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The Queen of Harlem: A Novel
An African American Breakfast at Tiffany’s –a hip, refreshingly candid tale of identity and self—discovery from the critically acclaimed author of The View from Here and Walking Through Mirrors.
Mason Randolph, a black preppie of impeccable Southern pedigree, is bound for Stanford Law School after graduating from college. Before embarking on the path to his golden future, however, he takes a detour through Harlem, where he intends to live "authentically" with " real black people."
Mason takes the name "Malik" and moves into the orbit of the ever—fabulous Carmen, uptown diva and doyenne of Harlem. Carmen, always ready to have a handsome young man at her fabulous soirees and to add to her devoted entourage, happily takes him under her wing. Fueled by his parents' money and dodging the people who remember him as Mason Randolph, "Malik" masquerades as a "ghettonian," exploring the wonders and pleasures of a Harlem in the midst of a second Renaissance. But his odyssey takes a different turn when he meets Kyra, whose world mirrors the one he has abandoned. As he contemplates the choices Kyra has made, and begins to reexamine his own presumptions about identity and authenticity, Mason realizes that everyone has something to hide and that to get what we want, we have to be willing to let go of our secrets.
People compared Brian Keith Jackson's remarkable first novel, The View from Here , to the works of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, and Publishers Weekly called it "an extraordinary debut...[by] a formidable craftsman and exceptionally gifted storyteller." A novel rich in humor and insight, The Queen of Harlem will earn Jackson a much—deserved place in the center of today’s literary landscape.
Mason Randolph, a black preppie of impeccable Southern pedigree, is bound for Stanford Law School after graduating from college. Before embarking on the path to his golden future, however, he takes a detour through Harlem, where he intends to live "authentically" with " real black people."
Mason takes the name "Malik" and moves into the orbit of the ever—fabulous Carmen, uptown diva and doyenne of Harlem. Carmen, always ready to have a handsome young man at her fabulous soirees and to add to her devoted entourage, happily takes him under her wing. Fueled by his parents' money and dodging the people who remember him as Mason Randolph, "Malik" masquerades as a "ghettonian," exploring the wonders and pleasures of a Harlem in the midst of a second Renaissance. But his odyssey takes a different turn when he meets Kyra, whose world mirrors the one he has abandoned. As he contemplates the choices Kyra has made, and begins to reexamine his own presumptions about identity and authenticity, Mason realizes that everyone has something to hide and that to get what we want, we have to be willing to let go of our secrets.
People compared Brian Keith Jackson's remarkable first novel, The View from Here , to the works of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, and Publishers Weekly called it "an extraordinary debut...[by] a formidable craftsman and exceptionally gifted storyteller." A novel rich in humor and insight, The Queen of Harlem will earn Jackson a much—deserved place in the center of today’s literary landscape.
- GenresBook Club
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
13 people are currently reading
243 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 3, 2008
Thought this book was good..a book about faking it..It revolves around a black man who doesnt feel he is black enough so he creates the name Malik and the persona and moves to the blackest neighborhood he knows, Harlem. While there he meets a girl he likes and another woman who is living the same double life as him. It takes a look at her and the support of his new girlfriend to see what is real and to be happy with himself. Good book on self discovery...
November 16, 2019
"Talking white."
"Acting white."
"Liking white music."
These claims are not uncommon for black youths who do not meet the social norms of their culture to hear. They make one question what it means to be black. They can make someone full of self-hatred and scorn. Yet, despite the fact many men and women do impose an "idea" of what it means to be black, approaching it is a difficult topic to handle with love and care.
However, finding "The Queen of Harlem" on the shelf of a bookstore, among other neglected African-American book titles made me want to take a chance on this narrative centered around this exact topic. And I feel that...the man behind this novel had an idea. And that idea had a life, but it's execution just was not effective.
With Mason wanting to be a, "ghettonian," the summary within the book makes Carmen sound like she's clearly what we define in 2019 as, a bad bitch. As Beyonce once sung, "a diva is the female version of a hustler." Instead, Carmen is depicted more so as Brandi Web of, "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate," or Dominique Deveraux of the original "Dynasty." Her language clearly paints her as an older woman who is not from Mason's generation, yet you (and Mason) only explicitly find this out midway through the novel. It also stood out to me as ironic that Mason yearned to escape the black elite, but actively sought shelter with a woman who could have been in his wealthy family.
Character such as Malcolm, Kyra, and Jim felt more akin to props. Appearing late, brief, or at random, which kept me from feeling any emotional connection. Yet, the male characters did provide more personality than the females who were sprinkled throughout. Kyra, who is mentioned like a pivotal character, only makes an appearance near the end. Which prevents any sort of paralleling dynamic Mason could have maintained throughout the book's duration.
