Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

It's June 1st and our book of the month is The Book of Harlan by Bernice L. McFadden. For the first couple of days we'll just discuss the author, her catalogue of books and anything else you like to discuss related to that. I've only read one book by Ms. McFadden, Sugar, and that was several years ago. I understand from several people familiar with her work that Sugar was probably not the best book to start with. Has anyone else read her and what do you think of her work?

The book has 12 Parts and a whopping 106 chapters. Here's the discussion schedule and unless someone has an issue with it we'll go with this for now:

Parts 1/3 June 4-11
Parts 4/6 June 12-15
Parts 7/9 June 16-23
June 24th entire book open for discussion

This will be the third piece of lit that I have had the pleasure of reading done by her. I have read Sugar, the sequel This Bitter Earth and I have read her short story Keeper of Keys. I really enjoyed her writing, and it's so easy to get swept away (for me anyway) in her writing.

I'm looking forward to reading this novel--I just picked it up yesterday. McFadden is a completely new author for me. I'm intrigued by the story description. That's such an understatement--I'm so curious about the way McFadden has challenged herself to write something unique and historically revealing about the Holocaust when so much has been written already.

poingu wrote: "I'm so curious about the way McFadden has challenged herself to write something unique and historically revealing about the Holocaust when so much has been written already.
"

Same here. This is my first read by McFadden and I couldn't pass on it based on the reviews its received. I know tons has been written on the Holocaust but from what I understand, the spotlight on blacks and the Holocaust is what makes this book special. I wasn't aware that there was much out there discussing the same.

I'm going to get started this weekend-- I'm looking forward to it!

I have read a number of books by Bernice McFadden - the ones I read were usually in the year the book was published.

Sugar, The Warmest December,This Bitter Earth in the early 2000s and I "enjoyed" the books. I put the word in quotes because they are very dark storylines.

Then I read Glorious and Gathering of Waters which are historical fictions and they were just ok for me.

I am looking forward to reading The Book of Harlan and Ms. McFadden's treatment of the subject matter.

No matter what you may have heard about Macon, Georgia--the majestic magnolias, gracious antebellum homes, the bright stars it produced that went on to dazzle the world--if you were Emma Robinson, bubbling with teenage angst and lucid dreaming about silver-winged sparrows gliding over a perfumed ocean, well then, Macon felt less like the promised land and more like a noose.

I feel drawn in from the first sentence!

poingu wrote: "I feel drawn in from the first sentence!
"

When I first opened the book I read that twice :-)

I have read seven of Bernice McFadden's books:
Sugar
Gathering of Waters
The Warmest December
Glorious
Loving Donovan
My Name is Butterfly
and I have finished reading The Book of Harlan.

I'm a loyal fan, and I'm looking forward to the discussion.

I wasn't able to find a copy of this book, as an ebook, in any of my 4 libraries, nor does Audible (nor my libraries) have it in audio. I really dislike reading in paper now. Kobo (the ereader I have) sells it for $17.89 yet Amazon has it for Kindle for only $9.99 so I contacted Kobo. They have price matching so they credited me the difference, plus they gave me a $10 store credit. So I've got the book and look forward to reading it with you guys. It is my first McFadden.

Louise wrote: "I wasn't able to find a copy of this book, as an ebook, in any of my 4 libraries, nor does Audible (nor my libraries) have it in audio. I really dislike reading in paper now. Kobo (the ereader I ha..."

Now thats the way to do it, Louise!

One thing that strikes me about Bernice McFadden's writing is her minimalist style. She conveys a lot with as few words as possible. This is particularly striking within the historical fiction genre, where authors have a tendency of getting bogged down with descriptions full of historical detail. It is obvious she did her research (although the editor(s) should have paid attention to her timeline), but she only provides us with enough information the story needs at a particular moment in the book. That's hard to pull off, especially in works of historical fiction.

Myron wrote: "One thing that strikes me about Bernice McFadden's writing is her minimalist style. She conveys a lot with as few words as possible. This is particularly striking within the historical fiction genr..."

Yes!

One thing that hits me about this style is that McFadden doesn't go into the heads of the characters. Her story is very straightforwardly told through action and dialog and it zips along amazingly--the childbirth scene for example near the beginning--just, boom.

I was trying to figure out how to describe the difference I feel while reading this, vs. many other novels. The reading is so effortless and absorbing. I came up with the idea that McFadden is a "storyteller" rather than a "writer." This isn't to say this isn't great writing but at the same time I feel like I'm hearing a master storyteller and she is telling me this story out loud and I'm rapt with attention. When you're telling a story out loud you don't mess around or waste time or you lose your listeners.

poingu wrote: "Her story is very straightforwardly told through action and dialog and it zips along amazingly--the childbirth scene for example near the beginning--just, boom."

I think this just described the problem I'm having with the book. Seems like a bunch of characters living life with nothing particularly captivating happening in the lives of any of them. I'm very much looking forward to this discussion as I'm sure others will point out the more engaging intricacies that I'm evidently missing. But I have been compelled to do several fact checks - or rather checking to see what's fact - and agree that she's done her research. I'm learning quite a bit.

poingu wrote: The reading is so effortless and absorbing. I came up with the idea that McFadden is a "storyteller" rather than a "writer."

Bingo, "storyteller" is the perfect description of McFadden's style.

A reviewer called it a *sensory delight*. I can't wait to delve into this book.

My copy arrived yesterday.. Happy girl!

Parts 1-3 today through the 11th

I just got to the end of part three. I'm enjoying this book very much. It's primary quality to me is one of sincerity. The writing is very straightforward and as far as I can tell the themes are right on the surface. Which is not to say it's superficial. I continue to have the feeling that I'm being told a very important story, by a trusted friend.

There is one exception to this being straightforward storytelling--Darlene's suicide. The only overt use of symbol or foreshadowing and of connecting black experience directly with the European events to come is the way Darlene kills herself. I had to think a while about whether the foreshadowing was too heavy. I decided it wasn't. I had to think about it a while and actually came up feeling it was a very important statement for this story, linking through context the African American experience with the European Jewish experience. It's still more standard to think of the Holocaust as exceptional and there is still so much romanticism and nationalism obscuring the horror of slavery that it feels radical to connect the two as similar historical events. It shouldn't be. Both were extreme expressions of racism resulting in the displacement and death of millions of people.

so even though the story is straightforward it still feels brave and radical to be linking the history of two oppressed groups and to use Harlan's historically accurate story to do it.

Shannon wrote: "Seems like a bunch of characters living life with nothing particularly captivating happening in the lives of any of them."

The Robinsons came along during a period when Macon, GA had a "highfalutin colored section" with doctors, lawyers, ministers, and teachers. Their children didn't know about real work, and went off from place to place seeking their fortune.

About Darlene's suicide: I'm a parent of an adult child with mental health issues. He is not one who practices self-mutilation, but I have become well-versed in the practices of some young people who cut or burn themselves. The foreshadowing of the ovens in Weimar didn't cross my mind when I read about Darlene. But I suppose it could be seen that way.

Sarah wrote: "About Darlene's suicide: I'm a parent of an adult child with mental health issues. He is not one who practices self-mutilation, but I have become well-versed in the practices of some young people w..."

One of my faults as a reader is I'm thinking all the time about the writer's choices. Why 1st person or 3rd person? Why present tense vs. past? Why these choices about length of chapters and paragraphs and sentences?

And so, specific to this book, I've been also thinking about character and plot and style choices. So--"Why did McFadden choose this way for Darlene to die vs. any other way?"--was a question that came up for me. I think there is a reason for every single thing that happens in this book, more than most books maybe. The descriptions of the characters, the way they interact, the way they speak, everything. McFadden took a relatively long time to write it and she's a careful writer and also she had an added challenge of being true to both "big history" and true to her specific family/ancestral history.

