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Renaissance #1
The Strivers' Row Spy
Stunning, suspenseful, and unforgettably evocative, Jason Overstreet’s debut novel glitters with the vibrant dreams and dangerous promise of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, as one man crosses the perilous lines between the law, loyalty, and deadly lies…
For college graduate Sidney Temple, the Roaring Twenties bring opportunities even members of his accomplished black bourgeois family couldn’t have imagined. His impulsive marriage to independent artist Loretta is a happiness he never thought he’d find. And when he’s tapped by J. Edgar Hoover to be the FBI’s first African-American agent, he sees a once-in-a-lifetime chance to secure real justice.
Instead of providing evidence against Marcus Garvey, prominent head of the “dangerously radical” back-to-Africa movement, Sidney uses his unexpected knack for deception and undercover work to thwart the Bureau’s biased investigation. And by giving renowned leader W. E. B. Du Bois insider information, Sidney gambles on change that could mean a fair destiny for all Americans...
But the higher Sidney and Loretta climb in Harlem’s most influential and glamorous circles, the more dangerous the stakes. An unexpected friendship and a wrenching personal tragedy threaten to shatter Loretta’s innocent trust in her husband—and turn his double life into a fast-closing trap. For Sidney, ultimately squeezed between the Bureau and one too many ruthless factions, the price of escape could be heartbreak and betrayal no amount of skill can help him survive.
For college graduate Sidney Temple, the Roaring Twenties bring opportunities even members of his accomplished black bourgeois family couldn’t have imagined. His impulsive marriage to independent artist Loretta is a happiness he never thought he’d find. And when he’s tapped by J. Edgar Hoover to be the FBI’s first African-American agent, he sees a once-in-a-lifetime chance to secure real justice.
Instead of providing evidence against Marcus Garvey, prominent head of the “dangerously radical” back-to-Africa movement, Sidney uses his unexpected knack for deception and undercover work to thwart the Bureau’s biased investigation. And by giving renowned leader W. E. B. Du Bois insider information, Sidney gambles on change that could mean a fair destiny for all Americans...
But the higher Sidney and Loretta climb in Harlem’s most influential and glamorous circles, the more dangerous the stakes. An unexpected friendship and a wrenching personal tragedy threaten to shatter Loretta’s innocent trust in her husband—and turn his double life into a fast-closing trap. For Sidney, ultimately squeezed between the Bureau and one too many ruthless factions, the price of escape could be heartbreak and betrayal no amount of skill can help him survive.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2016
67 people are currently reading
1262 people want to read
About the author
Jason Overstreet
4 books90 followersJason Overstreet grew up in Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico. He attended two Southern California universities, earning a B.A. and M.S. before spending ten years in the field of education. After attending UCLA's Professional Program in Screenwriting, he turned to writing fiction full time. He lives in Los Angeles.
(from http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author...)
(from http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author...)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
September 4, 2016
Jason Overstreet’s debut novel “The Strivers’ Row Spy” has inspired me to do a lot more research on real-life characters who come to life in historical fiction. Rare is the book that opens so many doors and makes me so eager to learn more about a time and place, the movers and shakers and people who defined an era.
Middlebury College, 1919. Only two black men have earned diplomas. "Momma had saved up for Lord knows how long" for Sidney Temple's graduation gift, shiny, black patent leather shoes. For years she's been "scrubbing other families' homes, cooking for and raising their children," but at age 25, with a degree in civil engineering, Sidney resolves, "I would see to it that she wouldn't have to do that anymore."
Much sooner than expected, Sidney is buying expensive new suits, driving a car in New York City at a time when hardly anyone could afford to own a car, throwing parties for his beloved wife Loretta and meeting her friends in the art world, and living in a beautiful home with security on Striver's Row in Harlem.
"Harlem was quickly becoming the epicenter for colored politics--perhaps throughout the world," Sidney narrates. Strivers' Row was an aristocratic area in West Harlem, attracting well-paid professionals, aka strivers. "The colored folk who lived there had supposedly 'made it.' In fact, most were involved in the fields of law, medicine, the arts, and even architecture. I was likely the only government spy."
Sidney's occupation as an FBI agent for a young J. Edgar Hoover puts him in contact with some of the most fascinating people in U.S. history, from Jamaican-born poet Claude McKay to W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey, "the fiery little man" who tried to start a Black Star Line to Africa to remove America's colored people, descendants of slavery, to a new country in Africa where they'd be free of white dominance. That sounds like a plan the Ku Klux Klan would support, and once the FBI set out to take down Garvey, he did indeed stir up even more controversy by meeting with KKK leaders.
Sidney's job is to take advantage of his skin color and get close to Garvey, offering his civil engineering skills while secretly reporting to Hoover. Little does Hoover know that Sidney is a great admirer of W.E.B. Du Bois, and that whenever Du Bois is targeted, Sidney writes anonymous letters to tip him off.
His secret life comes with dangers, of course, one of them being what his wife might do if she learned the real reason her husband won't talk about his job or allow a phone inside their home. Other threats, like attempted assaults from armed men, are easier for Sidney to ward off. Sidney's aversion to murder is one of many good qualities he manifests. He's the most devoted, supportive and loving husband, but his career may put his wife in jeopardy.
Tension, conflict, and hard choices confront him at every turn. Sidney faces an order to assassinate someone. Does he end up killing anyone, even in self defense? The violence that comes with his line of work is bound to change him. How does an honest man keep up so many pretenses, and what happens if an adversary blows his cover?
The prose is packed full of historical incidents, names, and descriptions. Fans of the thriller genre might feel the pace isn't fast enough, but fans of historical fiction could hardly ask for more. The climax is as tense and brutal as any thriller reader could wish.
The ending is a lovely but bittersweet surprise. The future Sidney envisioned for himself and his family in America is ripped away from him, but for the rest of America, things are looking up. No more talk of shipping all the Blacks back to Africa, united as one nation under Marcus "the Emperor" Garvey. The NAACP under Du Bois is making strides, no thanks to the FBI, but thanks to people like Sidney, who would sacrifice so much for the good of all his people.
I learned so much from this novel that none of my history teachers ever mentioned. We've all heard of W.E.B. Du Bois but how many of know about Marcus Garvey? Overstreet's novel inspired me to spend hours online, learning more. I've added several nonfiction titles to my Kindle. One author says if Garvey had accomplished his dream of getting the African diaspora to leave the United States and Europe, uniting them in their own nation in Liberia, Garvey would have been as despotic as Idi Amin. I still haven't read enough to find out how crazy or dangerous Garvey was, but his grandson recently asked President Obama to grant a posthumous pardon to clear Garvey's name of mail-fraud. Was Garvey framed and unjustly imprisoned? His red-green-black flag has been brought back. Watch for it in news photos of Black Lives Matter events.
How many Americans know the fascinating history of a little nation called Liberia? I can only hope Jason Overstreet will make it the focus of a future novel. If he doesn't, I might have to drag memories out of my son-in-law, who fled Monrovia during the Charles Taylor takeover, spent three years in a refugee camp in Ghana, found his way to America, and now has a degree in engineering, a good job, a home, and a family--in America--not Liberia. Why was there no exodus from the United States to young nation in Africa that promised economic opportunities, abundant natural resources, and freedom from white majority rule? History teachers, start with a novel like "The Strivers Row," and set your students on fire with the desire to learn more.
This review doesn't even begin to cover the political climate, race relations, segregation, and the sheer excitement of 1920s Harlem. I absolutely love all the references to jazz (my son Miles is a jazz bassist in Chicago), the Cotton Club, and the aspiring musician Peavine, a minor character who plays a major role in one of Sidney's most daring and dangerous plots.
