The Man Who Lived Underground

The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright 240 pages

When I was in graduate school, I read “The Man Who Lived Underground” as it was published in author Wright’s posthumous collection, “Eight Men.” In that collection, the work had been “drastically condensed and truncated.” I thought highly of it then but knowing that it wasn’t the complete work left me unsatisfied.

Now, the complete work, the one that Wright was unable to publish in his lifetime, has landed on bookshelves. This work meant more to him than any of his other publications: “I have never written anything in my life that stemmed more from sheer inspiration.”

The story is heartbreakingly simple. It’s 1941-42.  Fred Daniels, a Black man, is on his way home after collecting his week’s wages (a whopping seventeen dollars!) to his wife who is due to give birth any time. As he walks along, happy with his place in the world, he notices a police car with three police officers, just sitting there. As he approaches the police exit the car and arrest him for the horrifically vicious double murder that occurred at the neighbors of his employer’s home.

Although he proclaims his innocence, his words fall on deaf ears. The cops need a perpetrator. and Fred is their man. The police haul him to the station and torture him until he signs a confession. Case closed.

However, Fred is able to escape (or was he allowed, I was never really sure) and heads for the sewers beneath the Chicago streets. There he traverses the systems. As Fred wandered, he was able to view other lives by removing some of the bricks tht led into basements. There he gathers some food, robbed a bank from which he plastered the money to the walls of the main tunnel, heard a church choir sign, etc.

The novel is more of  stream of consciousness than I like, but what stood out to me the most, that eighty years later, not much has changed for the African Americans. They are still the first ones suspected of a crime.

The work also contains the essay, “Memories of my Grandmother,” which a companion to Fred’s story. I didn’t care for it. To me, it didn’t have that immediacy of Underground.  “The Man Who Lived Underground” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Mama Black Widow

Mama Black Widow by Iceberg Slim    245 pages

Iceberg Slim knew Otis Tilson, a black homosexual man who's story he tells here.    Otis started out life on a plantation with his parents, his brother and his twin sisters, working hard for the white folks that owned it.   When his mother's cousin Bunny invites them to move to Chicago and offers to help them get an apartment in her building and pay them some for helping care for her (she is older and not in perfect health), Otis' Mama jumps at the chance and so his part-time preacher father went along with it to please his wife.   What they found when they got there was a tenement with a white slum lord landlady who lied and cheated people and was friends with the local beat cops so they would back her dishonest dealings up and never take the world of a black person.   Assaults were frequent, thugs ran the neighborhood, on the streets, drink, drugs and prostitution were rampant.  Crime was every where.and so were freaky molesters who felt no sorrow in abusing the young.   Iceberg Slim tells a sad tale brilliantly.  He takes you into the mind of Otis' mother who hated white people with reason her past will show but her love for money and fine things led her to fatally subject innocent lives to fates they should not have had.   Brilliant book.   Very, very  brutal and sad but so touching sharing the lives of this man and his family if briefly you will be glad you read it.   Excellent job, Iceberg Slim.    I would recommend this book to mature teens because of the adult content and graphic depictions of murder scenes and sexual content.

 - Shirley J.

Trick Baby

Trick Baby by Iceberg Slim    320 pages

Trick Baby is the true story of Johnny O'Brien, a biracial man that Iceberg Slim met when they were cellies in the joint (prisoners sharing a cell in a prison).    Johnny O'Brien's mother was black and his father white and though his parents were married, after his father left him and his Mom, other parents in the neighborhood referred to him in front of their kids as a "trick baby" insinuating his mother was a prostitute and he was the illegitimate child of one of her customers.  Not so.  Johnny's parents had been in love until his Dad just up and left them because he was too weak to deal with being ostracized by his white family for marrying a black woman.  His Dad's people did not acknowledge Johnny nor his mother and without his father around to take care of them times were hard and money sparse.  Because Johnny had such light skin, blue eyes and blonde hair the other kids in the neighborhood weren't allowed to play with him and started calling him, "trick Baby," the put down they heard from their parents.   Johnny had a hard time until he met an older man called Blue who had style, class and money that he made his living from grifting off the greed of "suckers."   .Blue taught Johnny several "cons" that they would get over on people with and score big money off of.   Enough to keep them in sharp suits and shoes and living the high life.   Johnny's "whiteness" was a valuable tool in conning white and black people as he and Blue could play that he was an unsuspecting white man and it worked like a charm getting over on people.    An excellent book.   I am a fan of Iceberg Slim's books.   Whether he is talking about himself or relating someone else's story that he knew,  his writing is real and honest in relating tales of life as he knew it.    I would recommend this story to anyone who is a fan of urban writing, for fans of events and life in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and early 70s simpler times that were more complex than many people realize.   Great story, like all of Iceberg Slim's books.