Other choices that I've been thinking about a lot: Why does McFadden start her story with Harlan's grandparents, vs. parents, or just starting the story when he is an adult? Why tell so many people's stories, not just Harlan's? There is so much history to cover and she chose breadth over depth, making this an ensemble story even though it's called The Book of Harlan. It's kind of Biblical that way, where his origins are a part of his story.

poingu wrote: "Why tell so many people's stories, not just Harlan's? There is so much history to cover and she chose breadth over depth, making this an ensemble story even though it's called The Book of Harlan. "

I also thought some of the characters may have been superfluous and she may have had to eliminate some of them had she chosen to dive deeper. I've not seen an author incorporate so many historical events into one book; they tend to develop the story around one historic event. But I came to enjoy the "leads" that were planted throughout and it almost became like a puzzle trying to identify which characters and events were factual.

poingu wrote: Why does McFadden start her story with Harlan's grandparents, vs. parents, or just starting the story when he is an adult?"

I have been following McFadden for many years. I do remember her delving into genealogy, and discovered her ancestor named "Tenant Robinson." Now just last week she discovered that "Tenant Robinson" was listed in the census as having the name "Lieutenant Robinson." The search continues...

And, yes, it is kind of Biblical.

Sarah wrote: "I have been following McFadden for many years"

I love the interweaving of fictional and family and historic characters.

somewhat off topic but I was in a Barnes & Noble today to buy a gift and not only are they not carrying The Book of Harlan but they didn't have any other McFadden books in the store, either. At least my library has 6 of her novels, though not The Book of Harlan.

I just finished the first 3 parts and am thoroughly enjoying her writing style. I found the chapter where Harlan crashes the car and they're looking for him in the hospital and are directed to the morgue, chillingly horrifying. The accumulation of dead black kids seemed routine, and it gave me an appalling jolt. Another parallel between the African American experience and the European Jewish experience that poingu talks about.

poingu wrote: "somewhat off topic but I was in a Barnes & Noble today to buy a gift and not only are they not carrying The Book of Harlan but they didn't have any other McFadden books in the store, either."

Did you check in the "African American" section? Many bookstores tend to "ghettoize" black writers.

The booksamillion near me doesn't have any Bernice McFadden books either. I always have to get her books from other online places.

@Louise I was cringing the whole time I read that part too. The moment he went into that car I just knew it wasn't going to end well.

Arlene (Urbrightside) wrote: "@Louise I was cringing the whole time I read that part too. The moment he went into that car I just knew it wasn't going to end well."

The scene is so beautifully understated at the morgue, really allowing the reader to feel it.

Sarah, I asked at the info desk because I know they have all kinds of ways to marginalize readers in the quest to sell more books but McFadden wasn't in the store.

poingu wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I have been following McFadden for many years"

I love the interweaving of fictional and family and historic characters.

somewhat off topic but I was in a Barnes & Noble today to bu..."

Also B&N has had a history of not being prompt with carrying recent AA titles.

It seems to be their policy that if you ask at the service desk they will say they can get it in a couple of days which defends the purpose of going into a bookstore.

Also they do not necessarily keep copies of older titles, if the author is not a big seller in their stores.

In many ways B&N is a bookseller for the big publishers and for the bestsellers.

One of the things that I am enjoying about The Book of Harlan is the short chapters. I think this is really helping to not only get the storyline moving at a steady pace but making the transition from the multiple plot lines very manageable so it covers much interesting subject matter and allowed me to digest what I had just read and easily move on.

Beverly wrote: "One of the things that I am enjoying about The Book of Harlan is the short chapters. I think this is really helping to not only get the storyline moving at a steady pace but making ..."

It's funny because usually short chapters means I can put the book down at almost any time, yet at the end of each chapter I am compelled to continue.

Beverly wrote: "One of the things that I am enjoying about The Book of Harlan is the short chapters. I think this is really helping to not only get the storyline moving at a steady pace but making ..."

Yes i thought so too. The short chapters definitly helped grasp the timeline in manageable portions, without getting lost.

poingu wrote: "Arlene (Urbrightside) wrote: "@Louise I was cringing the whole time I read that part too. The moment he went into that car I just knew it wasn't going to end well."

