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Tragic Magic
Meet Melvin Ellington, a.k.a. Mouth – a Black twenty-something, ex-college radical who has just been released from a five-year prison stretch having been a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War.
Back in New York, hungry for freedom and desperate for companionship, Mouth quickly finds himself haunted by his past.
Through a filmic series of flashbacks, we see Mouth's time in prison, his college days and, finally, his earliest high school days. Each street corner, subway ride and run-in with an old flame brings with it the echo of his previous life. The rhythm of blues and jazz is baked into each page, with the sounds of the city – barbershop talk, lively gossip, overheard conversations – imprinted in every word.
Wesley Brown boldly explores magnetic representations of Black masculinity in crisis, with a style that's even more provoking than its subject.
Back in New York, hungry for freedom and desperate for companionship, Mouth quickly finds himself haunted by his past.
Through a filmic series of flashbacks, we see Mouth's time in prison, his college days and, finally, his earliest high school days. Each street corner, subway ride and run-in with an old flame brings with it the echo of his previous life. The rhythm of blues and jazz is baked into each page, with the sounds of the city – barbershop talk, lively gossip, overheard conversations – imprinted in every word.
Wesley Brown boldly explores magnetic representations of Black masculinity in crisis, with a style that's even more provoking than its subject.
Kindle Edition
Published March 13, 2025
About the author
Wesley Brown
47 books20 followersNovelist, playwright, and teacher Wesley Brown was born and raised in Harlem, NYC. His work includes three acclaimed novels (Tragic Magic, Darktown Strutters, and Push Comes to Shove) and three produced plays (Boogie Woogie and Booker T, Life During Wartime, and A Prophet Among Them).
Brown's work often reflects his political involvement. In 1965, Brown worked with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party on voting registration. In 1968, he became a member of the Black Panther Party in Rochester, New York. In 1972, he was sentenced to three years in prison for refusing induction into the armed services and spent eighteen months in Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary.
He is Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University, where he taught for 27 years. He currently teaches literature at Bard College at Simon's Rock, and lives in Spencertown, New York.
Brown's work often reflects his political involvement. In 1965, Brown worked with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party on voting registration. In 1968, he became a member of the Black Panther Party in Rochester, New York. In 1972, he was sentenced to three years in prison for refusing induction into the armed services and spent eighteen months in Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary.
He is Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University, where he taught for 27 years. He currently teaches literature at Bard College at Simon's Rock, and lives in Spencertown, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 15, 2026
picked it up in hopes of finding some good underground author and it did not completely disappoint!
while the prose was beautiful, i did find myself confused at times with the chronology of the events that took place. other than that a great book, i dont regret reading it.
3.5/5
while the prose was beautiful, i did find myself confused at times with the chronology of the events that took place. other than that a great book, i dont regret reading it.
3.5/5
May 27, 2025
I picked this book up entirely against the classic phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover". Which has proven to be a bs phrase because I expected to love this and I did!
The musicality of this novel leapt from the pages, weaving me in and out of chapters with undeniable rhythm, gripping energy and careful lyricism. Prison, parties, sex, old friends, uni BNOCs, fever dreams, police brutality, war veterans... need I go on??
The whole narrative takes place in a single 24-hour period. In which you are confronted with the complexities of intersectional identity from start to finish. Raising questions of "What matters to you?" and "What's worth fighting for?"
What a perfect inauguration to my quarterly identity crisis. Brb whilst I completely change my hair and take up a new hobby again...
The musicality of this novel leapt from the pages, weaving me in and out of chapters with undeniable rhythm, gripping energy and careful lyricism. Prison, parties, sex, old friends, uni BNOCs, fever dreams, police brutality, war veterans... need I go on??
The whole narrative takes place in a single 24-hour period. In which you are confronted with the complexities of intersectional identity from start to finish. Raising questions of "What matters to you?" and "What's worth fighting for?"
What a perfect inauguration to my quarterly identity crisis. Brb whilst I completely change my hair and take up a new hobby again...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews