Synopses & Reviews
Review
"In this forceful novel Wideman explores the evolving role of the black male in today's society. Cudjoe, the narrator, returns to West Philadelphia after ten years of self-imposed exile on an island in the Aegean: ten years of running from his roots, from his failure as a black (he married a white woman), his failure as a man (he left his wife and children); ten years of trying not to think, trying to do nothing other than make love and soak up the sun. Then one May morning in 1985 a bomb is dropped on a house in West Philly; 11 people die, all members of the cult MOVE. Bystanders say that a small boy was seen running from the fire; for this boy Cudjoe returns home. In his search for the youngster he relives his past, remembers old friends, until he becomes the voice of black experience searching for an identity within the modern city. Wideman's prose pulsates with an inner passion, now lyrical, now ringing with sounds from the street. It surges forward, taking the reader with it, asking questions, demanding to be heard, and providing pause for thought. A strong and moving novel." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)