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meg_ventures's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
remigves's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shannanh's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, with a mix of coming of age and African American history during the Great depression. Good job with the story.
lakitawilson's review against another edition
5.0
The rawness of this story reminded me of a Donald Goines novel from the 1970's. But I connected with this more, because a Black woman wrote it and made sure to tell this story from the perspective of the less often heard Black girl. A man's world--specifically a white man's world is witnessed through the lens of a Black girl coming of age in New York, and it was at times, hard to read about the matter-of-fact ways girls and women were sexually and physically assaulted. But hard truths often need the most exposure, because they are so frequently covered up. I absolutely loved this novel and now know why it is considered by many a literary classic.
milesjmoran's review against another edition
4.0
It was storming, one of those reddish days that looks like the earth's on fire. It got darker and darker, all in the middle of the day, like the sun had gone off somewhere and died. The rain came down with a roar. The thunder boomed, the lightning cracked across the sky, and as I pressed my nose against the living-room window looking out at the storm, I shivered just a little, for who could tell that this wasn't doomsday. Gabriel, Gabriel, blow on your horn and all ye dead rise up to be judged.
One of the things that drew me to this book was James Baldwin's foreword:
We have seen this life from the point of view of a black boy growing into a menaced and probably brief manhood; I don't know that we have ever seen it from the point of view of a black girl on the edge of a terrifying womanhood.
Daddy Was a Number Runner is the coming of age story of Francie Coffin, a young girl living in Harlem with her family who are struggling to get by, both financially and as a Black family in America.
This is a novel that looks closely at community - how it is simultaneously loving and supportive but also a place of apathy, violence, and abuse. While Francie is trying to navigate her way through puberty, the men around her are trying to use her body for their own sexual gratification, be it touching her body in exchange for goods/money, or directly trying to take her virginity. Within the first few pages of the book, Meriwether details a man who exposes himself to Francie, seemingly every time he sees her, and this also happens to the other girls of her age in her neighbourhood. This is all told through this young girl's eyes, so there is an aspect of innocence and confusion as to what is happening to her. On top of all of that, she is also trying to understand her own sexuality, exploring it through pornographic comic strips that she shares with her friends. This is handled so brilliantly by Meriwether as she deals with Francie's conflicting emotions regarding what the men are doing to her without ever placing the blame on her.
I love the way in which the book explores family relationships, particularly the ways in which they shift as a child grows up and becomes more aware of the subtle family dynamics that they weren't aware of when they were younger. It's very quickly established that Francie is closer to her dad, who she calls Daddy, whereas she calls her mum the more formal Mother. Her father is more lenient with her, not disciplining her the same way that he does her older brothers, while on the other hand, her mother is strict, making Francie run errands that embarrass her, and Francie often states that her mother feels like a stranger to her. However, as Francie gets older, these dynamics begin to change, and she comes to understand that the love she receives from her parents are indeed different but, ultimately, that her mother's love is more substantial and consistent. I really loved the way Meriwether portrayed this - she doesn't do it with loud, dramatic scenes where feelings are overtly stated. Instead, she shows it gradually through small, seemingly insignificant moments, and how they make Francie feel, which I thought was much more effective and realistic.
The majority of the book focuses on the Coffin family and their small community, but she also touches on topics such as police brutality, riots, gangs, and systemic racism. So many moments from those scenes could be transplanted into the news today and they wouldn't feel out of place. Baldwin said: Louise Meriwether has told everyone who can read or feel what it means to be a black man or a woman in this country, and that still stands today's America n 2020. I think this classic should be recommended in the same breath as other coming of age stories such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and To Kill a Mockingbird.
One of the things that drew me to this book was James Baldwin's foreword:
We have seen this life from the point of view of a black boy growing into a menaced and probably brief manhood; I don't know that we have ever seen it from the point of view of a black girl on the edge of a terrifying womanhood.
Daddy Was a Number Runner is the coming of age story of Francie Coffin, a young girl living in Harlem with her family who are struggling to get by, both financially and as a Black family in America.
