Stray Dogs by John Ridley  (23)
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What Fire Cannot Burn by John Ridley (6)
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
If the School of Hard Knocks has an arts program, Jackie Mann, the talented but unoriginal black comic at the center of John Ridley's fourth novel, A Conversation with the Mann, would have earned nothing but A's. A child of Harlem in the 1950s, whose loving mother died young and whose father was harsh and drug-addicted, Jackie's one ambition is to become famous--the only route, as he sees it, out of poverty and helplessness. He gets his break in after-hours performances at a run-down burlesque house in the Village, and, with the help of an equally run-down agent, eventually makes his way to the top of the marquee at the sparkling Copacabana Club. But no one, let alone a black man in 1950s America, rises that far without making enemies or dangerous friends. And Jackie eventually finds that what he has left behind may be more valuable than the fame he is so desperately seeking. As a former stand-up comedian, the author is able to add realistic details to this smooth and well-researched show-biz novel. --Regina Marler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Written by novelist (Stray Dogs), screenwriter (Three Kings) and TV producer (NBC's Third Watch) Ridley, who began his career as a stand-up comedian, this affecting and provocative roman … clef is set against the backdrop of 1950s-1960s Hollywood, Rat Pack Las Vegas and the Civil Rights movement. The fictional narrator is a mordant, world-weary Harlem-raised black comic, Jackie Mann, who irreverently recounts a journey from poverty to his symbol of success, an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, a path strewn with compromise and degradation. Mann's long-suffering mother dies when he is barely school-age, and he grows to young adulthood struggling to survive his alcoholic father's abuse while fulfilling his mother's prophecy: "You're a special one, Jackie Mann." Given an opportunity to do stand-up comedy late nights at the rundown 14th Street Theater, Jackie finally catches the eye of a smalltime agent. After escaping death at the hands of redneck bigots in Miami, a chance encounter with mob kingpin Frank Costello leads to Jackie's ensuing sponsorship by Sinatra. What follows are broken vows, blackmail, murder and bookings at flashy hotels where he is denied a room and must use the kitchen entrance. Ridley vividly brings to life noirish panoramas of high-stakes show business, as well as the myriad humiliations endured by a black man trying to win fame in segregated America. The novel is a veritable "who's who" of well-known showbiz personalities and includes fictional characters diabolically calculated to keep readers guessing their real-life counterparts.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
If the School of Hard Knocks has an arts program, Jackie Mann, the talented but unoriginal black comic at the center of John Ridley's fourth novel, A Conversation with the Mann, would have earned nothing but A's. A child of Harlem in the 1950s, whose loving mother died young and whose father was harsh and drug-addicted, Jackie's one ambition is to become famous--the only route, as he sees it, out of poverty and helplessness. He gets his break in after-hours performances at a run-down burlesque house in the Village, and, with the help of an equally run-down agent, eventually makes his way to the top of the marquee at the sparkling Copacabana Club. But no one, let alone a black man in 1950s America, rises that far without making enemies or dangerous friends. And Jackie eventually finds that what he has left behind may be more valuable than the fame he is so desperately seeking. As a former stand-up comedian, the author is able to add realistic details to this smooth and well-researched show-biz novel. --Regina Marler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Written by novelist (Stray Dogs), screenwriter (Three Kings) and TV producer (NBC's Third Watch) Ridley, who began his career as a stand-up comedian, this affecting and provocative roman … clef is set against the backdrop of 1950s-1960s Hollywood, Rat Pack Las Vegas and the Civil Rights movement. The fictional narrator is a mordant, world-weary Harlem-raised black comic, Jackie Mann, who irreverently recounts a journey from poverty to his symbol of success, an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, a path strewn with compromise and degradation. Mann's long-suffering mother dies when he is barely school-age, and he grows to young adulthood struggling to survive his alcoholic father's abuse while fulfilling his mother's prophecy: "You're a special one, Jackie Mann." Given an opportunity to do stand-up comedy late nights at the rundown 14th Street Theater, Jackie finally catches the eye of a smalltime agent. After escaping death at the hands of redneck bigots in Miami, a chance encounter with mob kingpin Frank Costello leads to Jackie's ensuing sponsorship by Sinatra. What follows are broken vows, blackmail, murder and bookings at flashy hotels where he is denied a room and must use the kitchen entrance. Ridley vividly brings to life noirish panoramas of high-stakes show business, as well as the myriad humiliations endured by a black man trying to win fame in segregated America. The novel is a veritable "who's who" of well-known showbiz personalities and includes fictional characters diabolically calculated to keep readers guessing their real-life counterparts.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
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Inside This Book Citations: This book cites 10 books | 3 books that cite this book Explore: Citations | Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Key Phrases - SIPs: club comic, real suddenly Key Phrases - CAPs: New York, Jackie Mann, Sammy Davis, Los Angeles, Liliah Davi (more) Browse Sample Pages: Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover | Surprise Me! |
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