Harlem Shuffle: A Novel

really well written and paints a vivid picture of harlem in the 50s-60s and it’s characters. pacing was inconsistent and i felt like I was super into it half the time and the other half waiting to see what the point was.

Having loved Colton’s The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, I was disappointed not to like this book. The most interesting parts to me were about the riots in Harlem during the 60’s. Otherwise the plot dragged and I disliked the characters.

Couldn't get into the writing style, put it down and picked it back up, still couldnt get into it. DNF

I wanted to like this book so badly. I enjoyed Nickel Boys and Underground Railroad has been on my TBR for a while. I heard a piece on NPR about how groundbreaking this book would be and it just didn’t meet expectations for me. I dredged through it, confused by the time changes and rotating cast of characters. The main character was written well, but the story was hard to follow. I listened to the audio, so that could have something to do with it. I thought it was just alright. There was never a clear climax in my opinion and I just felt like I had to finish it but had no actual desire or motivation. As strange as it sounds, I’d still give it another shot one day maybe on paper this time. Not a winner for me at the moment

This newest slice of life centers around Harlem in the early 1960s. An era i am definitely not familiar with. We witness the world through the eyes of a man who aspires to be a successful business man, but whose father was a petty criminal so…family business is tempting. I appreciate whitehead’s ability to frame characters i care about in situations I can’t imagine on my own.