Harlem is Nowhere by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts (thoughts)
I requested this from Netgalley based on the summary “Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts untangles the myth and meaning of Harlem’s legacy.” It turned out to be much more personal than that implies, more like a memoir that weaves literary and historical figures into Rhodes-Pitts’ own move to and life in Harlem. Her writing is strong, especially her descriptive abilities (both places and people); I felt like I was exploring the neighbourhood with her. My favourite bits were when she focused on books; whether describing her Harlem library, comparing experiences of literary characters in Harlem to her own, or extolling the virtues of Harlem authors, I loved it all. I devoured the first half but found my interest waning a bit in the second. The focus became a bit too scattered for my tastes; I think I expected more big picture Harlem stuff and found it difficult to readjust (also, I’m more of a straight up nonfiction than memoir girl). This is Rhodes-Pitts’ debut, and I’ll definitely give her next book a go. I’d strongly recommend this to anyone who enjoys literary memoirs or travelogues with culture thrown in.
Suggested Companion Reads (linked to my thoughts)
- Passing by Nella Larsen (A marvelous novella by a Harlem Renaissance author)
- Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers by Stephanie Wellen Levine (A nonfiction look at another NYC neighbourhood; Brooklyn’s Lubavitcher Hasidim community. I loved this one!)
- Incognegro by Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece (A graphic mystery set in the 20s, the main character goes on the reverse of Rhodes-Pitts’ trip: from Harlem to the South.)
- Harlem: The Four Hundred Year History from Dutch Village to Capital of Black America by Jonathan Gill (I haven’t actually read this yet, but I have it out from the library and am beginning it soon! It’s a just realised history of Harlem.)
The term “literary memoir” caught my eye, so despite the weaker second half, I may pick this up.
Oh drats, I am also more of a nonfiction gal than a memoir gal and this as straight bigger picture nonfiction would be fantastic wouldn’t it? Oh well, still sounds interesting.
Let me recommend The Warmth of Other Suns, about the migration of blacks from the south to the north? It’s a wonderful book.
This sounds amazing. Something I might’ve passed over on a cursory glance because I did soooo much with Harlem Renaissance writers in grad school, but this is something very different. Love the sounds of it!
C.J. and I wondered through most of Harlem last summer accidentally. We were on our way to Demolition Depot, an amazing architectural salvage store, a picked a route that included a walk down 125th street past the Apollo Theatre and through the heart of Harlem. We found a wonderful, colorful, vibrant neighborhood. It turned out to be one of the best afternoons we had on that trip.
If you’re ever in NYC, I strongly recommend a visit.
Hi! I am glad to see you back around!! If you are ever feeling up to it, I have been looking for novella recommendations. For some reason shorter fiction is what I am in the mood for lately… If it is asking too much, though, I understand. :)
As to this book, it does sound interesting. I stopped using NetGalley because I was really bad about reading the books. I should at least glance at the website from time to time, though!
Hi Kelly! I hope your computer gets fixed soon (saw Marg’s post on your blog). :) Here are some novella recs off the top of my head (assuming you saw my post telling everyone to go read The Translator, which is quite slim):
anything by Jacqueline Woodson or Colette
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Song for the Night
Kitchen
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe
Kokoro
The Icarus Girl
And here are some more now that I’ve reviewed my books read lists:
Fire on the Mountain
Bachelor Brothers’ Bed and Breakfast (look! a Canadian! hehe)
Tail of the Blue Bird
The Pursuit of Love (not my fave, but I think I was ruined by the BBC miniseries; lots of bloggers are Nancy Mitford fans)
Season of Migration to the North
Looking for Bapu
Hunger by Lan Samantha Chang
Ethan Frome
The Ladies from St. Petersburg
The Turn of the Screw
Ruins by Achy Obejas
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight trans. by Simon Armitage
Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid (or Lucy, which I recently read and loved; I bet you won’t go wrong with any of her stuff)
The Girl Who Played Go
The Girl with the Golden Shoes
Where We Once Belonged
Little Star of Bela Lua
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Disquiet by Julia Leigh
Angels & Insects by A.S. Byatt
I’m Not Dead by Niccolo Ammaniti
Incognegro by Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece (graphic novel)
Cranford
“Wit” by Margaret Edson (a play but soooooo good, even if you don’t usually read plays)
Lucy the Giant
Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Franny and Zooey
Burmese Days by George Orwell
The Children of Green Knowe (the first in a series; they’re all marvelous)
Gilgamesh, trans. by Stephen Mitchell
“Silk” by Alessandro Baricco
Dreams of My Russian Summer
Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
“Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad
Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
“The Uncommon Reader” by Alan Bennett
Train to Pakistan by Kushwant Singh
The Kitchen Boy
The House on Mango Street
Embers by Sandor Marai
Note that these are all titles that I remember being very short; I’m not sure how many of them are actually novellas, or what page count you’re looking at. But hopefully there’s enough here for your to find some appealing ones! All the ones I’ve reviewed will be in my directories, if you’re curious to see my thoughts, but I only included four and five star reads. :) And I didn’t include short nonfiction, since you said fiction, but if you want some leads on that, I can copy & paste some more! hehe
Wow, this is awesome, Eva! I wasn’t thinking when I posted, but I do read non-fiction, too. I can’t wait to look the ones up that I haven’t read yet! Thank you sooo much!!
I like a memoir, but not really a place-memoir. I thought this would be much more of a sociological history, which would be marvelous. This sounds interesting but not as interesting as what I thought it would be.
Memoirs, with rare exceptions, just aren’t my cup of tea either. I second the recommendation of Nella Larsen’s Passing. (It’s so nice to see you blogging and tweeting again.)
Welcome back Eva. I tend to agree with you about memoirs vs. straight non-fiction. I read a bunch of memoirs a few months back and tired of them pretty quickly.
Though it sounds a little bit flawed (and what isn’t, right?) this looks really interesting. I’m a big fan of travelogues though I’m not so hot on memoirs, most of the time. Looks like I should give it a shot, regardless.
I’m more of a memoirs girl, so this actually appeals to me a lot. I’ll have to see if the library has it (or is going to order it).
I do love literary memoirs, so this sounds appealing to me.
I think that this one sounds really interesting…I don’t read a lot of memoirs but I like keeping track of ones that I want to read. I’m weird like that :) Thanks for the suggested companion reads…I really enjoyed this part of your review!
I requested this from NetGalley as well and got it today, so now I really want to pick it up to see how my experience compares. I also like the companion reads suggestions!
I read a bit of this book as well and had a similar “More history, less memoir, please!” reaction. I did still think it was beautifully written–and would probably be a great non-fiction read for folks who don’t usually enjoy non-fiction.
I’d love to give this book a go. I’m fascinated with the different areas and the diversities of race and class in America. I don’t mind a memoir so I think I’d enjoy it. :)