Altogether, "The Queen of Harlem" requires more character detail, more characterization, more mystery, and more tension. Especially when it comes to its handling of Carmen. I once read that a good plot twist is one that the reader can see happening due to all the events displayed, and that just was not in this book.
"Acting white."
"Liking white music."
These claims are not uncommon for black youths who do not meet the social norms of their culture to hear. They make one question what it means to be black. They can make someone full of self-hatred and scorn. Yet, despite the fact many men and women do impose an "idea" of what it means to be black, approaching it is a difficult topic to handle with love and care.
However, finding "The Queen of Harlem" on the shelf of a bookstore, among other neglected African-American book titles made me want to take a chance on this narrative centered around this exact topic. And I feel that...the man behind this novel had an idea. And that idea had a life, but it's execution just was not effective.
With Mason wanting to be a, "ghettonian," the summary within the book makes Carmen sound like she's clearly what we define in 2019 as, a bad bitch. As Beyonce once sung, "a diva is the female version of a hustler." Instead, Carmen is depicted more so as Brandi Web of, "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate," or Dominique Deveraux of the original "Dynasty." Her language clearly paints her as an older woman who is not from Mason's generation, yet you (and Mason) only explicitly find this out midway through the novel. It also stood out to me as ironic that Mason yearned to escape the black elite, but actively sought shelter with a woman who could have been in his wealthy family.
Character such as Malcolm, Kyra, and Jim felt more akin to props. Appearing late, brief, or at random, which kept me from feeling any emotional connection. Yet, the male characters did provide more personality than the females who were sprinkled throughout. Kyra, who is mentioned like a pivotal character, only makes an appearance near the end. Which prevents any sort of paralleling dynamic Mason could have maintained throughout the book's duration.
Altogether, "The Queen of Harlem" requires more character detail, more characterization, more mystery, and more tension. Especially when it comes to its handling of Carmen. I once read that a good plot twist is one that the reader can see happening due to all the events displayed, and that just was not in this book.
July 27, 2017
The ending was very surprising.
November 19, 2017
Great book and easy reading
October 26, 2018
This book was an older book, and it took me a minute to get into the story, but I enjoyed it.
May 30, 2022
Great book!
Definitely one you start and can't put down! Loved it. My first time reading a book by this author but it won't be the last!
Definitely one you start and can't put down! Loved it. My first time reading a book by this author but it won't be the last!
January 13, 2016
IQ "I used to think maybe if I went to an all-black college things would have been different. Maybe an all-black experience would have been better. But it would probably have been the same shit-I mean stuff-no, I mean shit. Shit. It would have been the same shit, just different-color noses pointed in the air, and there's something more painful about being rejected from what you believe to be your own. So the familiar seemed less painful and for me familiar was white. I know how to deal with that. I guess what I'm saying, or trying to say, is I thought you were one of my own Someone who would give me chance" Mason/Malik, page 216
This is one of those books that I picked up on a whim, I was visiting a used bookstore (s/o to Myopic books) and the title caught my eye. By now my obsession with the Harlem Renaissance is well documented so I knew I needed to read it especially because the premise was vastly different from anything I've ever read. Furthermore I knew I would identify with Malik, we came from similar backgrounds and while I would not have gone to the extreme lengths he did to fit in (he acts like an idiot for a good portion of the book), I completely understand the feelings behind his odd decision. I selected the featured quote precisely because I had often had self doubts and regrets about not attending an HBCU and I felt the author perfectly captured my mixed feelings on the matter. The fun facts about Harlem woven in made the story as enjoyable as I expected and I was able to picture all the parties and history in my mind with little difficulty.
The characters felt truly original, ones that I'd met in my life but people who are rarely portrayed in literature. This fact made it even more frustrating that the book was so short, I wanted more, more, more. More Kyra, more Malcolm, more talk about Mason's college years. The characters have wonderful conversations with each other that we're privy to on the topics of class, education and race, making astute observations such as this one on activist student protestors; "Then one day I was in this cell with all these people and it felt like a party and I realized everyone in that cell could afford to get arrested. We weren't going to get lost in the system. It was like Monopoly. But not everyone has a Get out of Jail Free card" (158). Conversations like this made me not want the book to end. It also would have been nice to see how Mason's gap year changed him when he went to law school. The ending was pleasantly unexpected, I knew there was a mystery concerning Carmen but I didn't expect how it played out so I also wanted a lot more Carmen, she deserves a sequel of her own.