This is a novel that looks closely at community - how it is simultaneously loving and supportive but also a place of apathy, violence, and abuse. While Francie is trying to navigate her way through puberty, the men around her are trying to use her body for their own sexual gratification, be it touching her body in exchange for goods/money, or directly trying to take her virginity. Within the first few pages of the book, Meriwether details a man who exposes himself to Francie, seemingly every time he sees her, and this also happens to the other girls of her age in her neighbourhood. This is all told through this young girl's eyes, so there is an aspect of innocence and confusion as to what is happening to her. On top of all of that, she is also trying to understand her own sexuality, exploring it through pornographic comic strips that she shares with her friends. This is handled so brilliantly by Meriwether as she deals with Francie's conflicting emotions regarding what the men are doing to her without ever placing the blame on her.
I love the way in which the book explores family relationships, particularly the ways in which they shift as a child grows up and becomes more aware of the subtle family dynamics that they weren't aware of when they were younger. It's very quickly established that Francie is closer to her dad, who she calls Daddy, whereas she calls her mum the more formal Mother. Her father is more lenient with her, not disciplining her the same way that he does her older brothers, while on the other hand, her mother is strict, making Francie run errands that embarrass her, and Francie often states that her mother feels like a stranger to her. However, as Francie gets older, these dynamics begin to change, and she comes to understand that the love she receives from her parents are indeed different but, ultimately, that her mother's love is more substantial and consistent. I really loved the way Meriwether portrayed this - she doesn't do it with loud, dramatic scenes where feelings are overtly stated. Instead, she shows it gradually through small, seemingly insignificant moments, and how they make Francie feel, which I thought was much more effective and realistic.
The majority of the book focuses on the Coffin family and their small community, but she also touches on topics such as police brutality, riots, gangs, and systemic racism. So many moments from those scenes could be transplanted into the news today and they wouldn't feel out of place. Baldwin said: Louise Meriwether has told everyone who can read or feel what it means to be a black man or a woman in this country, and that still stands today's America n 2020. I think this classic should be recommended in the same breath as other coming of age stories such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and To Kill a Mockingbird.
pipbiz's review against another edition
5.0
I wanted to diversify my reading so when this book came through the secondhand store I picked it up. A depressing read, but the matter-of-factness and naivete of the narrator, Francine, means nothing is overwhelming.
A good parallel to Death of a Salesman to show what it was like to live during the Great Depression.
A good parallel to Death of a Salesman to show what it was like to live during the Great Depression.
sarakomo's review against another edition
4.0
2022: an important chronicle of a specific point in time and place
It would be an insult to Louise Meriwether and too simplistic to say that this book is the Black girl's equivalent to [b:A Tree Grows in Brooklyn|14891|A Tree Grows in Brooklyn|Betty Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327883484l/14891._SY75_.jpg|833257]. But it was shocking to me to see this book get a whole freaking forward from [a:James Baldwin|10427|James Baldwin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1343346341p2/10427.jpg] (!!) and then to see how it stacked up against Brooklyn. I'm not saying that Goodreads is the be-all, end-all here for whether a book deserves your attention. But it is a data point–and a very telling one at that. At the writing of this review, there have been fewer than 100 reviews written for Meriwether's book, and over 24,000 for Smith's.
The first and most obvious comparison is that both main characters are named Francie (a coincidence? As Number Runner was written after Brooklyn, I kinda don't think so). But overall, I certainly enjoyed reading about Betty Smith's Francie over Meriwether's. The Francie who lives in Brooklyn is way more optimistic and ambitious than the one who lives in Harlem. Is that to say she is a better character? No, I would argue that Francie in Harlem is more reflective of the community she lives in. Her family is dealing with A LOT.
And I don't remember the same level of sexual assault and harassment that is present in Harlem showing up in Brooklyn. Francie's neighbors are NEXT LEVEL. Francie is assaulted so many times in this book, and half of them are before she even starts her period. I remember difficulties at school and at home for Brooklyn Francie, but definitely not to the same level. Although both of their fathers are extremely frustrating characters and difficult to root for. Shoutout to Harlem Francie for getting in trouble for reading too much, we love a well read woman!
It would be an insult to Louise Meriwether and too simplistic to say that this book is the Black girl's equivalent to [b:A Tree Grows in Brooklyn|14891|A Tree Grows in Brooklyn|Betty Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327883484l/14891._SY75_.jpg|833257]. But it was shocking to me to see this book get a whole freaking forward from [a:James Baldwin|10427|James Baldwin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1343346341p2/10427.jpg] (!!) and then to see how it stacked up against Brooklyn. I'm not saying that Goodreads is the be-all, end-all here for whether a book deserves your attention. But it is a data point–and a very telling one at that. At the writing of this review, there have been fewer than 100 reviews written for Meriwether's book, and over 24,000 for Smith's.
