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Bezig met laden... Daddy Was a Number Runner (1970)door Louise Meriwether
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![]() Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. ![]() ![]() Set in Depression era Harlem, this is a coming of age novel, narrated by 12 year old Francie Coffin, daughter of a poor black family. Her Christian name's the same as the similar-aged heroine of 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' but her life seems very different. Gangs, casual violence and racism figure majorly, luring even brighter kids into the better-paid if risky criminal underworld. And even dreams of moving up the ladder are soon brought crashing down: "If you would take more time with your backstitch, Francie, you might make a good seamstress one day. That's a very good living, you know." "I don't think I'd like it, Mrs Abowitz. I want to be a secretary when I grow up." "Well, Francie, we have to be practical. There aren't very many jobs for Negroes in that field. And while you're going to school you should learn those things which will stand you in good stead when you have to work." "I like shorthand and typing, Mrs Abowitz," I said, suddenly stubborn, "and I'm gonna be a secretary." She sighed. "I don't know why they teach courses like that to frustrate you people." Francie's parents strive to provide for their family, whether it's her father's work for an illegal gambling syndicate or her mother's pittance from cleaning...and the humiliating battle with the Poor Relief people. Perhaps most surprising to the 21st century reader is the ubiquitous sexual abuse, where holding one's tongue and playing along might net the child a dime or an extra cookie. It's quite well written and brings to life another time and culture, but I didn't find the characters particularly memorable or compelling. 4.25/5.00 Stars Set during the early years of the Great Depression, Meriwether paints a grim portrait of Harlem through the eyes of 12-year-old Francie that includes persistent racism, job scarcity, awful schools, police brutality, corrupt politicians, suspicious social workers, rat-infested apartment buildings, and a gambling epidemic that gives many people the only hope available to them. People barely subsist, and no one gets ahead. Part of a loving, yet rapidly disintegrating, family unit, Francie is forced to grow up quickly. One of most disturbing themes running through the story is the seemingly non-stop predatory sexual advances that Francie is forced to deal with on a daily basis. The blasé attitude with which she accepts and knows how to deal with these advances is truly heartbreaking. On a positive note, my favorite thing about this novel is the way the author shows Francie's developing (radical) social consciousness, over the course of a year, as she takes note of what is going on around her. Recommended. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
Onderdeel van de uitgeversreeks(en)Virago Modern Classics (434) Is verkort in
-- Publishers Weekly Depression-era Harlem is home for twelve-year-old Francie Coffin and her family, and it�s both a place of refuge and the source of untold dangers for her and her poor, working class family. The beloved �daddy� of the title indeed becomes a number runner when he is unable to find legal work, and while one of Francie�s brothers dreams of becoming a chemist, the other is already in a gang. Francie is a dreamer, too, but there are risks in everything from going to the movies to walking down the block, and her pragmatism eventually outweighs her hope; �We was all poor and black and apt to stay that way, and that was that.� First published in 1970, Daddy Was a Number Runner The New York Times Book Review proclaimed it �a most important novel.�. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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![]() GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:![]()
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