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A review by one_more_book
Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray
emotional
informative
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
5.0
Wow, Victoria Christopher Murray just released another best seller! Harlem Rhapsody is an example of not only exquisite storytelling, but also exquisite research (you need to read Author's Note and Historical Note, too). In this book VCM gives us the opportunity to witness the birth of the Harlem Renaissance through the story of "the midwife" who birthed the majority of writers and poets of the movement - Jessie Redmon Fauset.
Jessie set the stage for elevating Negro writers and poets in the 1920s as well as her personal goals as the literary editor for "The Crisis", a magazine founded by W.E.B. DuBois - her employer, mentor, and lover. Harlem Rhapsody is a tribute to her intellect, drive, and passion for mentoring young writers and poets. Among those she helped catapult to fame are Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Nora Zeal Hurston, and Nella Larson.
Harlem Rhapsody is Jessie Redmon Faucet's story - her love of literature, belief in elevating Negros in the literary world, and her relationship with DuBois. I can easily see this book as the topic of a college level literature or history class as well as a book club selection.
One of my favorite parts of the book is when Jessie and her mother host a group of women in their home shortly after moving to New York City. A banner across the room reads "Votes for Women - Equality is the Sacred Law of Humanity" - a suffragist quote that can also be applied to the horrific era of Jim Crow. Jessie proudly fought for equal rights for all.
Jessie set the stage for elevating Negro writers and poets in the 1920s as well as her personal goals as the literary editor for "The Crisis", a magazine founded by W.E.B. DuBois - her employer, mentor, and lover. Harlem Rhapsody is a tribute to her intellect, drive, and passion for mentoring young writers and poets. Among those she helped catapult to fame are Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Nora Zeal Hurston, and Nella Larson.
Harlem Rhapsody is Jessie Redmon Faucet's story - her love of literature, belief in elevating Negros in the literary world, and her relationship with DuBois. I can easily see this book as the topic of a college level literature or history class as well as a book club selection.
One of my favorite parts of the book is when Jessie and her mother host a group of women in their home shortly after moving to New York City. A banner across the room reads "Votes for Women - Equality is the Sacred Law of Humanity" - a suffragist quote that can also be applied to the horrific era of Jim Crow. Jessie proudly fought for equal rights for all.