My Kindle is packed with lines I highlighted, but for a book review, there's room only to say, "Trust me. You will love this."
Note: Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.
Middlebury College, 1919. Only two black men have earned diplomas. "Momma had saved up for Lord knows how long" for Sidney Temple's graduation gift, shiny, black patent leather shoes. For years she's been "scrubbing other families' homes, cooking for and raising their children," but at age 25, with a degree in civil engineering, Sidney resolves, "I would see to it that she wouldn't have to do that anymore."
Much sooner than expected, Sidney is buying expensive new suits, driving a car in New York City at a time when hardly anyone could afford to own a car, throwing parties for his beloved wife Loretta and meeting her friends in the art world, and living in a beautiful home with security on Striver's Row in Harlem.
"Harlem was quickly becoming the epicenter for colored politics--perhaps throughout the world," Sidney narrates. Strivers' Row was an aristocratic area in West Harlem, attracting well-paid professionals, aka strivers. "The colored folk who lived there had supposedly 'made it.' In fact, most were involved in the fields of law, medicine, the arts, and even architecture. I was likely the only government spy."
Sidney's occupation as an FBI agent for a young J. Edgar Hoover puts him in contact with some of the most fascinating people in U.S. history, from Jamaican-born poet Claude McKay to W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey, "the fiery little man" who tried to start a Black Star Line to Africa to remove America's colored people, descendants of slavery, to a new country in Africa where they'd be free of white dominance. That sounds like a plan the Ku Klux Klan would support, and once the FBI set out to take down Garvey, he did indeed stir up even more controversy by meeting with KKK leaders.
Sidney's job is to take advantage of his skin color and get close to Garvey, offering his civil engineering skills while secretly reporting to Hoover. Little does Hoover know that Sidney is a great admirer of W.E.B. Du Bois, and that whenever Du Bois is targeted, Sidney writes anonymous letters to tip him off.
His secret life comes with dangers, of course, one of them being what his wife might do if she learned the real reason her husband won't talk about his job or allow a phone inside their home. Other threats, like attempted assaults from armed men, are easier for Sidney to ward off. Sidney's aversion to murder is one of many good qualities he manifests. He's the most devoted, supportive and loving husband, but his career may put his wife in jeopardy.
Tension, conflict, and hard choices confront him at every turn. Sidney faces an order to assassinate someone. Does he end up killing anyone, even in self defense? The violence that comes with his line of work is bound to change him. How does an honest man keep up so many pretenses, and what happens if an adversary blows his cover?
The prose is packed full of historical incidents, names, and descriptions. Fans of the thriller genre might feel the pace isn't fast enough, but fans of historical fiction could hardly ask for more. The climax is as tense and brutal as any thriller reader could wish.
The ending is a lovely but bittersweet surprise. The future Sidney envisioned for himself and his family in America is ripped away from him, but for the rest of America, things are looking up. No more talk of shipping all the Blacks back to Africa, united as one nation under Marcus "the Emperor" Garvey. The NAACP under Du Bois is making strides, no thanks to the FBI, but thanks to people like Sidney, who would sacrifice so much for the good of all his people.
I learned so much from this novel that none of my history teachers ever mentioned. We've all heard of W.E.B. Du Bois but how many of know about Marcus Garvey? Overstreet's novel inspired me to spend hours online, learning more. I've added several nonfiction titles to my Kindle. One author says if Garvey had accomplished his dream of getting the African diaspora to leave the United States and Europe, uniting them in their own nation in Liberia, Garvey would have been as despotic as Idi Amin. I still haven't read enough to find out how crazy or dangerous Garvey was, but his grandson recently asked President Obama to grant a posthumous pardon to clear Garvey's name of mail-fraud. Was Garvey framed and unjustly imprisoned? His red-green-black flag has been brought back. Watch for it in news photos of Black Lives Matter events.
How many Americans know the fascinating history of a little nation called Liberia? I can only hope Jason Overstreet will make it the focus of a future novel. If he doesn't, I might have to drag memories out of my son-in-law, who fled Monrovia during the Charles Taylor takeover, spent three years in a refugee camp in Ghana, found his way to America, and now has a degree in engineering, a good job, a home, and a family--in America--not Liberia. Why was there no exodus from the United States to young nation in Africa that promised economic opportunities, abundant natural resources, and freedom from white majority rule? History teachers, start with a novel like "The Strivers Row," and set your students on fire with the desire to learn more.
This review doesn't even begin to cover the political climate, race relations, segregation, and the sheer excitement of 1920s Harlem. I absolutely love all the references to jazz (my son Miles is a jazz bassist in Chicago), the Cotton Club, and the aspiring musician Peavine, a minor character who plays a major role in one of Sidney's most daring and dangerous plots.
My Kindle is packed with lines I highlighted, but for a book review, there's room only to say, "Trust me. You will love this."
Note: Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.
March 13, 2019
This book had a little-bit of everything going on with it. From action, to intrigue, to drama and I could name so much more. The read was a little long for me and at times boring. I thought that I was reading one of those 1070, plain yuck books at times that was forced on public school children.
Don't get me wrong the Sidney Temple adventure was good. However this book could have been shorten and it would have still been good. Sidney is the first black (negro) to join the FBI, courtesy of Hoover lol. Yes, I cracked up when I read that. Well Sidney was hired to basically spy and betray Garvey and DuBois.
Of course, the FBI turned on poor Sidney and he had to run for his life when he flipped the tables sort of.
Interesting read
Don't get me wrong the Sidney Temple adventure was good. However this book could have been shorten and it would have still been good. Sidney is the first black (negro) to join the FBI, courtesy of Hoover lol. Yes, I cracked up when I read that. Well Sidney was hired to basically spy and betray Garvey and DuBois.
Of course, the FBI turned on poor Sidney and he had to run for his life when he flipped the tables sort of.
Interesting read
November 27, 2016
I know so much about Marcus Garvey from my parents who hail from the Caribbean and Panama. My mom spoke on how as kids during the 30s, they had the UNIA money and would play with it, call is "funny money". She said the adults wanted very much to return to Africa. Then, my father and uncle spoke about him with reverence. My uncle even had a picture of him on his wall at his place. This story is a fictional account of a man recruited out of college to be a spy for the Bureau of Investigation(the forerunner to the FBI); and to spy on Marcus Garvey, who had his movement in Harlem and was attracting many followers. Believing he was doing the right thing to help "the race", he does it. They ask him to be covert in his dealings and have him set up an engineering practice in Harlem. For a while, he does well. He even gets to meet and get close to Garvey, all the while the Bureau puts pressure on him to find dirt that will put Garvey under. When he doesn't find anything, he is then approached by another outfit that wants Garvey dead and threatens to out him to his family, he tries to ignore but the bricks come crashing down and he is in the race of his vey life.
February 9, 2017
Well, I tried.
I got almost 1/3rd of the way in on The Strivers' Row Spy before calling it quits. Life is too short and my TBR pile too high to continue reading a book that was only making me sigh in annoyance and wish I was doing something else other than reading.
I had high hopes too. It started with a great cover. I mean, good God, this is a gorgeous cover. It continued with a setting of a time period I like to read and the blurb made the story sound like it would be intriguing and exciting and I might even learn a few things. And, to keep all those diverse writing warriors happy, it's a story about POC and written by an MOC.
Well, a history book couldn't have been more dry.
The main character of Sidney Temple never came alive for me as more than a pedantic, boring, smug and supercilious young man. I never felt any connection or empathy or even interest in what he was doing, and I think that was because he never evinced any enthusiasm. All so bland and matter of fact. Often his conversations with the other characters became lectures. People don't really talk that way, I hope, because OMG, YAWN!! I felt as if I was being lectured and told, page after page. Show, don't tell, does not apply here.
