A review by readingoverbreathing
Cotton Comes to Harlem by Chester Himes

4.0

"We got the highest crime rate on earth among the colored people in Harlem. And there ain't but three things to do about it: Make the criminals pay for it — you don't want to do that; pay the people enough to live decently — you ain't going to do that; so all that's left is let 'em eat one another up."

In the context of all the conversations surrounding race that have been popularized in the past year, this was an incredibly interesting and honestly profound read. I've heard of movements like Back-to-Africa in some of the recent study I've done, and this fictionalized account of something similar was an intriguing take on that phenomenon. Chester Himes is a brilliant writer, and I think it truly is a sign of the whitewashed media culture we live in that I'd never heard of him until now.

There is something so sharp and so dark about this book. It's a staunch reminder of the reality of the circumstances which force black communities to crime, and seeing that through the lens of two black cops was a whole new take for me. But Himes' work is unsympathetic towards anyone, cop or criminal alike, poking fun at all sides and really letting his sharp, sarcastic, savvy tone shine through. This book is vulgar, it's violent, it's often deeply sexual, largely bleak, and downright gritty. But all of that is what makes it so gripping and so good.

There's a blurb on the front of my copy which says that Himes' writing "pitilessly exposes the ridiculousness of the human condition", and I could not agree with such a statement more. He is unafraid in his brutal portrayal of Harlem's underworld, which is so often shockingly gory and yet at the same time darkly humorous. I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this one, and I certainly believes Himes deserves better accolade than what he currently does among mainstream literature.