{"id":2006119,"date":"2023-08-20T05:48:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-20T09:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/colson-whiteheads-scene-stealers\/"},"modified":"2023-08-20T05:54:26","modified_gmt":"2023-08-20T09:54:26","slug":"colson-whiteheads-scene-stealers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/colson-whiteheads-scene-stealers\/","title":{"rendered":"Colson Whitehead&#8217;s Standout Moments"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">8<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcolson-whiteheads-scene-stealers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2006119&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>REVIEW: &#8216;Crook Manifesto: A Novel&#8217;\u200c by Colson \u2064Whitehead<\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<h3>Harlem in 1977 (Wikimedia \u200dCommons)<\/h3>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The United States has a rich tradition of great literary surnames: \u200cTwain, Hemingway, Melville, Steinbeck\u2014each is immediately recognizable, tied to a range of works that captured the zeitgeist of a particular historical moment. In our present cultural climate,\u2064 where literature&#8217;s\u2064 power as an artistic force has dimmed, such names have \u2062become \u2063uncommon. Whitehead\u2064 may be one of the few that carries equivalent power. It stands for elegant, unpretentious prose,\u2063 and a preoccupation with \u200bthemes of virtue and identity in an America that continues to \u2064wrestle with its complicated history of \u200dracial injustice.\u2064 More than that, it \u2064usually comes attached to thoroughly enjoyable novels.<\/p>\n<p>And crafting an\u2063 entertaining romp appears to be Colson Whitehead&#8217;s primary \u2064goal in <i>Crook Manifesto<\/i>, his \u2064latest book. This is a novel that offers all the ice-cool style of a vintage blaxploitation picture\u2014it seems incomplete without a \u200bvelvety soundtrack\u200b of Roy\u200d Ayers and Curtis Mayfield hits to accompany the action. The language is at once\u2062 erudite and street-smart; it \u2064carries us through a crime \u200bcaper that offers a vividly drawn setting and a roguish roster \u200bof characters.\u200c But as intense as the atmosphere may be, it often\u2062 seems like an intentional distraction\u2063 from deeper flaws in the narrative.<\/p>\n<p>We follow Ray Carney, a former purveyor of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/colson-whiteheads-scene-stealers\/\" title=\"Colson Whitehead's Standout Moments\">stolen goods turned straitlaced furniture salesman<\/a>. Carney first appeared in <i>Harlem \u2064Shuffle<\/i>, Whitehead&#8217;s previous novel, \u200dwhich traced his efforts to build an honest \u2062business and a stable family in the early 1960s. \u2064The \u200bsetting of a Harlem afflicted by rising crime, crumbling institutions, and \u2062mounting tensions over civil rights gave that story much of its life. Now, the &#8217;70s\u200c have arrived, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/on-guns-and-crime-one-cheer-for-biden\/\" title=\"On Guns and Crime, One Cheer for Biden\">urban decay<\/a> has accelerated, and things are beginning to look a lot like \u2064 <i>Taxi Driver<\/i>.\u2064 Manhattan&#8217;s once-glamorous streets are decorated with adult \u2064theaters, ruined buildings, and overflowing garbage bags. Against this backdrop, Carney is continuing to follow\u2064 a righteous path. But when his daughter begs him for Jackson 5 tickets, he turns to an old associate for help, and quickly finds himself ensnared \u200donce again by the\u200d underworld he tried to escape. A\u200d cinematic \u200bseries of double-crosses, brawls, and hustles ensues, as Carney&#8217;s surroundings continue \u200bto\u2064 deteriorate.<\/p>\n<p>New York itself rivals Carney as\u200d the novel&#8217;s primary focus, and Whitehead&#8217;s depiction\u200c of its descent is arresting. He \u2064describes the Big Apple&#8217;s\u2063 rotting neighborhoods with an eye for the minor\u200b details of decline.\u2063 The Upper East Side \u2062is defined not only\u2063 by &#8220;half-finished graffiti on the metal grate \u200bof\u200b a closed-down drugstore&#8221; and &#8220;glass squares on the asphalt\u2062 like knocked-out teeth,&#8221; but by &#8220;a vague \u2063and unformed hopelessness instead of the standard entitled cheer&#8221; on the faces\u200b of its once-proud residents. Whitehead&#8217;s\u2063 grasp of the dirty\u200d and dispiriting never slips.