So, I DNFed. And I feel a little guilty because I very seldom give up on a book, but again... Life is too short and the TBR pile is too big!
I got almost 1/3rd of the way in on The Strivers' Row Spy before calling it quits. Life is too short and my TBR pile too high to continue reading a book that was only making me sigh in annoyance and wish I was doing something else other than reading.
I had high hopes too. It started with a great cover. I mean, good God, this is a gorgeous cover. It continued with a setting of a time period I like to read and the blurb made the story sound like it would be intriguing and exciting and I might even learn a few things. And, to keep all those diverse writing warriors happy, it's a story about POC and written by an MOC.
Well, a history book couldn't have been more dry.
The main character of Sidney Temple never came alive for me as more than a pedantic, boring, smug and supercilious young man. I never felt any connection or empathy or even interest in what he was doing, and I think that was because he never evinced any enthusiasm. All so bland and matter of fact. Often his conversations with the other characters became lectures. People don't really talk that way, I hope, because OMG, YAWN!! I felt as if I was being lectured and told, page after page. Show, don't tell, does not apply here.
So, I DNFed. And I feel a little guilty because I very seldom give up on a book, but again... Life is too short and the TBR pile is too big!
May 4, 2021
Ah this book is so cool and it's incorporating so much that I learned when I studied the Harlem Renaissance! You have one of the first African Americans in the FBI, but it turns out the reasons the FBI has started to recruit Black men is to spy on prominent figures such as WEB Dubois and Marcus Garvey. I wish I had known about this book sooner!
July 27, 2021
The premise of this book really sounded intriguing, an early black F.B.I. agent is hired to spy on Marcus Garvey, a black Jamaican who is trying to rally American blacks. He wants to keep the black and white societies separate and thinks blacks can only reach their potential by segregating themselves from the whites. He wants to do this by relocating the entire black population to Africa.
His fund-raising methods are not on the up-and-up and if you don't follow his lead he spurns you and may even have you physically beaten.
Our stalwart hero, Sidney, is a fresh college graduate. He has a master's degree in engineering and Hoover hires him to infiltrate Garvey's inner circle. Something no one else has been able to do because they are all white.
Sidney appears to be apolitical but he is actually a strong supporter of W.E.B. du Bois. Hoover has found another black agent to spy on duBois. Sidney begins living a double life. No one knows he is with the F.B.I. (not even his beloved wife), he is trying to pin down the actions of Garvey without revealing himself. Meanwhile he is also sending secret notes to duBois advising him of the spy Hoover has in his midst.
We hear details about the charming life Sidney and his wife lead in Harlem. We see the actions of duBois presented in a supportive and positive light and those of Garvey present a darker presence.
Ultimately Sidney's ruse is discovered and an attempt is made to blackmail him into killing Garvey. When he won't cooperate these men reveal his secret life to Sidney's wife. She leaves him and goes to Paris with a friend. It takes some doing but Sidney is able to make an escape from the blackmailers and plans to follow his wife. However, they find him! Sidney manages to overcome the four men and escape to Paris where he finds his wife and learns she is pregnant with twins.
See, it sounds interesting, sadly the execution does not live up to the idea. The writing is a bad parody of a hard-boiled detective story. The language is stilted and repetitive. Sidney's skills are astonishing - having never touched a gun in his life - manages to kill six people by the end of the story - and them all men with guns! I was strongly disappointed in this book.
His fund-raising methods are not on the up-and-up and if you don't follow his lead he spurns you and may even have you physically beaten.
Our stalwart hero, Sidney, is a fresh college graduate. He has a master's degree in engineering and Hoover hires him to infiltrate Garvey's inner circle. Something no one else has been able to do because they are all white.
Sidney appears to be apolitical but he is actually a strong supporter of W.E.B. du Bois. Hoover has found another black agent to spy on duBois. Sidney begins living a double life. No one knows he is with the F.B.I. (not even his beloved wife), he is trying to pin down the actions of Garvey without revealing himself. Meanwhile he is also sending secret notes to duBois advising him of the spy Hoover has in his midst.
We hear details about the charming life Sidney and his wife lead in Harlem. We see the actions of duBois presented in a supportive and positive light and those of Garvey present a darker presence.
Ultimately Sidney's ruse is discovered and an attempt is made to blackmail him into killing Garvey. When he won't cooperate these men reveal his secret life to Sidney's wife. She leaves him and goes to Paris with a friend. It takes some doing but Sidney is able to make an escape from the blackmailers and plans to follow his wife. However, they find him! Sidney manages to overcome the four men and escape to Paris where he finds his wife and learns she is pregnant with twins.
See, it sounds interesting, sadly the execution does not live up to the idea. The writing is a bad parody of a hard-boiled detective story. The language is stilted and repetitive. Sidney's skills are astonishing - having never touched a gun in his life - manages to kill six people by the end of the story - and them all men with guns! I was strongly disappointed in this book.
August 9, 2016
Jason Overstreet’s The Strivers’ Row Spy is a must read. Period. The book is written with so much detail that the reader feels as though he or she is right in the midst of the plot with the main character Sidney Temple. Jason Overstreet places the reader in an emotional sync with Sidney Temple and doesn’t ease up.
Right from the beginning of the novel till the end Overstreet keeps the language consistent and creates the mood and feeling of the 20’s. The feel of racial tension, the chill of the USA during the communism scare, and the thrill of the possibilities of the Harlem Renaissance were all colliding in this novel.
Overstreet makes history seem sexy. He creates an aura of respect and reverence for W.E.B. Du Bois and creates the air of power and strength for Marcus Garvey. I was constantly fearful for Sidney Temple as he placed his life in harms’ way to protect what he believed was worth dying for – an integrated America.
The history of African descendants is rich in this novel. Overstreet drops several knowledge bombs on his readers. He incorporates real artists and real works into his novel. These allusions mix nicely with the purpose and tone of the novel and give it a realistic semblance. He even goes the extra mile by adding Claude McKay into the storyline and plot. It was brilliant.
Personally, I believe this book should be inserted into every curriculum at every school in the U.S., maybe in the world. Overstreet perfectly captures the confusion and the struggle of the Negro in America. The overarching questions are real. What do they do for equality? Is leaving America the only real way to achieve respect and freedom for coloreds? Although this book is set in the 20’s, it asks many questions that are still worth asking today. And I believe that was the point of the novel.
Where are the intellectual African American heroes of today?
Jerrel Stills
AAMBC Reviewer
Right from the beginning of the novel till the end Overstreet keeps the language consistent and creates the mood and feeling of the 20’s. The feel of racial tension, the chill of the USA during the communism scare, and the thrill of the possibilities of the Harlem Renaissance were all colliding in this novel.
Overstreet makes history seem sexy. He creates an aura of respect and reverence for W.E.B. Du Bois and creates the air of power and strength for Marcus Garvey. I was constantly fearful for Sidney Temple as he placed his life in harms’ way to protect what he believed was worth dying for – an integrated America.
The history of African descendants is rich in this novel. Overstreet drops several knowledge bombs on his readers. He incorporates real artists and real works into his novel. These allusions mix nicely with the purpose and tone of the novel and give it a realistic semblance. He even goes the extra mile by adding Claude McKay into the storyline and plot. It was brilliant.
Personally, I believe this book should be inserted into every curriculum at every school in the U.S., maybe in the world. Overstreet perfectly captures the confusion and the struggle of the Negro in America. The overarching questions are real. What do they do for equality? Is leaving America the only real way to achieve respect and freedom for coloreds? Although this book is set in the 20’s, it asks many questions that are still worth asking today. And I believe that was the point of the novel.