 - Shirley J.

Real Wifeys Hustle Hard

Real Wifeys Hustle Hard: an Urban Tale by Meesha Mink      Audio Book:9hrs, 15 mins,    Paperback Book:  320 pages             

Book Three in an explosive series by Meesha Mink, this book is so hot it smolders!  For sure and ADULT title with lots of adult activiities happening through out.     Sophie "Suga" Alvarez is madly in love Dane who happens to be a loanshark - but - a devoted boyfriend and friend.  Sophie's father is a known drunk but there is a heap of stuff that is not known about him - whoa!   Lots of great characters, multi-diverse in character ethnicity and persuasions.   You won't be able to put this one down till you finish it because you will want to know what everyone is up to that much.   If you love the t.v. show, "Power," you will love this book.  A little gansta, a little hustle, money, diamonds, and a few folks getting their freak on in both good and bad ways.    Just when you think someone is safe THEY ARE NOT!  Killing, revenge, betrayal, Meesha Mink covers it all in this book.   And reader, keep a fan nearby - this book is HOT.    Anyone who enjoys urban novels gritty,. get down and say it like it is and call it what it is style will love this one.   Sophie brings GIRL POWER to a new level.    So much goes on so many lives are touched in so many ways just like life on pushed up a notch for most.   Good story.   Not for the prudish, lots of sex, lots of violence and some extreme descriptions of the underbelly of society.    Like coming off of a roller coaster times 10.   This one might make your heart palputate and your breath quicken.  Whew!  I do recommend this book to lovers of urban fiction.

 - Shirley J

Can’t Stand the Heat

Can’t Stand the Heat by Shelly Ellis                Audio Book:  10 hours       Hardback Book:  466 pages                      

The Gibbons women sure know how to work men and these ladies have been clever and skilled at the art of love and going after and getting rich men to fall in love with them then support them and their expensive tastes in clothes, jewelry, cars, homes and furnishings, travel, etc.       These ladies have been doing this for over 3 generations and now they are going into a new generation though,  whether things will continue forward or end with the current mother and daughters is a tale to be found out later.    Amazing finesse taught by mothers to their daughters in how to trap a man but not how to love a man.     Like geishas these women are brought up to be beautiful and use all of the attributes to be trophies on the arm of any man they set their sights on and those men must meet the criteria of being rich, successful and generous with taking care of their lady.   If the guy has some freaky tastes, so be it, that is the price you pay for getting to be covered in diamonds and jetting to St. Tropez and any other hot vacation spot around the world.   If you want to drive a jaguar that somebody else pays for you to have you have to “stroke” a man’s…ego and these ladies are born performers in the boudoir arts.   Hot and steamy at times, funny, vulnerable and wickedly fun at others.    The things these ladies get away with though there is a chink in the classy, cultured world they navigate, there are haters in every life that just can’t be avoided.   This story tells Lauren “Laurie: Gibbons particular tale and how she lived the life, left the life, dealt with consequences and hardships, loved and defended, fought for, fought with and fought against family and seeks to find her own way through it all.     Good story.   Some situations were predictable but always entertaining.   When a party girl starts acting shy and demure you might want to say, “huh?”  but maybe it was that man that choked her that had something to do with that.    If you like urban novels  you will definetly like this story.   Part of a series I found out titled the Gibbons Gold Digger series.   Gotta check out all the ladies stories in this series.   If you like your romance stories full of hearts and flowers – this ain’t it.   But, if you like your romance gritty and real you will  like this story.  I did.

Falling for My Side Dude

Falling for My Side Dude by Racquel Williams        AudioBook:  6 hours, 42 minutes        Paperback Book:  400 pages            Genre: Adult Fiction     Urban    Romantic Triangle    Murder

Warning folks, this novel is very explicit regarding violence and sex, I’m just sayin’.     Beyond that it is an excellent story about a lawyer her abusive relationship with her husband, her law practice and her skill in the courtroom to get even the most notorious gangsters’ cases dropped.    Her marriage is sad but her home life does have two rays of joy for her- the twin daughters she and her philandering husband brought into the world.     She loves the work she does, she adores her daughters but the beatings she takes from her husband are brutal.   Her only confidant is her office assistant as all her family lives out of town and her husband’s family treat her disrespectfully like she is the gold digger when her cheating husband is clearly the one who married her for her money and potential to make lots more money given her successful career.     It is a fast paced story with lots of action and hot love scenes.      It is one of those books you won’t want to put down because you never know what is coming next but the action is non-stop.     Kudos to author, Racquel Williams, she sure knows how to tell a story, you may have to fan yourself from time to time on this one. 

