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jelundberg's review against another edition
5.0
An urgent examination of 40 years of racial conflict in North Carolina, set amongst a taut thriller concerning the truth of the origins of artist Michael Cooper. At once a highly accurate portrayal of the destruction of Hayti, and an intimate voyage into the conspiracy of Michael's birth. The details here could only be conveyed by a North Carolinian, but they're also universal enough to appeal to a wide audience. It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Shiner's work, and he once again rises to the challenge of presenting a compelling secret look into the world that we all know. And his female characters deserve special mentioning, for their highly complex portrayals of strong, sexy, and empathetic women.
mikebibbi's review against another edition
3.0
Storia molto avvincente, peccato però per la quantità allucinante di refusi che rovinano il piacere di leggere... Spero abbiano intenzione di stampare una nuova edizione
mochagirl's review against another edition
4.0
I read Lewis Shiner's Black & White with no prior knowledge of him or his previous work; the short blurb from Publisher's Weekly piqued my interest enough to warrant a purchase and I was not disappointed. It has all the elements of a great suspense and mystery novel filled with insightful observations on America's complicated views on society, identity, and race relations.
The novel opens in Durham with Michael, an introverted illustrator, attending his terminally ill father, Robert, who has chosen to return North Carolina in preparation of his death. Michael openly pleads with his father to address lifelong questions he has had regarding his conflicting birth date, and his mother's (Ruth) over-attentiveness towards his father, yet perfunctory relationship with him. When Robert decides to elicit a deathbed confession of sorts, it leads to the discovery of a body of a local, outspoken Civil Rights activist who disappeared amid controversy nearly 40 years ago. Michael soon finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation, which only ignites the curiosity of his father's clandestine past. The trail leads him down a slippery slope into the recesses of Hayti, Durham's historically African American community, once the most prosperous neighborhood in the South, envied by whites but devastated under the Urban Renewal initiatives of yesteryear. In a series of flashbacks, Shiner gives life and voice to a youthful Robert and Ruth. The reader follows Michael on a deep dark path to the truth steeped in danger. Michael learns of the mysterious magnetism of a seductive voodooienne and a host of suppressed family secrets amid the backdrop of America's racial and political pallet during the turbulent 1960s.
I learned quite a bit reading this page-turning novel, thus it entertained and educated and that makes it a winner for me. I kept turning pages, making notes in the margins to follow the mystery, and googled to find out more about events and locations mentioned therein. A great book that has made my 2008 favorites list - one that is recommended to historical fiction and/or mystery/suspense fans.
The novel opens in Durham with Michael, an introverted illustrator, attending his terminally ill father, Robert, who has chosen to return North Carolina in preparation of his death. Michael openly pleads with his father to address lifelong questions he has had regarding his conflicting birth date, and his mother's (Ruth) over-attentiveness towards his father, yet perfunctory relationship with him. When Robert decides to elicit a deathbed confession of sorts, it leads to the discovery of a body of a local, outspoken Civil Rights activist who disappeared amid controversy nearly 40 years ago. Michael soon finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation, which only ignites the curiosity of his father's clandestine past. The trail leads him down a slippery slope into the recesses of Hayti, Durham's historically African American community, once the most prosperous neighborhood in the South, envied by whites but devastated under the Urban Renewal initiatives of yesteryear. In a series of flashbacks, Shiner gives life and voice to a youthful Robert and Ruth. The reader follows Michael on a deep dark path to the truth steeped in danger. Michael learns of the mysterious magnetism of a seductive voodooienne and a host of suppressed family secrets amid the backdrop of America's racial and political pallet during the turbulent 1960s.
I learned quite a bit reading this page-turning novel, thus it entertained and educated and that makes it a winner for me. I kept turning pages, making notes in the margins to follow the mystery, and googled to find out more about events and locations mentioned therein. A great book that has made my 2008 favorites list - one that is recommended to historical fiction and/or mystery/suspense fans.
rickklaw's review
5.0
With his groundbreaking, acclaimed works [book:Deserted Cities of the Heart] (1988), [book:Slam] (1990), and the World Fantasy Award-winning novel [book:Glimpses] (1993), Lewis Shiner exploded from the late-1980s Austin literary scene. As happens far too often with celebrated wordsmiths, he disappeared into the literary ocean. Except for the occasional short work and his 1999 novel, [book:Say Goodbye], Shiner has toiled in relative obscurity.
In his triumphant return to novel-length fiction, Shiner – now residing in North Carolina – emerges from his literary cocoon to craft Black & White, a powerful exploration of institutional racism and family identity. Centering his tale on the disturbingly real history of the doomed Durham, N.C., African-American community Hayti, Shiner ushers his protagonist, comic-book artist Michael Cooper, into the maelstrom of his father's past, full of terrible secrets, voodoo, and even murder. As the compelling narrative unfolds, Cooper – accompanying his mother and father, Ruth and Robert, from Dallas to his birthplace of Durham – uncovers unsettling truths about his own identity. He realizes that the hate groups that helped to destroy Hayti back in the 1960s were not only intertwined within his complex family history but still exist.
The narrative begins slowly – a common Shiner trait – but eventually snowballs into an avalanche of frenetic action set in a hauntingly realistic past and present. In one of the book's many insightful moments, Robert, a white man surrounded mostly by African-Americans, attends a 1964 live jazz performance at Hayti's Wonderland Theatre. The music flows through him, and Robert experiences an epiphany – the secrets of the cosmos revealed, a greater understanding of himself and his place in the universe. As he cleverly does throughout, Shiner uses the interactions with music to illustrate the characters, both physically and emotionally.
On the surface, Black & White demonstrates the struggles of historical and contemporary racism, but at its core, the story revolves around a son coming to terms with the sins of his father. The always-talented Shiner has produced some of his finest work to date here. Beyond a brief, discursive foray into Ruth's story, he has created a near-perfect novel – steeped in important political and societal issues, neatly wrapped in the trimmings of a mystery story. With Black & White, Lewis Shiner ascends to a literary realm previously reserved for the likes of [author:Michael Chabon] and [author:Jonathan Lethem].
This review originally appeared in The Austin Chronicle, July 4, 2008.
In his triumphant return to novel-length fiction, Shiner – now residing in North Carolina – emerges from his literary cocoon to craft Black & White, a powerful exploration of institutional racism and family identity. Centering his tale on the disturbingly real history of the doomed Durham, N.C., African-American community Hayti, Shiner ushers his protagonist, comic-book artist Michael Cooper, into the maelstrom of his father's past, full of terrible secrets, voodoo, and even murder. As the compelling narrative unfolds, Cooper – accompanying his mother and father, Ruth and Robert, from Dallas to his birthplace of Durham – uncovers unsettling truths about his own identity. He realizes that the hate groups that helped to destroy Hayti back in the 1960s were not only intertwined within his complex family history but still exist.
The narrative begins slowly – a common Shiner trait – but eventually snowballs into an avalanche of frenetic action set in a hauntingly realistic past and present. In one of the book's many insightful moments, Robert, a white man surrounded mostly by African-Americans, attends a 1964 live jazz performance at Hayti's Wonderland Theatre. The music flows through him, and Robert experiences an epiphany – the secrets of the cosmos revealed, a greater understanding of himself and his place in the universe. As he cleverly does throughout, Shiner uses the interactions with music to illustrate the characters, both physically and emotionally.
On the surface, Black & White demonstrates the struggles of historical and contemporary racism, but at its core, the story revolves around a son coming to terms with the sins of his father. The always-talented Shiner has produced some of his finest work to date here. Beyond a brief, discursive foray into Ruth's story, he has created a near-perfect novel – steeped in important political and societal issues, neatly wrapped in the trimmings of a mystery story. With Black & White, Lewis Shiner ascends to a literary realm previously reserved for the likes of [author:Michael Chabon] and [author:Jonathan Lethem].
This review originally appeared in The Austin Chronicle, July 4, 2008.
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