The first and most obvious comparison is that both main characters are named Francie (a coincidence? As Number Runner was written after Brooklyn, I kinda don't think so). But overall, I certainly enjoyed reading about Betty Smith's Francie over Meriwether's. The Francie who lives in Brooklyn is way more optimistic and ambitious than the one who lives in Harlem. Is that to say she is a better character? No, I would argue that Francie in Harlem is more reflective of the community she lives in. Her family is dealing with A LOT.
And I don't remember the same level of sexual assault and harassment that is present in Harlem showing up in Brooklyn. Francie's neighbors are NEXT LEVEL. Francie is assaulted so many times in this book, and half of them are before she even starts her period. I remember difficulties at school and at home for Brooklyn Francie, but definitely not to the same level. Although both of their fathers are extremely frustrating characters and difficult to root for. Shoutout to Harlem Francie for getting in trouble for reading too much, we love a well read woman!
bobbieshiann's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“We were all mixed up in something together, us colored up here in the north, something I couldn’t quite figure out. But it was better up here than down south. That’s what I’d always heard people say, that folks down in Bip were just dying for a chance to come north to the promise land. This was the promise land, wasn’t it?
Daddy Was a Number Runner depicts what it is like being Black in Harlem during the 1930s. The story is told from the eyes of a 12-year-old girl named Francie who does not only tell her coming of age story but also tells what it is like to be entrapped by race and class during the great depression. Meriwether does not miss a beat as she makes sure to put forward the Harlem riot, the Scottsboro case of 1931, and the political viewpoint on Black lives. Through the harsh time of Harlem streets, Francie starts to grow up fast since life around her begins to get blurry with adults and real-life events.
Who defines beauty? Francie describes herself as skinny, Black, bad looking with short hair, a long neck, and all that space in between. But she is a child who is seen as a piece of meat to some of the boys in her neighborhood and adult men who feel up on her for extra food or a dime as a payment of secrecy.
There is something so aching watching a young child’s imagination and dream get tainted by the wickedness of the world and their hopes get smeared by a reality they did not ask for but Daddy Was a Number Runner transitions. As you watch families survive through the sharing of food, shelter, gossip, and customs. Yes, we may judge each other in the Black community, but the white man has no right. We watch as Francine’s dad’s definition of a man is crumbled as life-altering events keep happening that lead the family towards the stereotypes he wants to be avoided. The system finds a way to destroy not only Franice’s father but her neighbors too as they suffer through death, assault, murder, dropping out of school for the youth, loss of jobs, and government assistance. But everyone wants to play the numbers. The numbers symbolize Black hope to me. How even in our lowest times, we may find a glimpse of the prize to hold onto within each other catch a win no matter how small the amount may be.
One of the most critical points for me was how Francine letting a pedophile feel upon her for a dime struck fear into her. Not fear of what he did but fear of the feeling. The not knowing why her body responded and even though knowing it was wrong but more freaked out of the guilt she felt for her mother potentially finding out. Sex is often unspoken to the youth and yet while their bodies are developing and puberty hits, there is rarely anyone to answer the questions that scramble in their head. Little girls are often told to never let anyone touch their private parts, but no adults answer the why? No adult explains the body, its response, and what a pedophile is and let’s not even get into family secrets.
Daddy Was a Number Runner being Black love, Black trauma, Black tragedy, Black unity, and the heroism of ordinary folks.
Daddy Was a Number Runner depicts what it is like being Black in Harlem during the 1930s. The story is told from the eyes of a 12-year-old girl named Francie who does not only tell her coming of age story but also tells what it is like to be entrapped by race and class during the great depression. Meriwether does not miss a beat as she makes sure to put forward the Harlem riot, the Scottsboro case of 1931, and the political viewpoint on Black lives. Through the harsh time of Harlem streets, Francie starts to grow up fast since life around her begins to get blurry with adults and real-life events.