Married to the Game

Married to the Game by Chunichi                      Audio Book:  5 hours, 3 mins.     Mass Market Paperback:  304 pages           

A good story about friendship, betrayal, rekindling friendship, connivers, playas, folks who live fast and rough.    The story revolves around a group of friends and lovers and the trials and tribulations they go through trying to get by in life.    Realistic in so many ways.    I really liked the stories and you get caught up in the drama of all the folks’ lives so much so when something bad happens to one of the characters you feel real sorrow for them.     A gripping story that will keep you interested from beginning to end.     I can’t say too much without giving a lot of the story away, but, trust that if you like urban fiction you will definitely like the tales of young ladies falling for thugs, strippers who know how to play both sides against the middle and people just trying to catch their dreams and a little love along the way to make life right in the hard streets.   Good book.    Language and explicit descriptions might be off-putting to some.

Around the Way Girls 5

Around the Way Girls 5 by Erick S. Gray, Mark Anthony and Tysha             Audio Book: 10 hours, 8 minutes      Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages            

Let me start off by saying, “Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrllllllllllllllllllllll!”  J   These ladies do not play.    They are hard core whether in love or fighting the men that provoke them.   Three good urban stories but be advised they do not hold back on their language – this is street talk straight up and the characters live up to their images and the topics are brutal but again this stuff does happen and the stories here just give the reader the straight of what their characters are going through.   Real, gutsy ladies dealing with harsh circumstances some fatal.     Three stories – the first about three lovely young ladies who end up being placed with their biological father by the system after their mother passes.   Their father doesn’t want them until he sees how beautiful his preteen daughters are then he sees dollar signs in pimping them once they each turn 13.    The second story is about a sweet young lady who falls for the worst of the bad men.    He beats her then tells her he loves her.   He even lets his beyond lascivious friends have their way with her.   Her friends go after him and in a reap what you sow story everyone loses something.    The third story is about a young woman who has a 3 year old daughter and makes several bad choices along the way and it is soooo heart wrenching.      All of these stories are.      Gives the reader a view into life some folks never see.    Good stories.

The Brightest Fell

The Brightest Fell (October Daye #11) by Seanan McGuire      368 pages

For once, everything seems to be going well in October "Toby" Daye's life; she's engaged and there have been no murders or declarations of war for her to deal with. Of course, in Toby's life, nothing is ever simple for very long. On the night of her bachelorette party, Toby's mother appears at her door, demanding that Toby find her missing sister, August.  And just so Toby gets the message, her mother takes Toby's fiance and one of her close friends as hostage.

With no idea of where to start, Toby calls on an old friend for some guidance . . . and then quickly realizes that some pretty deep sacrifices will need to be made if her sister's going to be found.

This series is one where it makes the most sense to start at the beginning.  If you jump in here, at book #11, you'll have a bit of backstory on a few people, but not really enough to understand what's going on in the story or the world that McGuire has created for this series.  I like this series, although I can sometimes get a feeling of predictability.  However, McGuire always throws in a twist or two and I enjoy the world and the characters, so every time there's a new book, I pick it up.  I may not always remember some of the more convoluted storylines/characters from past stories, but I still make my way through the books pretty well.

The Circle: Autumn’s Story

The Circle:  Autumn’s Story by Keisha Ervin             Audio Book: 4 hours, 59 minutes    Kindle Edition:  133 pages            

Action packed from beginning to end.   The Porters are a powerful force whether singular or united.   Autumn is the youngest of the Porter siblings (David, Fallon, Raine and Autumn), but, her older brother and sisters have taught her well.    She is torn in this story (3rd in the series) between keeping the man she loves safe from her family (so much goes on I don’t want to spoil it for you!) and the guilt she feels at not being completely honest with the family.    Love is never easy and Autumn finds that out in more ways than one.    She is on a roller coaster ride from the get go in this book.     It will keep you wondering what will come next all the way to the end.    Good book.   Very streetwise.    Ms. Ervin paints verbal pictures and I think this book and the entire series would make great films and t.v.  as you have so much going on you never lose interest.    Good character development, strong family ties, not for the young though this is definetly adult material all the way.  Good story, I liked it.