Reviews with content warning for Sexism - The Street

In her introduction to my edition, Tayari Jones says that The Street has elements of pulp crime fiction. I'm not sure if she meant it as a compliment - possibly as a neutral observation - but it might help explain how this book can be so unrelentingly grim, but at the same time, so hard to put down. I got swept up in Petry's storytelling, so that every time I looked up from the book, I was surprised (and relieved) to see my own life around me instead of Lutie's.

Content Warnings

mariaviola's review

Go to review page

dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

“from the time she was born, she had been hemmed into an ever-narrowing space, until now she was very nearly walled in and the wall had been built up brick by brick by eager white hands.”

after finishing the street, all i can say is that this was a heartbreaking read, and what made it so heartbreaking was all of its honesty. there is no sugarcoating here—here is the story of a poor black single mother living in the 1940s and the things she goes through in trying to build a better life for her and her son. it’s raw and painful and some characters you will just want to hug and others you will want to beat the sh*t out of. it’s not very fast-paced but it’s a must-read in my opinion.

→ my rating ♡ 4.5/5 stars ←

Content Warnings

literaryhedgehog's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Simply put, The Street is breathtaking.
I’m her depiction of 1940s Harlem, Petry creates a narrative that is viscerally human. Her masterful use of multiple perspectives allows her characters to come to life as fully realized and independent human beings, while also showing how they are objectified and dehumanized by one another. The depiction of race, class, and gender is frank, beautifully articulated, and still very relevant to life in the 21st century. I have never seen a better depiction of the daily life of a woman, including the joys and anxieties of motherhood.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a reflective/serious read.

Content Warnings

bjdarby's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

Content Warnings

ohlhauc's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I really, really enjoyed reading this book and can see why it's revered as a American classic.

First off, it is gorgeously written. The melody and structure of the writing flows smooth until there are moments of tension or violence, whereby the writing shifts to reflect the terror and trauma. The dialogue also felt natural. I liked how the author did use first- and second-person when she was sharing the inner thoughts of the protagonist, showing how Lutie was thinking of herself in those moments.

And then the story itself is well-constructed and the build-up to the climax is a slow-burn. You can see characters and forces creeping closer to a collision, and that tension compels you to read forward. The specific moments and the underlying themes and ideas showing racism, sexism, and classism - their separate moments but also how they're an interconnected web that feeds each other into a never-ending cycle of oppression was haunting and head on. You could feel the weight on the protagonist's shoulders - as well as the other characters - and how their society, and the street they lived on, were moulding their destinies.

The ending was heartbreaking but also made the most sense even if it's probably not the one you would want.

If you care about reading great classics, you have to pick this up. I also highly recommend it for anyone who's interested in the Harlem Renaissance, stories about poverty and intersectional oppression (racism, sexism, classism), or even if you're into a story with lots of tension, twists, and brutal hard facts.

Content Warnings

sherbertwells's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

If you’re looking for something subtle, The Street is not it.

But if you’re looking for a nuancedand underrated story with strong feminist themes, you might want to stick around. Pretty soon, you won’t be able to leave.

“[The wind] did everything it could to discourage the people walking along the street. It found all the dirt and dust and grime on the sidewalk and lifted it up so that the dirt got into their noses, making it difficult to breathe; the dust got into their eyes and blinded them; and the grit stung their skins” (2)

Like the harsh setting from which it takes its name, Petry’s 1946 novel sucks you in quickly and doesn’t let you go. The story takes WWII-era Harlem, where poverty is omnipresent and the wind itself is a malevolent force. New on the block is Lutie Johnson, an African-American single mother \\determined to achieve the American Dream for herself and her 8-year-old son. As a maid for an upper-class white family, she witnesses the fruits of capitalism firsthand and often compares herself to a young Benjamin Franklin, the epitome of the entrepreneurial spirit. But to the other men and women on the block, she is little more than an attractive prize to be pursued and exploited.

Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage, notes in the introduction that illustrations of Lutie Johnson vary dramatically based on edition and publisher. My Virago Modern Classics copy shows her in respectable silhouette, clutching a purse with gloved hands, while a mass-market edition depicts “a buxom bombshell corseted into a red dress” (ix). Other covers choose to focus on her child or portray her as a strong, independent businesswoman in a power suit. But Lutie is a brilliant character, a fully-rendered human who defies stereotypes about licentious or superhuman black women. She works hard, makes jokes, sings, dances and gets angry when she’s mistreated, like anyone else. And while she often blames herself for her misfortunes, Petry makes it clear that the real villain of The Street is its title character.

It’s also the best part of the story. The simple, emotional narration explores the perspectives of many different Harlemites, from a hard-eyed madam to an alienated and obsessive superintendent, and even a paranoid white teacher at a poverty-stricken elementary school. Their myriad voices, some vindictive, others despondent, move the plot along and expose the hierarchies within Harlem society. Most characters contribute to Lutie’s troubles, whether through negligence or direct exploitation.

But despite their flaws, each character is sympathetic. Even Boots Smith, a sly bandleader whose desire for Lutie brings about disaster, has a legitimate gripe with the white society that treats him as a servant.

“You’d sell your old grandmother if you had one, he told himself. Yes. I’d sell anything I’ve got without stopping to think about it twice, because I don’t intend to learn how to crawl again. Not for anybody” (227).

I can’t emphasize enough that The Street is brilliant social commentary. Petry is exhaustive and nuanced, examining how race, class and gender work together to keep to Lutie and her son down. The most sinister character, an amiable white man named Junto, merely profits from other people’s suffering. It takes an intelligent artist like Petry to observe and comment on it.

But Petry is a better commentator than writer. While The Street’s plot is fast-paced and full of pathos, its prose is a little repetitive. Its second half plot is somewhat pulpy. Its message hits the reader over the head. And Bub, Lutie’s son, is ridiculously innocent.

In the grand scheme of things, these are minor gripes. If you choose to focus on The Street as a text rather than a book, you’ll have a good time. Or be completely horrified. In either case, Petry will have succeeded.

Content Warnings

More...