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92 reviews for:
Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster
Stephen L. Carter
3.62 AVERAGE
92 reviews for:
Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster
Stephen L. Carter
3.62 AVERAGE
Eunice Hunton Carter, the woman whose diligence brought down Lucky Luciano, who was an early member of the Harlem Renaissance (attending Countee Cullen’s wedding and hosting grand parties at her home in Sugar Hill), who was a celebrated speaker nationally and internationally—why is she not a household name? This biography by her grandson, Stephen Carter, attempts to this. His labor of love is filled with stories and information, however, she comes across, not as a bright star, but rather wooden.
The woman who brought down Lucky Luciano...and did so much more.
I loved this. Besides being as complex a picture about a complex woman as one could ask for--especially considering it's a book written by her grandson, and one would expect it to be sentimentalized--this is such a great demonstraion of changing times that I cannot praise it enough.
Here's an example showing one small part: so just when, and how, did the Republicans stop being the party of Lincoln? This book isn't the full story, but it provides vital insights. When did the Mob take over prostitution? How did McCarthyism affect people's lives? The formation of the NAACP, the U.N. resolution on genocide, the mores of Prohibition in Harlem with an eye to more than just bootlegging, and so much more. I felt like a kid in a candy store.
Recommended for history buffs.
I loved this. Besides being as complex a picture about a complex woman as one could ask for--especially considering it's a book written by her grandson, and one would expect it to be sentimentalized--this is such a great demonstraion of changing times that I cannot praise it enough.
Here's an example showing one small part: so just when, and how, did the Republicans stop being the party of Lincoln? This book isn't the full story, but it provides vital insights. When did the Mob take over prostitution? How did McCarthyism affect people's lives? The formation of the NAACP, the U.N. resolution on genocide, the mores of Prohibition in Harlem with an eye to more than just bootlegging, and so much more. I felt like a kid in a candy store.
Recommended for history buffs.
informative
medium-paced
The title intrigued me and the Washington Post book review convinced me to read this book. This is primarily Eunice Hunton Carter's story yet it is also a story of Harlem, culture, and politics.
I enjoyed the historical components but found Stephen Carter's insertion of himself into the narrative a bit irritating. His comments interfered with the flow of Eunice's story, and I would have preferred to not have his clarifications. In addition, Carter's use of "the darker nation" to describe black people seemed out of place; it felt like he was superimposing his politics on his recounting of Eunice's life. Despite this, the story he tells is quite interesting and, by chance, I have finished it just as Black History month begins.
I enjoyed the historical components but found Stephen Carter's insertion of himself into the narrative a bit irritating. His comments interfered with the flow of Eunice's story, and I would have preferred to not have his clarifications. In addition, Carter's use of "the darker nation" to describe black people seemed out of place; it felt like he was superimposing his politics on his recounting of Eunice's life. Despite this, the story he tells is quite interesting and, by chance, I have finished it just as Black History month begins.
informative
medium-paced
Somewhat deceptive title in that the mob work, of which I was most interested, played a rather small part. The book is a broader biography of the woman
Written by her grandson, this is the story of Eunice Hunter Carter, who was black, a woman, and a lawyer during the time when all three of those were a challenge. It is also the story of other intelligent, hard working, passionate blacks who worked tirelessly to improve our world.