The scene is so beautifully und..."

I agree. It was beautifully heartbreaking. And I felt the pain, and the fear that was portrayed. I even got angry and had to place the book down for a moment to gather myself.

Beverly wrote: "Also B&N has had a history of not being prompt with carrying recent AA titles. "

this is a big swerve from discussing the book itself but the fact that McFadden is apparently considered by the powers that be to be an AA-centric writer instead of having broad appeal makes me very sad. What makes this novel less mainstream for US lit fic than All the Light We Cannot See? It is definitely more American in its themes than that novel is. I also wonder why it is that writers of color from Africa or the Caribbean seem to my mind at least to be more easily mainstreamed in US book marketing and publishing circles than African American titles. If this post is out of line or too controversial or too obvious then I'm happy to delete or have it deleted.

poingu wrote: "What makes this novel less mainstream for US lit fic than All the Light We Cannot See? It is definitely more American in its themes than that novel is. I also wonder why it is that writers of color from Africa or the Caribbean seem to my mind at least to be more easily mainstreamed in US book marketing and publishing circles than African American titles."

I would say this is NOT out of line or too controversial.

poingu wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Also B&N has had a history of not being prompt with carrying recent AA titles. "

this is a big swerve from discussing the book itself but the fact that McFadden is apparently consi..."

Are you kidding me. Not only is this not controversial but I was ready to open up a separate thread on the subject before I even finished reading your comment. Furthrrmore, what's a little controversy anyway or yet an alternate form of literary argument to wake up the room. Poingu, I think we've all (or most of us) thought about this at one time or another and it not only mad me sad but quite frankly pissed!

Call it "seg-book-gation" why dontcha.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

Columbus wrote: "Call it "seg-book-gation" why dontcha.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/..."

what a great essay by Bernice McFadden. Thanks Columbus. I've had many similar thoughts as McFadden expresses in her essay, while reading this novel--beginning with the cover. I wasn't surprised to hear McFadden has needed to take black people off of other covers of her books. Maybe this shyness in mainstream press about putting a black man on the cover of a book about a black man is a good reason for McFadden to be publishing with Akashic.

I LOVE the cover for The Book of Harlan--the soft focus, the sepia-and-green sense of it being an old photograph, made even more that way by the "fold" from the right of the cover along the man's eye-line; the naive-wise look on the man's face; and of course the hat that says so much about this man's interest in being different and in making a statement...it's HARLAN. I keep seeing this man as I read and it anchors my sense of each scene to have this picture in my head.

I also see now that the cover credit says the photo is "courtesy of Bernice L. McFadden" so this may indeed be Harlan aka Harold Isaac McFadden.

But I also have thought more than a few times that a mainstream press wouldn't have come up with this cover.

poingu wrote: "I also see now that the cover credit says the photo is "courtesy of Bernice L. McFadden" so this may indeed be Harlan aka Harold Isaac McFadden...."

According to her website it is:

"The Book of Harlan was inspired by the life of my paternal grandfather; Harold Isaac McFadden (pictured on the cover)"

Some interesting *behind-the-scenes* material for the book:

http://www.akashicbooks.com/behind-th...

Columbus wrote: "Call it "seg-book-gation" why dontcha.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/..."

I've noticed while looking at the ratings count on Goodreads that books by black authors are getting read at what amounts to a drop in the bucket compared to their white counterparts. Considering I only read books from a few generes, I'd say I'm comparing apples to apples. I haven't noticed if this trend is the same for other minority authors but I think it takes more than moving books from the African American literature section to change this trend. Speaking of the African American literature section in bookstores, I've noticed that any black author may appear there, whether African American or not -- but I won't venture down that line of thought.