Who defines beauty? Francie describes herself as skinny, Black, bad looking with short hair, a long neck, and all that space in between. But she is a child who is seen as a piece of meat to some of the boys in her neighborhood and adult men who feel up on her for extra food or a dime as a payment of secrecy.
There is something so aching watching a young child’s imagination and dream get tainted by the wickedness of the world and their hopes get smeared by a reality they did not ask for but Daddy Was a Number Runner transitions. As you watch families survive through the sharing of food, shelter, gossip, and customs. Yes, we may judge each other in the Black community, but the white man has no right. We watch as Francine’s dad’s definition of a man is crumbled as life-altering events keep happening that lead the family towards the stereotypes he wants to be avoided. The system finds a way to destroy not only Franice’s father but her neighbors too as they suffer through death, assault, murder, dropping out of school for the youth, loss of jobs, and government assistance. But everyone wants to play the numbers. The numbers symbolize Black hope to me. How even in our lowest times, we may find a glimpse of the prize to hold onto within each other catch a win no matter how small the amount may be.
One of the most critical points for me was how Francine letting a pedophile feel upon her for a dime struck fear into her. Not fear of what he did but fear of the feeling. The not knowing why her body responded and even though knowing it was wrong but more freaked out of the guilt she felt for her mother potentially finding out. Sex is often unspoken to the youth and yet while their bodies are developing and puberty hits, there is rarely anyone to answer the questions that scramble in their head. Little girls are often told to never let anyone touch their private parts, but no adults answer the why? No adult explains the body, its response, and what a pedophile is and let’s not even get into family secrets.
Daddy Was a Number Runner being Black love, Black trauma, Black tragedy, Black unity, and the heroism of ordinary folks.
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Daddy was a Number Runner is a little known classic by Black author Louise Meriwether. Published in 1970, and set in Harlem during the Great Depression, it is a coming of age story of Francie Coffin, a young Black girl. In tone and content it reminded me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, also about a young girl named Francie, but with race layered over and interacting with other factors like poverty.
The writing was straightforward yet powerful. No over exaggerating or embellishing was required. Sadly, I was repeatedly struck by how much things have stayed the same since the period depicted in this book. Getting accepted for government assistance is still difficult and degrading. It is still often insufficient to meet the needs of a family yet any extra earnings are penalised. Gambling still offers false hope. Wearing second-hand altered clothing can feel as demeaning now as it did then. Girls, especially Black girls, growing up in poverty are still more likely than others to suffer from sexual harassment and assault, while gangs continue to attract their brothers. And as we all know police discrimination, prejudice and brutality is not a thing of the past. In other words this classic still feels very timely and relevant.
I was especially struck by the level of sexual harassment and sexual assault that Francie had to routinely deal with and accept. It was especially rage-inducing to think of storekeepers preying on young girls in such a calculated way.
Overall I found this a quietly compelling story, one that highlighted the factors that combined to make life so difficult for Black families, to disillusion Black children like Francie and her siblings, to make hope, progress and improvement seem so unattainable. It left me thinking a lot about children, especially children of colour, who are living in poverty today and what needs to be done to give them a fair chance. It’s certainly a book that is worthy of a much wider readership.
The writing was straightforward yet powerful. No over exaggerating or embellishing was required. Sadly, I was repeatedly struck by how much things have stayed the same since the period depicted in this book. Getting accepted for government assistance is still difficult and degrading. It is still often insufficient to meet the needs of a family yet any extra earnings are penalised. Gambling still offers false hope. Wearing second-hand altered clothing can feel as demeaning now as it did then. Girls, especially Black girls, growing up in poverty are still more likely than others to suffer from sexual harassment and assault, while gangs continue to attract their brothers. And as we all know police discrimination, prejudice and brutality is not a thing of the past. In other words this classic still feels very timely and relevant.
I was especially struck by the level of sexual harassment and sexual assault that Francie had to routinely deal with and accept. It was especially rage-inducing to think of storekeepers preying on young girls in such a calculated way.
Overall I found this a quietly compelling story, one that highlighted the factors that combined to make life so difficult for Black families, to disillusion Black children like Francie and her siblings, to make hope, progress and improvement seem so unattainable. It left me thinking a lot about children, especially children of colour, who are living in poverty today and what needs to be done to give them a fair chance. It’s certainly a book that is worthy of a much wider readership.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, and Sexual assault