Where are the intellectual African American heroes of today?
Jerrel Stills
AAMBC Reviewer
August 29, 2016
When I first read the synopsis of this books months ago, I immediately added it to my list of books to read because I'm a lover of Historical Fiction. I love giving new authors a chance because soon I'll be a new author and I want readers to give me a chance. Jason Overstreet proved that I made the right choice. The book started off slow, but it soon took off and had me wondering what was going to happen next. He did a great job of developing each character and showing the dimensions of each. I gave this book four stars and can't wait to read his next novel.
September 19, 2019
The 1920s were a pivotal era in African-American history. Black soldiers returning from service in World War I brought new energy to the slowly gathering movement for equal rights. Nationally, the NAACP, formed in 1909, was working for the passage of an anti-lynching law to combat the resurgence of racist violence sparked by the newly energized Ku Klux Klan. The editor of the NAACP journal, the brilliant scholar W.E.B. DuBois, was the organization's most visible and respected voice of authority.
Meanwhile, the Jamaican demagogue Marcus Garvey was promoting an alternative vision of Black activism with the Back-to-Africa movement he promoted through his United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). And in New York, the Harlem Renaissance was underway, attracting Black artists, musicians, actors, and writers from throughout North America and the Caribbean. And all of this color and tumult comes to life in Jason Overstreet's engrossing novel of domestic espionage, The Strivers' Row Spy.
A spy story set during a critical era in African-American history
Sidney Temple has just graduated from Middlebury College with a master's degree in civil engineering when he is recruited to spy for the Bureau of Investigation (then the BOI, later the FBI). J. Edgar Hoover and his red-baiting boss, Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, are convinced that both the NAACP and the UNIA are dominated by Communists—apparently believing that even W. E. B. DuBois and Marcus Garvey are themselves Communists. Sidney's job is to uncover evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Garvey that will enable the BOI to imprison him. (Other agents are assigned to DuBois.) The assignment leads Sidney into a thicket of intrigue that will threaten his life and his marriage.
Historical figures in abundance populate this novel
Many of the leading personalities of the day make appearances in The Strivers' Row Spy. Hoover, then head of one department in what was at the time the BOI, recruits Sidney. Who takes the bait to spy on Marcus Garvey and the UNIA in order to gather intelligence for his hero, W.E.B. DuBois, Garvey's sworn enemy. And to maintain Sidney's cover as a consulting engineer he takes on the job of helping build the new Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem for the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Sr. The radical journalist and patron of the Harlem Renaissance, Max Eastman, and the NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson both make appearances as well. As a result, The Strivers' Roy Spy is a lively introduction to African-American history in the 1920s. It's also a tense, carefully plotted thriller that keeps the reader's attention from beginning to end.
Meanwhile, the Jamaican demagogue Marcus Garvey was promoting an alternative vision of Black activism with the Back-to-Africa movement he promoted through his United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). And in New York, the Harlem Renaissance was underway, attracting Black artists, musicians, actors, and writers from throughout North America and the Caribbean. And all of this color and tumult comes to life in Jason Overstreet's engrossing novel of domestic espionage, The Strivers' Row Spy.
A spy story set during a critical era in African-American history
Sidney Temple has just graduated from Middlebury College with a master's degree in civil engineering when he is recruited to spy for the Bureau of Investigation (then the BOI, later the FBI). J. Edgar Hoover and his red-baiting boss, Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, are convinced that both the NAACP and the UNIA are dominated by Communists—apparently believing that even W. E. B. DuBois and Marcus Garvey are themselves Communists. Sidney's job is to uncover evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Garvey that will enable the BOI to imprison him. (Other agents are assigned to DuBois.) The assignment leads Sidney into a thicket of intrigue that will threaten his life and his marriage.
Historical figures in abundance populate this novel
Many of the leading personalities of the day make appearances in The Strivers' Row Spy. Hoover, then head of one department in what was at the time the BOI, recruits Sidney. Who takes the bait to spy on Marcus Garvey and the UNIA in order to gather intelligence for his hero, W.E.B. DuBois, Garvey's sworn enemy. And to maintain Sidney's cover as a consulting engineer he takes on the job of helping build the new Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem for the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Sr. The radical journalist and patron of the Harlem Renaissance, Max Eastman, and the NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson both make appearances as well. As a result, The Strivers' Roy Spy is a lively introduction to African-American history in the 1920s. It's also a tense, carefully plotted thriller that keeps the reader's attention from beginning to end.
September 12, 2016
Great insight into Garvey and Du Bois position on race in America in the 1920s; very informative and interesting. I was expecting more action for a "spy" novel, but this is a more realistic portrayal (more patience), so the plot dragged some. I kept forgetting that it was set in the 20s because it lacked ambience and how exciting Harlem must have been during that period which garnered the four-star rating. I felt like it could have been set anywhere which was a little disappointing. Still, a look into historical perspectives on race that does not receive its due attention, and a timely novel considering contemporary racial issues in America. This is a great one for book clubs.
July 15, 2016
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
This is an enlightening book. It presents a fascinating story of a young black college graduate hired to investigate the fledgling NAACP and the Marcus Garvey/W.E.B. DuBois feud. It has a well written main character, Sidney Temple, and a number of interesting secondary characters. The action is tense and fast paced. The locations are realistic. The historical context is engrossing.
Although a fictional novel, it has the sense of living history and I enjoyed it.
This is an enlightening book. It presents a fascinating story of a young black college graduate hired to investigate the fledgling NAACP and the Marcus Garvey/W.E.B. DuBois feud. It has a well written main character, Sidney Temple, and a number of interesting secondary characters. The action is tense and fast paced. The locations are realistic. The historical context is engrossing.
Although a fictional novel, it has the sense of living history and I enjoyed it.
February 23, 2021
The time period and the history are really interesting, but I just couldn't get into the writing style--very tell-y and very flat, with not enough characterization and little emotional dynamics, even in the suspenseful parts.
February 13, 2022
*2.5 rounded down*
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. Then the story became more contrived and my interest waned. It just didn't seem believable and that was hard to ignore. The pacing was also pretty all over the place. The main strength of this book is the history and political discussions. That was the most engaging and well-written aspect. This had a lot of potential but I think it tried to do too many things.
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. Then the story became more contrived and my interest waned. It just didn't seem believable and that was hard to ignore. The pacing was also pretty all over the place. The main strength of this book is the history and political discussions. That was the most engaging and well-written aspect. This had a lot of potential but I think it tried to do too many things.
September 2, 2016
The Strivers’ Row Spy is an incredible debut novel. Jason Overstreet skillfully exposes readers to a frequently forgotten part of African American history - the 1920s Harlem Renaissance and the push for civil rights by two very different charismatic leaders W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey. The Strivers’ Row Spy is fiction, but its setting, environment and many of its characters did exist. Jason Overstreet brings history to life in a way that entrances readers, encouraging them to ask questions and dig deeper - making the novel ideal for young adults and book discussion groups.
In a country where racism is the norm and the government fears anything that hints of communism, Sidney Temple is an ideal find for J Edgar Hoover - an apparently apolitical African American college graduate. When he is chosen to become the first African American FBI agent, he feels honored. Then he realizes that he is to be used to gain information on the “radical” civil rights leaders, Marcus Garvey leading the “Back to Africa” movement and W.E.B. Du Bois. The latter, a man Sidney greatly respects. Unable to share his true work with his beloved wife Loretta, Sidney struggles between doing what is right and following the Bureau’s biased instructions. The fine line he walks places him in more danger than he ever imagined.
Jason Overstreet’s debut novel is not a mystery in the traditional sense, but I believe that fans of historical fiction and period novels will be very impressed.
