By 

David Zimmerman (Baton Rouge, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Strivers Row (New York Trilogy 3) (Hardcover)

The third in Baker's "City of Fire" trilogy of historical fiction about New York City, this book is set in the early `40s in Harlem with the story told through the eyes of a young Malcolm Little, who in later life would become Malcolm X, and the fictional Rev. Jonah Dove (based on Adam Clayon Powell, who also appears as himself in the book.)

Baker's meticulous research results in Harlem scenes that resonate with believability. Laid against the backdrop is the story of Malcolm and Elijah Muhammad (founder of the Black Muslims), which has to be dealt with on a symbolic level. While an enjoyable read, this one didn't quite measure up to the promise generated by Baker's first two parts of the trilogy, Dreamland and Paradise Alley.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Master literary historian, great novel (what else is new?), March 12, 2006

By 

BIg Daddy (Akron, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strivers Row (New York Trilogy 3) (Hardcover)

I've been a Kevin Baker fan since his brilliant book about Coney Island: Dreamland. His next one, Paradise Alley, may have been even better. No one writes about New York City as well as Baker does -- no novelist, no historian, no one. This new book is a novel about Harlem in the era of jazz greats and secret cults, the era of war and hope. I think it's his most ambitious work yet -- it tells the sotry of young Malcolm X, in the days before he was famous, and -- better than anything I know of about the man -- it gets at the heart of a great American engima. There are other great characters, too --- The Reverend Jonah Dove, who may be a real life figure, as well (I don't know) -- but the story itself is so riveting, I was totally into the book from page one.

Anyway, I really recomend it. The dude can write.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Extraordinary Experience, March 13, 2006

By 

Rob Gordon "Book and Vinyl Lover" (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strivers Row (New York Trilogy 3) (Hardcover)

For six years and three books, Baker has been building, brick by brick, his own city, and it is a classic. With Striver's Row, the high-rises are inhabited, the streets are paved, the corners are teeming. You see how the country came together, and you understand that the world of books has been resting in sure hands. Baker has a detective's eye and a preservationist's heart: but most of all, he has a writer's head, and the proof is on every page. This book tops off a trilogy, but Striver's can be read alone; if it were a first novel, it'd be a cause for celebration. As the end of a series, it's an occassion for gratitude.