Blues City: A Walk in Oakland (Crown Journeys) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Novelist and critic Reed (The Freelance Pallbearers; Mumbo Jumbo) tours historic districts and homes, and attends parades, festivals and performances, to discover the "many worlds within Oakland," a city with "one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the country... [and where] identities are blurred." Reed's treatment is part homage and part rant (mostly against Mayor Jerry Brown and his "elegant density" plan to gentrify the downtown area with hi-tech businesses). The author has reason to be frustrated: "Classical buildings and traditional landmarks are being leveled and replaced by vertical trailer parks that seem to be thrown up overnight"; but some of his comparisons are a bit extreme, as when he likens the dot-com generation to the exploitative 1849 Gold Rushers: "California has never recovered from the damage caused by these earlier invaders... and their treatment of the California natives must rank as one of the cruelest episodes in human history." The book's best parts come from transcribed interviews, such as author Malcolm Margolies's description of a pre-development Lake Merritt and David Hilliard's stirring Black Panther legacy tour. But Reed's own language vacillates from bland ("I attended the annual Black Cowboy parade. Attendance was up over the previous parade") to venomous ("the black upper class is kept out of sight, lest some white Americans lose their self-esteem, whose foundation is the myth of black inferiority, their psychological Prozac"). This slender volume, while filled with facts, dates and a variety of cultural events, doesn't live up to the "husky and brawling" swagger of the city Reed describes.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Reed, novelist, poet, and longtime Oakland resident, offers an eclectic look at the multicultural city that thrives in the shadow of the better known and celebrated San Francisco. He describes Oakland as "blues city" because of its affinity to labor cities of the Northeast while still maintaining California's physical beauty, famous cultural melange, and political radicals. Reed chronicles his own personal journey to Oakland, by way of New York City and early fame. Fearful of wearing out his welcome--and creative juices--he moved to California. He was attracted by the politics of black power and the literary heritage of Jack London, Bret Harte, and Joaquin Miller. Reed offers a historic overview as well as acerbic commentary on the political and cultural scene of Oakland with celebrations of black cowboys and Native American powwows. He laments a move in politics from the Black Panthers to Jerry Brown's countercultural style, which includes "a brutal capitalist philosophy." Fans of Reed and Oakland will enjoy this engaging book. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (October 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400045401
• ISBN-13: 978-1400045402
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #955,028 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oakland Reconsidered, December 27, 2003

By	matthewslaughter "matthewslaughter" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

"Blues City," which is a part of a series of books published by Crown that features prominent authors and their observations of several key locations around the United States, is written by Ishmael Reed ("Mumbo Jumbo," "Flight to Canada," etc.) about Oakland, California. Reed, known for his "writin' is fightin'" style of nonfiction (see his most recent collection of essays, "Another Day on the Front" [2003], for a taste of his pugilistic prose), is as calm as you will see him in "Blues City." A journal of sorts, Reed relates his experiences on various historical tours around Oakland as well as his attendance at scattered cultural festivals around the city. In the process, Reed portrays Oakland as an important site of multicultural achievement, as a city inhabited by whites, blacks, latinos, asians and gays who have contributed significantly to the economic and cultural development of the city. It is interesting to note that Reed does not dwell on Oakland's present-day reputation as a hotbed of crime. But he is not entirely apologetic about this city which he definitely loves. He cites how the founding of Oakland happened because East Coast whites stole land from the Peralta family who inhabited the land before them. He also talks about the drug epidemic that plagues the Oakland neighborhood he lives in. The most poignant sections of the book focus on David Hilliard, one-time chief of staff of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. Reed attends a tour of sites of historical importance to the Black Panthers. The Panthers had been highly influential regarding Oakland politics over the years, but their contributions have been neglected, forgotten or viewed as criminal disruptions (see Elaine Brown's "A Taste of Power" [1992] for a more detailed description of the Black Panthers' immersion into the political world of Oakland), and Hilliard's tour is filled with fond memories as well as darker ones. Reed's portrayal of Hilliard's disappointment, disgust and sadness with how the Panthers were destroyed as well as the kind of political movements that currently operate on the Left is well-balanced and poignant--never condescending or reverent. But if there is anything this book seems to be, above all else, it is a rant against current Democratic mayor Jerry Brown. Brown, according to Reed and others, has betrayed his campaign promises to the minority communities who supported them by gentrifying Oakland. In these instances, the Reed's punchy rhetorical style returns. For those such as I, this is classic Reed. But others might find that some of his more controversial statements have little to do with Oakland, and that the book lacks any sort of organizational system. This book is far from being a complete statement on Oakland, but it does not have to be--it is simply one man's perspective on the city.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Oh, what could have been, January 1, 2005

By	Craig Wood (Menlo Park, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ishmael Reed's "Blues City" is a lot like Oakland itself: full of promise, but fraught with serious problems. To be sure, Reed is a provocative writer. His resume speaks volumes to his varied literary talents -- poet, novelist, essayist -- and large swaths of the boook reflect these skills. Reed tells it like it is in Oakland and he's surely developed a deep fondness for his adopted hometown. Sadly, though, the book frequently veers off course and morphs into political tirade. In other parts, Reed descends into bitter racism. This, in itself, doesn't make the book a disaster. But it certainly seems that the author taints what could have been a timeless memoir of Oakland with large dollops of political and racist invective. After all, Jerry Brown will some day leave office. But "Blues City" deserves to stay on our shelves for many years to come.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oakland gets a love song, November 25, 2003

By	Peggy Vincent "author and reader" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Ishmael Reed, Oakland, CA's longtime resident, poet, novelist, essayist, and faculty member of UC Berkeley, pens a love song to the much maligned city across the bay from San Francisco, its more glittery neighbor. In the process, he proves that Gertrude Stein was wrong, wrong, wrong when she pronounced, "There is no There, there." Au contraire, there's plenty of There: beautiful hills, vibrant waterfront, central Lake Merritt, richly diverse neighborhoods, political radicalism that spills over the Berkeley line, cultural diversity, etc.
Reed delves into Oakland's past: Bret Harte, Jack London, Bobby Seale and the Black Panthers, Gay Pride uprisings - and into the present with Mayor Jerry Brown who lives along the newly-emerging gentrified waterfront, Yoshi's (the Japanese jazz restaurant and nightclub, the artists and blue-collar workers and the ordinary working stiffs who give the "other" city by the bay its uniqueness.
I've lived here for more than 30 years myself, and I learned a LOT I never knew before.