5/5
I received a copy of The Strivers’ Row Spy from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
In a country where racism is the norm and the government fears anything that hints of communism, Sidney Temple is an ideal find for J Edgar Hoover - an apparently apolitical African American college graduate. When he is chosen to become the first African American FBI agent, he feels honored. Then he realizes that he is to be used to gain information on the “radical” civil rights leaders, Marcus Garvey leading the “Back to Africa” movement and W.E.B. Du Bois. The latter, a man Sidney greatly respects. Unable to share his true work with his beloved wife Loretta, Sidney struggles between doing what is right and following the Bureau’s biased instructions. The fine line he walks places him in more danger than he ever imagined.
Jason Overstreet’s debut novel is not a mystery in the traditional sense, but I believe that fans of historical fiction and period novels will be very impressed.
5/5
I received a copy of The Strivers’ Row Spy from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
July 30, 2023
I won this book through the Goodreads First Reads Program in exchange for an unbiased review.
I read this book to learn about 1920's USA, the fledgling FBI and race relations at the time, an era I knew very little about. Sidney Temple was an interesting character, one who the reader becomes attached to quickly and eagerly wants to know how things turn out, whether it be with his job as one of the only black agents working under Hoover, or with his wife Loretta who was another wonderful character.
It doesn't have the pacing of many other spy novels, because well, it is a real spy story. Spies like James Bond don't exist, and if they do, they don't last very long. It is about patience and determination and finding a way to be in the right place in the right time. Things only start to unravel when the mysterious Timekeeper tries to up the pace a bit, at which point things get very exciting indeed.
Rather, this is a book not only about the big things, the battle between Du Bois and Garvey, and the Bureau's attempt to stop them both, but also about the little things. Loretta and Sidney getting kicked out of the theater, Sidney getting pulled over by the police for driving in the wrong direction at the wrong time of day, but also the moments where race didn't matter, such as Loretta's birthday party, where art mattered more than the colour of one's skin.
A very enjoyable and educational read.
I read this book to learn about 1920's USA, the fledgling FBI and race relations at the time, an era I knew very little about. Sidney Temple was an interesting character, one who the reader becomes attached to quickly and eagerly wants to know how things turn out, whether it be with his job as one of the only black agents working under Hoover, or with his wife Loretta who was another wonderful character.
It doesn't have the pacing of many other spy novels, because well, it is a real spy story. Spies like James Bond don't exist, and if they do, they don't last very long. It is about patience and determination and finding a way to be in the right place in the right time. Things only start to unravel when the mysterious Timekeeper tries to up the pace a bit, at which point things get very exciting indeed.
Rather, this is a book not only about the big things, the battle between Du Bois and Garvey, and the Bureau's attempt to stop them both, but also about the little things. Loretta and Sidney getting kicked out of the theater, Sidney getting pulled over by the police for driving in the wrong direction at the wrong time of day, but also the moments where race didn't matter, such as Loretta's birthday party, where art mattered more than the colour of one's skin.
A very enjoyable and educational read.
August 31, 2016
This is a really interesting book not least because while the era is familiar, the setting is not one we've seen much of in literature. Sidney is a fascinating character to take this journey; I enjoyed the details of his personal history and family as well as his interactions with real people. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC- this is a well written historical novel which allowed me to explore something I was not familiar with. You will like this if you are interested in the 1920s, historical fiction, or just a good read. Thumbs up!
October 30, 2016
Striver's Row Spy is a great first novel that not only entertained, but I learned a lot from it as well. I remember learning some of the names and events in school, but it was interesting to see them explained and experienced first hand. I found myself doing a lot of online research and found that several of the characters were based on real people.
This is a definite must read for anyone who enjoys spy thrillers or wants to learn about African-American history in the early 1900s. I can't wait to read more about Sidney Temple and Jason Overstreet's work.
This is a definite must read for anyone who enjoys spy thrillers or wants to learn about African-American history in the early 1900s. I can't wait to read more about Sidney Temple and Jason Overstreet's work.
March 4, 2018
DNF 39%
It’s so disappointing but I had to give up. I really was not enjoying it at all even though it had all the elements I would love. A black spy story set in 1920s Harlem?? Heck yea. But the writing was so clunky to me and didn’t flow well at all. The entire time I was reading I never felt like I was actually in this world. It felt like a very boring man was giving me an extremely detailed account of his life. Incredibly dry. What a let down.
It’s so disappointing but I had to give up. I really was not enjoying it at all even though it had all the elements I would love. A black spy story set in 1920s Harlem?? Heck yea. But the writing was so clunky to me and didn’t flow well at all. The entire time I was reading I never felt like I was actually in this world. It felt like a very boring man was giving me an extremely detailed account of his life. Incredibly dry. What a let down.
September 23, 2019
I really wanted to love this book or at least finish it, but I wasn't invested in any of the characters. It has all the right ingredients for a good historical fiction, the early stages of the Harlem Renaissance, the NAACP, and the FBI...but the cake never bakes. Sidney's blind loyalty to Du Bois and the way he talks about his wife is aggravating and naive. The best part is learning more about the lesser known figures who surrounded Du Bois and Garvey.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2016
This novel is incredible. I read more about African American history due to this novel. Definitely the kind of books which make readers dig deeper. Very well written and enlightening. I enjoyed reading this novel and would recommend others to read it.
I received a free hard copy of this book from the Goodreads First Reads program. Thanks a lot!
I received a free hard copy of this book from the Goodreads First Reads program. Thanks a lot!
July 26, 2016
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, Dafina, and Kensington Books exchange for an honest review.
This is both the author’s first book (as far as I can tell) and therefore my first book that I’ve read by him (that’s the both part – first book (written by him; read by me).
I’ll start off with something that I normally put at the end, or nearish the end, the rating. Under my long ago and not currently active rating scheme, used pre-web based book cataloging by me, I would have rated this book somewhere between 3.74 and 3.84. I am uncertain how that actually corresponds to my current rating scheme, but, somewhere around 4 stars.
Two things before I move into a more detailed review; women and ‘roaring twenties’/time in general. I put that discussion under spoiler tag, not because there is anything spoiler-y about it, but because I kind of lost whatever point I was attempting to make, and so that section is boring. Boiled down – for the most part the book is focused on the male actors in this ‘Roaring ‘20s Harlem Renaissance’, though there were a few ‘powerful’ women who make brief appearances; other than a few mentions of prohibition, and a few mentions of how people are flocking to the area, many of them arty, the Roaring Twenties/Harlem Renaissance part was kind of thin.
So, book.
During a college graduation ceremony, while Sidney is actually in his graduation robes and climbing some stairs, some man approaches Sidney and thrusts a card at him (I’m wording this wrong) and indicates that the BOI, Bureau of Investigation might be interested in hiring Sidney – or at least in interviewing him. If interested, call the number on the card. And so begins Sidney’s slide into the undercover world.
Three things to note – BOI – the description for the book is slightly misleading, specifically the ‘And when he’s tapped by J. Edgar Hoover to be the FBI’s first African-American agent’: 1) the BOI did not become the FBI until 1935; 2) Sidney is not the first African-American agent hired by the BOI in the book (the first in real life and in the book is mentioned in the book, and plays a small role – James Wormley Jones – and Jones is described, on Wikipedia, with a task similar to the one he has in this book, and the one Sidney is given – to infiltrate the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) under the leadership of Marcus Garvey – and Jones actions lead to some similar results in RL and in the book); 3) Hoover did not become head of the BOI until 1924, 5 years after the start of this book here (the guy who preceded Hoover, William J. Burns, wasn’t even in office as the head of the BOI by the start of this book (he became the head in 1921; a guy named William J. Flynn was the head when Sidney was hired by the BOI, he was in office from 1919 to 1921 – it is possible the guy before him was actually in charge at the start of this book, since Flynn didn’t start until July of 1919, though the book did mention that the guy Sidney talked with was just getting appointed to be the director – heh, one of the driving forces in this book, and for Hoover, was the bombing of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s house – something that Flynn was brought in as director to investigate; Hoover, though, was with the BOI in 1919, and a new division head – he was head of the new General Intelligence Division).
Real life Hoover was tasked with monitoring and disrupting the work of domestic radicals. And his “Targets during this period included Marcus Garvey, Rose Pastor Stokes and Cyril Briggs, Emma Goldman, and Alexander Berman; and future Supreme Court justice Felix Frankfurter who, Hoover maintained, was "the most dangerous man in the United States". I mention all this because Sidney, in this book, is tasked with monitoring three people – Marcus Garvey (UNIA), James Weldon Johnson (NAACP), and Max Eastman (and indirectly, W.E.B. Du Bois of the NAACP)).
I got distracted by history there, looking up the real life history of the time. Hmms. Dr. James Eason is also a real life figure, member of the UNIA – had a similar end story as to the one in the book.
*shakes self* Right sorry.
This was/is a quite interesting undercover story about a time and place that I knew relatively little about – specifically the time and place of African Americans during the 1920s. There were both times of great ‘sinking’ into the scene, of feeling it, while other times things seemed more surface, more remote/removed from the action. And a few cases where things were just way too rushed.
Only read the spoiler after reading the book
Overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next book by this author.
July 26 2016
This is both the author’s first book (as far as I can tell) and therefore my first book that I’ve read by him (that’s the both part – first book (written by him; read by me).
I’ll start off with something that I normally put at the end, or nearish the end, the rating. Under my long ago and not currently active rating scheme, used pre-web based book cataloging by me, I would have rated this book somewhere between 3.74 and 3.84. I am uncertain how that actually corresponds to my current rating scheme, but, somewhere around 4 stars.
Two things before I move into a more detailed review; women and ‘roaring twenties’/time in general. I put that discussion under spoiler tag, not because there is anything spoiler-y about it, but because I kind of lost whatever point I was attempting to make, and so that section is boring. Boiled down – for the most part the book is focused on the male actors in this ‘Roaring ‘20s Harlem Renaissance’, though there were a few ‘powerful’ women who make brief appearances; other than a few mentions of prohibition, and a few mentions of how people are flocking to the area, many of them arty, the Roaring Twenties/Harlem Renaissance part was kind of thin.
So, book.
During a college graduation ceremony, while Sidney is actually in his graduation robes and climbing some stairs, some man approaches Sidney and thrusts a card at him (I’m wording this wrong) and indicates that the BOI, Bureau of Investigation might be interested in hiring Sidney – or at least in interviewing him. If interested, call the number on the card. And so begins Sidney’s slide into the undercover world.
Three things to note – BOI – the description for the book is slightly misleading, specifically the ‘And when he’s tapped by J. Edgar Hoover to be the FBI’s first African-American agent’: 1) the BOI did not become the FBI until 1935; 2) Sidney is not the first African-American agent hired by the BOI in the book (the first in real life and in the book is mentioned in the book, and plays a small role – James Wormley Jones – and Jones is described, on Wikipedia, with a task similar to the one he has in this book, and the one Sidney is given – to infiltrate the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) under the leadership of Marcus Garvey – and Jones actions lead to some similar results in RL and in the book); 3) Hoover did not become head of the BOI until 1924, 5 years after the start of this book here (the guy who preceded Hoover, William J. Burns, wasn’t even in office as the head of the BOI by the start of this book (he became the head in 1921; a guy named William J. Flynn was the head when Sidney was hired by the BOI, he was in office from 1919 to 1921 – it is possible the guy before him was actually in charge at the start of this book, since Flynn didn’t start until July of 1919, though the book did mention that the guy Sidney talked with was just getting appointed to be the director – heh, one of the driving forces in this book, and for Hoover, was the bombing of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s house – something that Flynn was brought in as director to investigate; Hoover, though, was with the BOI in 1919, and a new division head – he was head of the new General Intelligence Division).
Real life Hoover was tasked with monitoring and disrupting the work of domestic radicals. And his “Targets during this period included Marcus Garvey, Rose Pastor Stokes and Cyril Briggs, Emma Goldman, and Alexander Berman; and future Supreme Court justice Felix Frankfurter who, Hoover maintained, was "the most dangerous man in the United States". I mention all this because Sidney, in this book, is tasked with monitoring three people – Marcus Garvey (UNIA), James Weldon Johnson (NAACP), and Max Eastman (and indirectly, W.E.B. Du Bois of the NAACP)).
I got distracted by history there, looking up the real life history of the time. Hmms. Dr. James Eason is also a real life figure, member of the UNIA – had a similar end story as to the one in the book.
*shakes self* Right sorry.
This was/is a quite interesting undercover story about a time and place that I knew relatively little about – specifically the time and place of African Americans during the 1920s. There were both times of great ‘sinking’ into the scene, of feeling it, while other times things seemed more surface, more remote/removed from the action. And a few cases where things were just way too rushed.
Only read the spoiler after reading the book
Overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next book by this author.
July 26 2016
June 30, 2017
This review originally published in < ahref="http://www.lookingforagoodbook.com&qu... For a Good Book. Rated 4.5 of 5
The Strivers' Row Spy is the debut novel for author Jason Overstreet and is a hit from page one all the way to the end.
Sidney Temple is one of the first black men to graduate from Middlebury College in 1919 and he's driven to make sure that the sacrifices his mother made in order for him to go to school will be repaid. His accomplishment at graduating college, along with his war service brings him to the attention of J. Edgar Hoover who recruits Temple as one of the first blacks to be a spy in Hoover's Bureau of Investigations.
Temple is set up in Harlem by Hoover's Bureau. Temple's assignment...? Get close to, and find evidence of corruption or illegal activities of Marcus Garvey - a radical, black, 'back-to--Africa' extremist.
Sidney does make it into the inside of Garvey's massive and extremely protective empire, but Temple manages to play it close to the vest and keeps his eyes open for other opportunities. While he disagrees with Garvey's vision, he's not convinced that Hoover has the best interest of America's blacks in mind. And so Sidney anonymously passes along highly sensitive information to W.E.B. DuBois who is organizing the NAACP.
Author Jason Overstreet has written a highly compelling spy mystery with an authentic presentation of history of the period, capturing the exciting social extremes of the times. Just when everything seems to be going Sidney's way, and perhaps just as the reader is forgetting that our protagonist is a black man in the 1920-30's, we get a stinging reminder of the racism that once (and still) oozes through our country.
Overstreet moves the story along beautifully, creating high interest in the story and giving the reader a strong desire to know what happens next.
I've written before that I much prefer character-driven stories and here Overstreet excels. Sidney Temple is absolutely fascinating. I believe in him, I believe that I understand him, and I trust him to do just what I would do given the circumstances.
The last ten percent of the book is as exciting a thriller as any James Patterson or Lee Child or ...well, you name the author and Jason Overstreet can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him/her.
If there's one portion of the book that doesn't live up to the rest - and keeps this from getting an even five stars - it would be the scenes with Temple's wife. I can understand the need to have Sidney be a married man at times, and I can understand why she needs to be out of the way at other times, but the few moments when the story is on the two of them I really just wanted to get back to Temple's undercover work. And the dramatic scene between the two of them came out of nowhere for me and felt like simply a device for some necessary action later in the book, rather than organic character development.
Still, this is a very well written historical thriller and I'm looking forward to Jason Overstreet's next book.
Looking for a good book? The Strivers' Row Spy by Jason Overstreet is a political, historical thriller that is tremendously compelling and highly recommended.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
The Strivers' Row Spy is the debut novel for author Jason Overstreet and is a hit from page one all the way to the end.
Sidney Temple is one of the first black men to graduate from Middlebury College in 1919 and he's driven to make sure that the sacrifices his mother made in order for him to go to school will be repaid. His accomplishment at graduating college, along with his war service brings him to the attention of J. Edgar Hoover who recruits Temple as one of the first blacks to be a spy in Hoover's Bureau of Investigations.
Temple is set up in Harlem by Hoover's Bureau. Temple's assignment...? Get close to, and find evidence of corruption or illegal activities of Marcus Garvey - a radical, black, 'back-to--Africa' extremist.
Sidney does make it into the inside of Garvey's massive and extremely protective empire, but Temple manages to play it close to the vest and keeps his eyes open for other opportunities. While he disagrees with Garvey's vision, he's not convinced that Hoover has the best interest of America's blacks in mind. And so Sidney anonymously passes along highly sensitive information to W.E.B. DuBois who is organizing the NAACP.
Author Jason Overstreet has written a highly compelling spy mystery with an authentic presentation of history of the period, capturing the exciting social extremes of the times. Just when everything seems to be going Sidney's way, and perhaps just as the reader is forgetting that our protagonist is a black man in the 1920-30's, we get a stinging reminder of the racism that once (and still) oozes through our country.
Overstreet moves the story along beautifully, creating high interest in the story and giving the reader a strong desire to know what happens next.
I've written before that I much prefer character-driven stories and here Overstreet excels. Sidney Temple is absolutely fascinating. I believe in him, I believe that I understand him, and I trust him to do just what I would do given the circumstances.
The last ten percent of the book is as exciting a thriller as any James Patterson or Lee Child or ...well, you name the author and Jason Overstreet can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him/her.
If there's one portion of the book that doesn't live up to the rest - and keeps this from getting an even five stars - it would be the scenes with Temple's wife. I can understand the need to have Sidney be a married man at times, and I can understand why she needs to be out of the way at other times, but the few moments when the story is on the two of them I really just wanted to get back to Temple's undercover work. And the dramatic scene between the two of them came out of nowhere for me and felt like simply a device for some necessary action later in the book, rather than organic character development.
Still, this is a very well written historical thriller and I'm looking forward to Jason Overstreet's next book.
Looking for a good book? The Strivers' Row Spy by Jason Overstreet is a political, historical thriller that is tremendously compelling and highly recommended.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2017
Nell'America della segregazione e del proibizionismo, un giovane nero americano, laureato in ingegneria col massimo dei voti, viene reclutato dal nascente FBI di Hoover, fissato col comunismo. Sidney viene incaricato di spiare Marcus Garvey, visionario e megalomane fondatore di un movimento che dovrebbe riportare in Africa tutti i discendenti degli schiavi deportati. Considerato un "nero da giardino" e quindi manipolabile, Sidney svolge il suo lavoro riuscendo a dare a Bureau il minor numero di informazioni utili su Garvey, che pure non approva, e, allo stesso tempo, passandone di importanti a W. E. B. Du Bois, altro leader nero, moderato, sottoposto a spionaggio da parte di un altro agente. Tutto ciò andrà abbastanza bene fino a quando non interverrà sulla scena un secondo attore, che vuole morto Garvey ed è disposto a mettere a repentaglio non solo la vita, ma tutto quello che nel tempo Sidney ha costruito.
Pur essere interessante e storicamente ben documentato, si ha sempre l'impressione di trovarsi di fronte a forzature nella narrazione, e questo impedisce di goderla appieno.
Ringrazio Kensington Books e Netgalley per avermi fornito una copia gratuita in cambio di una recensione onesta.
In segregation and of Prohibition's America, a young Afro-American, a graduate with honors in engineering, is recruited by the fledgling Hoover's FBI, fixed with communism. Sidney is in charge of spying on Marcus Garvey, megalomaniac visionary and founder of a movement which should return to Africa all the descendants of deported slaves. Considered a "garden black" and then namageable, Sidney does his work managing to give the Bureau the least amount of useful information on Garvey, even if he doesn't approve his ideas, and at the same time, by passing important information to W. E. B. Du Bois, another black leader, a moderate one, subjected to espionage by another agent. Everything will go well enough until on the scene a second actor intervenes, who wants died Garvey and is willing to put at risk not only Sideny's life, but all that he has built in time.
Even if it is interesting and historically well documented, you always have the impression that the narration is a little forces, and this prevents you from fully enjoying it.
I thank Kensington Books and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Pur essere interessante e storicamente ben documentato, si ha sempre l'impressione di trovarsi di fronte a forzature nella narrazione, e questo impedisce di goderla appieno.
Ringrazio Kensington Books e Netgalley per avermi fornito una copia gratuita in cambio di una recensione onesta.
In segregation and of Prohibition's America, a young Afro-American, a graduate with honors in engineering, is recruited by the fledgling Hoover's FBI, fixed with communism. Sidney is in charge of spying on Marcus Garvey, megalomaniac visionary and founder of a movement which should return to Africa all the descendants of deported slaves. Considered a "garden black" and then namageable, Sidney does his work managing to give the Bureau the least amount of useful information on Garvey, even if he doesn't approve his ideas, and at the same time, by passing important information to W. E. B. Du Bois, another black leader, a moderate one, subjected to espionage by another agent. Everything will go well enough until on the scene a second actor intervenes, who wants died Garvey and is willing to put at risk not only Sideny's life, but all that he has built in time.
Even if it is interesting and historically well documented, you always have the impression that the narration is a little forces, and this prevents you from fully enjoying it.
I thank Kensington Books and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 3, 2019
This is one of those books I discovered because I liked the author's engagement on twitter. I'm glad I did.
This novel takes place mostly in NYC, in the 1920s, in a vibrant but constantly changing Harlem. Sidney Temple is a recent college graduate who's smart, tough, ambitious, confident, and capable who gets recruited by the FBI. They want him, as one of their first black agents, to infiltrate black organizations to help make a case against supposed communists like WEB Dubois and Marcus Garvey, who competed for supporters in the African American community of the time. He cooperates, but with private reservations, using his position to pass along information to Dubois, who he admires. His divided loyalties create difficult complications for him, and it gets harder and harder to manage his double life. Or triple, really.
It's a spy story in part but also a historical novel, and the author takes enough time to deal with issues, to let a variety of characters show the reader some of what black citizens were thinking about and fighting for and arguing about. At the same time, we're shown what the white power structure was doing, how much effort they were expending to try to hold back any movement that empowered the nation's African American minority.
As a liberal white guy reading a book by a POC aimed (one would suppose) mostly at readers who are also POC, I felt like I was getting a look behind the scenes. A bit, at least. And I found it not just entertaining but instructive, and political without becoming strident. It felt like a fair handling of the issues, an even-handed presentation of the situation in Harlem in the 1920s. The characters are round enough (excepting minor characters, of course) with enough good guys and bad guys and in-between guys of all ethnicities to avoid the appearance of presenting simple judgments and simple answers. Life is complex; the author doesn't try to erase that.
In terms of entertainment, I enjoyed the book, but the last quarter of the book was definitely the most fun, with the most complications, the most action, and the most straightforward spy work. It's good to be exposed to new ideas and perspectives, but it's also good to enjoy an exciting story. Wonderful to encounter both.
Recommended.