Now, I may be in the minority here but I'm going to go ahead and say it -- I appreciate not having to look through an entire bookstore to find the handful of books (comparatively speaking) by black authors. I actually posed this question to a panel at the Harlem Book Festival - how do they feel about their books being segregated. And while they said it definitely matters to them where their books are placed, there wasn't a consensus on the solution. There was some thought that their books would get "lost" when placed alongside all the others, but they pretty much concluded that they were missing out on sales because not everyone ventures over to the designated section. One author proposed that the books be placed both with all other books and in their own section. But someone pointed out the obvious - does anyone really expect bookstores to place double orders for books by black authors in order to accomplish that ?

Louise wrote: "Some interesting *behind-the-scenes* material for the book:

http://www.akashicbooks.com/behind-th..."

Louise -

Thanks for sharing this information.

I am always interested in how an author comes to write a specific story as I am interested in learning what the author wants me as a reader to take away from their book. For me that sets my "mood" when reading a specific book.

I liked that the author was able to take an interesting mostly unknown historical fact (Blacks in the Holocaust) and her family history to combine into a captivating read.

Shannon wrote: "Columbus wrote: "Call it "seg-book-gation" why dontcha.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/..."

I've noticed while looking at the ratings count on Go..."

All very true statements but if a book is not available in the bookstore - no matter the section no one will buy it.

Yes Black readers when polled usually say that they all books by Black authors placed in a dedicated section of the bookstore.
But there is no reason why a "non-Black" person cannot peruse the AA section but that is a whole different discussion.

Even in the bookstore, I am sure all authors have complaints about their book not being chosen unless displayed on a table or if on the bookshelf with the cover facing out.

I have found that my libraries in recent years (three different states) in the New Fiction and New Non Fiction does a better job than bookstores (where book placement is too often determined by publisher incentives) in displaying books by authors of color and thus making them more easily acceptable to all readers. Of course in these new book sections are often displayed covers facing out which encourages people to pu books.

Columbus wrote: "Call it "seg-book-gation" why dontcha.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/..."

McFadden starts her essay by talking about the weird success of "The Help." One of the many things that made The Help unreadable to me was the ham handed attempt to simulate speech patterns of black characters by using alternative spellings that in my ear made the characters seem demeaned and condescended to.

One of the things I absolutely love about McFadden's dialogue in contrast is that I can hear these characters fully. The differences McFadden chooses to use in spelling are very subtle and it's much more about what the characters say than how they say it. They do have regional accents but McFadden didn't mangle written English to convey these and the speech sounds human and alive.

poingu wrote: "Columbus wrote: "Call it "seg-book-gation" why dontcha.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/..."

McFadden starts her essay by talking about the weird ..."

I love how we begin with one topic/discussion and it morphs into another. Well, still along the same subject matter although I may be extending it a little too far. But, are there any good white authors that write AA characters well? It always makes me cringe when a white author uses the perceived black dialect. I didn't read The Help for just that reason alone. I must admit I wasn't bothered too much by the Sue Monk Kidd book and I read it twice. I know I have lots of friends who love Pelecanos(sp) out of DC but I'm not sure his characters are in any sort of dialect per se. Anyone know?

Columbus wrote: "poingu wrote: "Columbus wrote: "Call it "seg-book-gation" why dontcha.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/..."

McFadden starts her essay by talking a..."

Also Susan Straight comes to mind. I've even purchased a book or two of hers with the intention of reading it but then I start thinking about The Help. I think The Help has just ruined it for me.

Columbus believe it or not I really was trying to bring discussion back to the book, because the dialog was really so well done in this novel. but talking about how authors capture varieties of English in their characters is a good topic so I'm glad you asked these questions..

There is an ease in McFadden's dialog but I think it's an illusion, I think she has to work every bit as hard to capture her characters' speech patterns on the page and it's not the case that it's easier for her to do a good job just because she is African American. What might be different between her and white authors is that she knows how hard it is and knows that her readers expect her to do a good job and she takes great care to provide her characters with meaningful and realistic dialogue, vs white authors tokenizing their black characters and using speech patterns to 'other' their characters vs. bringing them to life. White authors writing black characters for primarily white audiences may get away with less verisimilitude in the dialogue because their prime audience isn't going to take them to task.