<\/p>\n<p>Much of \u200ccontemporary \u200dpunditry is concerned with the\u2062 health of \u2062America&#8217;s cities, and Whitehead&#8217;s portrayal of New York&#8217;s nadir is germane \u200bto a moment when crime rates are escalating\u2064 and urban centers are struggling to return to their pre-COVID levels of vitality. He addresses \u200dsuch inescapable \u200dsubjects \u200bas \u2063gentrification and racial division, but \u2064he eschews dogmatic social commentary. In one \u200cinstance, a\u200d character rebukes &#8220;decades \u200dof urban renewal \u2062projects that obliterated communities&#8221; by &#8220;bulldozing so-called slums&#8221; and \u200dbuilding highways that &#8220;the white people take advantage of.&#8221; It&#8217;s a useful reminder \u200cthat\u2062 many of\u200c the \u2063same\u200d contentious debates in today&#8217;s urban politics were being waged a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-bestows-medal-of-honor-on-korean-war-vet-skorean-president-on-hand\/\" title=\"Biden Bestows Medal of Honor on Korean War Vet; SKorean President on Hand\">half-century ago<\/a>, albeit with slight differences in language. But no character here is a \u2063mouthpiece, and Whitehead\u200c is far too sagacious of a writer to bludgeon his \u200breaders with an agenda. Issues are raised with nuance,\u2062 and conclusions are for us to form.<\/p>\n<p>Whitehead deploys perfectly crafted \u200dsentences and idiomatic turns of phrase without warning, often \u200bto\u2064 hilarious effect. Many of these arise from Carney&#8217;s internal monologue. He catches an\u2063 acquaintance subjecting him to a &#8220;never-seen-a-Negro-like-you-before \u200blook,&#8221; and plans to &#8220;feast upon&#8221; the complaints and grievances of prospective tenants in an apartment building &#8220;like \u2064they were a big bloody steak and potatoes.&#8221; His\u200c attitude \u200btoward the Jackson 5 is especially droll\u2014&#8221;He didn&#8217;t know if they were \u200csexually \u200cactive, but \u2063they were certainly promiscuous, with sponsorship deals with\u2064 no less than three breakfast cereals.&#8221; On \u200balmost every page, Whitehead reaffirms the formidably inventive command of language that&#8217;s earned him so many awards.<\/p>\n<p>Where <i>Crook Manifesto<\/i> stumbles, however, is in its \u200dpacing. The plot unfolds at a\u200b lethargic speed, too many paragraphs are\u2063 needlessly detailed, and the expository sections drift along \u200dfar too slowly\u2063 between moments of \u2064excitement. \u2064It&#8217;s easy\u200c to become detached from what&#8217;s happening in\u200d part \u2064because the characters offer little with which\u200d to connect\u2014they \u200dseem more like vehicles for Whitehead&#8217;s cultural tour of the time \u2062period than genuine human beings. Whitehead\u2064 largely neglects their \u200bbackgrounds\u2062 and\u200c motivations, \u2063and at times \u2063it\u2062 can be difficult to identify any \u200dmemorable \u200bqualities among them besides \u200ba shared unpleasantness.\u200d So much attention is given to the descriptions of Harlem&#8217;s\u2062 steady unraveling that the neighborhood is \u2062a more emotionally compelling character than any of the \u200cactual people.<\/p>\n<p><i>Crook Manifesto<\/i>, \u200dthen, is a stylish and original novel that can \u200dbe challenging to engage with. Its portrayal of a\u2062 suffering Harlem is \u200cstunningly detailed, and, taken as an evocation of 1970s New York, it&#8217;s an enormous success. But \u200dthere&#8217;s\u2062 a story\u2064 beyond \u200bthe time\u2064 and place, and it&#8217;s only\u2063 sporadically engrossing. Whitehead\u2063 is working on a\u200c third installment in Ray\u200b Carney&#8217;s trilogy. Hopefully,\u2064 it will address <i>Crook Manifesto<\/i>&#8216;s shortcomings and end the series \u200bon a \u200btowering high.<\/p>\n<p><i>Crook Manifesto:\u200b A Novel<\/i><br \/>  \u200d by Colson Whitehead<br \/> Doubleday, \u2064336 pp.,\u2062 $29<\/p>\n<p><i>Guy \u200dDenton is a research assistant at the American Enterprise Institute.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>a social commentary is more important than ever, Colson Whitehead&#8217;s &#8220;Crook Manifesto: A Novel&#8221; stands out. Set in Harlem in 1977, Whitehead&#8217;s gripping narrative explores themes of race, identity, and social inequality. With his masterful storytelling and vivid characters, Whitehead cements his place among the great literary names of our time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1829,"featured_media":2006120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2006119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2006119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1829"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2006119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2006119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2006120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2006119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2006119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2006119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}