This novel takes place mostly in NYC, in the 1920s, in a vibrant but constantly changing Harlem. Sidney Temple is a recent college graduate who's smart, tough, ambitious, confident, and capable who gets recruited by the FBI. They want him, as one of their first black agents, to infiltrate black organizations to help make a case against supposed communists like WEB Dubois and Marcus Garvey, who competed for supporters in the African American community of the time. He cooperates, but with private reservations, using his position to pass along information to Dubois, who he admires. His divided loyalties create difficult complications for him, and it gets harder and harder to manage his double life. Or triple, really.
It's a spy story in part but also a historical novel, and the author takes enough time to deal with issues, to let a variety of characters show the reader some of what black citizens were thinking about and fighting for and arguing about. At the same time, we're shown what the white power structure was doing, how much effort they were expending to try to hold back any movement that empowered the nation's African American minority.
As a liberal white guy reading a book by a POC aimed (one would suppose) mostly at readers who are also POC, I felt like I was getting a look behind the scenes. A bit, at least. And I found it not just entertaining but instructive, and political without becoming strident. It felt like a fair handling of the issues, an even-handed presentation of the situation in Harlem in the 1920s. The characters are round enough (excepting minor characters, of course) with enough good guys and bad guys and in-between guys of all ethnicities to avoid the appearance of presenting simple judgments and simple answers. Life is complex; the author doesn't try to erase that.
In terms of entertainment, I enjoyed the book, but the last quarter of the book was definitely the most fun, with the most complications, the most action, and the most straightforward spy work. It's good to be exposed to new ideas and perspectives, but it's also good to enjoy an exciting story. Wonderful to encounter both.
Recommended.
July 10, 2021
This book was a disappointment. Overstreet introduces little known African-American history but the story requires the reader to accept coincidences and a sequence of incidences that are improbable and unrealistic. How is Sidney's wife, presented as a sophisticated, intelligent woman, so ignorant of the political and social status of black people and American history? How does Sidney go from being a college graduate to a spy with extraordinary defensive skills (I know he taught himself judo from a book "with pictures")? Why would Sidney think his family wouldn't be in danger? Overstreet obviously didn't agree with or appreciate Garvey's views, favoring Dubois' position, but he never addresses the negative and discriminatory aspects of DuBois' "talented tenth" teachings (DuBois' position evolves but at the time referenced in the book, there was definitely an issue of colorism between DuBois and Garvey.
Additionally, so many of the black characters were caricatures--Sidney's mother says "sugar" nearly every other word; whenever Sidney is relating to the "regular" black people, he and they say ain't, call each other nigga, and are unable to use standard English; his wife, presented as a well-educated private school graduate is unaware of the experiences of black people in America (HOW?) yet she surely knows how to cook soul food.
Overstreet obviously spent a significant time on historical research but he spends little to no time on the setting--post WWI, the race riots, America's standing with England, the economics of Harlem in the twenties, the creation of the forerunner to the FBI.
I may try the second book but no time soon.
Additionally, so many of the black characters were caricatures--Sidney's mother says "sugar" nearly every other word; whenever Sidney is relating to the "regular" black people, he and they say ain't, call each other nigga, and are unable to use standard English; his wife, presented as a well-educated private school graduate is unaware of the experiences of black people in America (HOW?) yet she surely knows how to cook soul food.
Overstreet obviously spent a significant time on historical research but he spends little to no time on the setting--post WWI, the race riots, America's standing with England, the economics of Harlem in the twenties, the creation of the forerunner to the FBI.
I may try the second book but no time soon.
February 22, 2019
Suspenseful and evocative, with the vibrant dreams and dangerous promise of the Harlem Renaissance as one man crosses the lines between the law, loyalty, and deadly lies… For Middlebury College graduate Sidney Temple, the Roaring Twenties bring opportunities he never imagined. His impulsive marriage to naïve artist Loretta is a happiness he never thought he’d find. And when he’s tapped by J. Edgar Hoover to be one of the BOI/FBI’s first African-American agents, he sees a once-in-a-lifetime chance to secure real justice and promote his people. In addition to providing evidence against Marcus Garvey, prominent head of the “dangerously radical” back-to-Africa movement, Sidney uses his unexpected knack for deception and undercover work to thwart the Bureau’s biased investigation. And by giving renowned leader W. E. B. Du Bois insider information, Sidney thwarts the bureau’s attempts to destroying the NAACP a gamble on change that could mean a fair destiny for all Americans...But the higher Sidney and Loretta climb in Harlem’s most influential and glamorous circles, the more dangerous the stakes. An unexpected friendship and a wrenching personal tragedy when the Reverend James Eason is killed, threaten to shatter Loretta’s innocent trust in her husband—and turn his double life into a fast-closing trap. For Sidney, caught between the Bureau and one too many ruthless factions, the price of escape could be heartbreak and betrayal no amount of skill can help him survive.
August 23, 2018
Glad I read the second book first. This first book has an interesting plot, indeed more interesting than the second one because while I know a good deal about life in Stalin's Russia in the 1930s and the miserable fate of Americans who had moved there, either out of political commitment or desire to escape the Depression, I (shamefully) admit I knew little about the politics in Harlem during the 1920s.
But the writing is a bit lurid, even extravagant.
In addition, several errors jumped out at me. For example, phonograph recordings called vinyl were shellac. vinyl was invented around 1950.
Glitch, as an error or slip up did not cone into use until decades later.
To out, as to reveal a hidden identity, is circa 1980.
And grammatical and spelling errors in Ginger's French - Where were the editors.
Still, I found it a pleasant summer read and a primer on the Harlem Renaissance. Glad I read it.
But the writing is a bit lurid, even extravagant.
In addition, several errors jumped out at me. For example, phonograph recordings called vinyl were shellac. vinyl was invented around 1950.
Glitch, as an error or slip up did not cone into use until decades later.
To out, as to reveal a hidden identity, is circa 1980.
And grammatical and spelling errors in Ginger's French - Where were the editors.
Still, I found it a pleasant summer read and a primer on the Harlem Renaissance. Glad I read it.
October 1, 2018
I want to go back and read more about Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. DuBois after finishing this novel. There were so many historical figures represented that I was just impressed by the author's grasp of history. I am not a fan of the Back to Africa movement which Garvey espoused. It seems like his soldiers assassinated a minister who spoke against his views. He met with the Klan. He bought boats to supposedly transport people of color back to Africa. They were also used to smuggle liquor. The young man who became a spy was idealistic and lost his Family as a result. I will read other books by this author.
April 8, 2020
I received this book from Goodreads for an honest review.
An amazing historical fiction based on a real life figure, Marcus Garvey. The author definitely put the reader in the narrative that was the race relations of the 20's in Harlem. A black man is recruited by the new Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover to infiltrate the NAACP and UNIA. We see how this new agent deals with his ethics and his identity. What happens demonstrates the power of the government when it comes to race relations in the USA. This book had history, intrigue, crime and romance. I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read other books by this author.
An amazing historical fiction based on a real life figure, Marcus Garvey. The author definitely put the reader in the narrative that was the race relations of the 20's in Harlem. A black man is recruited by the new Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover to infiltrate the NAACP and UNIA. We see how this new agent deals with his ethics and his identity. What happens demonstrates the power of the government when it comes to race relations in the USA. This book had history, intrigue, crime and romance. I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read other books by this author.
March 21, 2017
I & my reading group thought this book was FANTASTIC!!! A couple of my books club members are familiar with Striver's Row in NY so they were pleasantly surprised of the exactness & research the author did to make this story valid. The history of Garvey & DuBois was spot on!! I liked how the characters were developed & how the love scene with the the married couple was just enough...not vulgar or overly descriptive. There was just enough suspense to keep me turning the page to find out what was going to happen next. We commend the author on a job well done!!
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