This is one of those books that I picked up on a whim, I was visiting a used bookstore (s/o to Myopic books) and the title caught my eye. By now my obsession with the Harlem Renaissance is well documented so I knew I needed to read it especially because the premise was vastly different from anything I've ever read. Furthermore I knew I would identify with Malik, we came from similar backgrounds and while I would not have gone to the extreme lengths he did to fit in (he acts like an idiot for a good portion of the book), I completely understand the feelings behind his odd decision. I selected the featured quote precisely because I had often had self doubts and regrets about not attending an HBCU and I felt the author perfectly captured my mixed feelings on the matter. The fun facts about Harlem woven in made the story as enjoyable as I expected and I was able to picture all the parties and history in my mind with little difficulty.
The characters felt truly original, ones that I'd met in my life but people who are rarely portrayed in literature. This fact made it even more frustrating that the book was so short, I wanted more, more, more. More Kyra, more Malcolm, more talk about Mason's college years. The characters have wonderful conversations with each other that we're privy to on the topics of class, education and race, making astute observations such as this one on activist student protestors; "Then one day I was in this cell with all these people and it felt like a party and I realized everyone in that cell could afford to get arrested. We weren't going to get lost in the system. It was like Monopoly. But not everyone has a Get out of Jail Free card" (158). Conversations like this made me not want the book to end. It also would have been nice to see how Mason's gap year changed him when he went to law school. The ending was pleasantly unexpected, I knew there was a mystery concerning Carmen but I didn't expect how it played out so I also wanted a lot more Carmen, she deserves a sequel of her own.
August 13, 2015
By chapter 6 of this novel I was a little bored but still motivated to continue reading. Why was I bored? Well, nothing had happened. Mason, one of the main characters, had changed his name to Malik, moved in with Carmen England, fantasized about her, pretended to be looking for a job and made a pot of chili. That was pretty much it. Nothing significant or particularly interesting had HAPPENED. The story slowly and quietly developed. The way Carmen spoke belonged to the 1950's not to a novel set in current day Harlem. I thought the characters of Carmen and Kyra could have been much more interesting than the way they were written. Especiallly Carmen. There was potential there. I wasn't a fan of the way the relationship between Mason and his mother was portrayed but I liked the way she carried herself. The writer has a nice way with words, there are touches of humor occassionally in the way that he writes. This book is very slow but I liked the surprise at the end about Carmen because I didn't see it coming at all.
April 7, 2011
I picked this book up simply because I was drawn to the title. It's the story of a young man getting ready to enter college deciding to take a detour and really experience life in Harlem. It was a good story, a rather slow unfolding of drama. However, when this story ended, it was like the whole thing came together and I could appreciate the story for what it was. If you are in the middle of reading the book and don't know whether you want to keep reading or not, keep reading, it is worth it in the end.
February 17, 2008
Poetic, rather gentle book. Met the author at the Oxford Conference for the Book and heard him read an excerpt. I identified with the protagonist, having grown up in Alabama and tried unsuccessfully to fit into a certain role. The author has a poet's eye for the unusual in life, which made the story beautiful. The ending was surprising, though a bit trite. Learned more about Harlem. The story was so real, though, that I repeatedly felt that the author had actually gone through this experience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2008
In this novel, Jackson tells the story about a young, privileged African American man about to enter grad school. Before he goes, he decides to take a walk on the wild side of being black and immerses himself into the culture so deep, that he is no longer himself. Along the way he meets an older woman/socialite who shows him a thing or two.
QUEEN is an interesting tale, but didn't quite deliver like The View From Here.
QUEEN is an interesting tale, but didn't quite deliver like The View From Here.
January 9, 2016
I thought it was really well written. I would've liked a little more character development in the beginning before jumping straight into the characterization of Mason as "Malik". I can identify with a lot of the struggles Mason faces and it was good for helping me process those. Definitely recommend to anyone!
July 12, 2010
I'm struggling to make it to Chapter 3. So far, the outlook is grim. Chapter 1 and 2 were pretty...lame.
I'm sure this book is going SOMEWHERE, I'm just not sure where and I don't wanna stick around to find out.
Yeah. I'm done.
I'm sure this book is going SOMEWHERE, I'm just not sure where and I don't wanna stick around to find out.
Yeah. I'm done.
March 5, 2016
What the hell does being poor have to do with being Black? I was born and raised in Detroit, one if the Blackest cities in this country, and I vacationed in Europe and had a nanny. Does tat somehow make me less Black?
May 23, 2008
liked the twist at the end.... there was no follow up from the beginning when he is looking for the house - we know he 'made' it... but who's house was he looking at? was he a practicing attorney?
October 5, 2009
Ahh, what an interest tale. I really enjoyed this one. Nice, light, enjoyable read. :)
May 27, 2010
Love the suspense of the storyline... The ending was very surprising.
November 7, 2011
I thought this was interesting!
February 15, 2014
Very cerebral but enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews