Crook Manifesto
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- Create Date：2023-02-27 11:21:41
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Colson Whitehead
- ISBN：0593455576
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Summary
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning Colson Whitehead continues his Harlem saga in a powerful and hugely-entertaining novel that summons 1970s New York in all its seedy glory。
It's 1971。 Trash piles up on the streets， crime is at an all-time high， the city is careening towards bankruptcy， and a shooting war has broken out between the NYPD and the Black Liberation Army。 Amidst this collective nervous breakdown furniture store owner and ex-fence Ray Carney tries to keep his head down and his business thriving。 His days moving stolen goods around the city are over。 It's strictly the straight-and-narrow for him -- until he needs Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter May and he decides to hit up his old police contact Munson， fixer extraordinaire。 But Munson has his own favors to ask of Carney and staying out of the game gets a lot more complicated - and deadly。
1973。 The counter-culture has created a new generation， the old ways are being overthrown， but there is one constant， Pepper， Carney's endearingly violent partner in crime。 It's getting harder to put together a reliable crew for hijackings， heists， and assorted felonies， so Pepper takes on a side gig doing security on a Blaxploitation shoot in Harlem。 He finds himself in a freaky world of Hollywood stars， up-and-coming comedians， and celebrity drug dealers， in addition to the usual cast of hustlers， mobsters， and hit men。 These adversaries underestimate the seasoned crook - to their regret。
1976。 Harlem is burning， block by block， while the whole country is gearing up for Bicentennial celebrations。 Carney is trying to come up with a July 4th ad he can live with。 （"Two Hundred Years of Getting Away with It！"）， while his wife Elizabeth is campaigning for her childhood friend， the former assistant D。A and rising politician Alexander Oakes。 When a fire severely injures one of Carney's tenants， he enlists Pepper to look into who may be behind it。 Our crooked duo have to battle their way through a crumbling metropolis run by the shady， the violent， and the utterly corrupted。
CROOK MANIFESTO is a darkly funny tale of a city under siege， but also a sneakily searching portrait of the meaning of family。 Colson Whitehead's kaleidoscopic portrait of Harlem is sure to stand as one of the all-time great evocations of a place and a time。
It's 1971。 Trash piles up on the streets， crime is at an all-time high， the city is careening towards bankruptcy， and a shooting war has broken out between the NYPD and the Black Liberation Army。 Amidst this collective nervous breakdown furniture store owner and ex-fence Ray Carney tries to keep his head down and his business thriving。 His days moving stolen goods around the city are over。 It's strictly the straight-and-narrow for him -- until he needs Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter May and he decides to hit up his old police contact Munson， fixer extraordinaire。 But Munson has his own favors to ask of Carney and staying out of the game gets a lot more complicated - and deadly。
1973。 The counter-culture has created a new generation， the old ways are being overthrown， but there is one constant， Pepper， Carney's endearingly violent partner in crime。 It's getting harder to put together a reliable crew for hijackings， heists， and assorted felonies， so Pepper takes on a side gig doing security on a Blaxploitation shoot in Harlem。 He finds himself in a freaky world of Hollywood stars， up-and-coming comedians， and celebrity drug dealers， in addition to the usual cast of hustlers， mobsters， and hit men。 These adversaries underestimate the seasoned crook - to their regret。
1976。 Harlem is burning， block by block， while the whole country is gearing up for Bicentennial celebrations。 Carney is trying to come up with a July 4th ad he can live with。 （"Two Hundred Years of Getting Away with It！"）， while his wife Elizabeth is campaigning for her childhood friend， the former assistant D。A and rising politician Alexander Oakes。 When a fire severely injures one of Carney's tenants， he enlists Pepper to look into who may be behind it。 Our crooked duo have to battle their way through a crumbling metropolis run by the shady， the violent， and the utterly corrupted。
CROOK MANIFESTO is a darkly funny tale of a city under siege， but also a sneakily searching portrait of the meaning of family。 Colson Whitehead's kaleidoscopic portrait of Harlem is sure to stand as one of the all-time great evocations of a place and a time。
Reviews
Lisa Burris
，
There is no doubt that Colson Whitehead is one of our most gifted modern writers。 His talent shines in this， the second novel in a planned trilogy about Harlem furniture store owner and part-time hood， Ray Carney。 Whitehead's genius is in creating a sense of place that is so real you can almost see， smell， and hear it。 Observe just one of his descriptions of a summer day in NYC: "It was a glorious June morning。 The sun was shining， the birds were singing， the ambulances were screaming， and the d There is no doubt that Colson Whitehead is one of our most gifted modern writers。 His talent shines in this， the second novel in a planned trilogy about Harlem furniture store owner and part-time hood， Ray Carney。 Whitehead's genius is in creating a sense of place that is so real you can almost see， smell， and hear it。 Observe just one of his descriptions of a summer day in NYC: "It was a glorious June morning。 The sun was shining， the birds were singing， the ambulances were screaming， and the daylight falling on last night's crime scenes made the blood twinkle like dew in a green heaven。" This description could be a metaphor for protagonist， Carney's， life - beautiful， ironic， and brutal。 Make no mistake， Crook Manifesto is brutal， with lots of violence， but it also has notes of humor and pathos。 Carney is a multidimensional character， neither wholly good nor wholly bad， but， like most of us， he falls somewhere in between。 He wants to go straight， and his roles as dad， husband， and businessman reflect his efforts， but he is also very much a child of his father， a street kid who does whatever it takes， whether legal or not， to survive。 As Whitehead writes， "Crooked stays crooked and bent hates straight。" Carney can't change who he is and， right or wrong， we want to see him overcome his obstacles and we root for his success。 。。。more
Rosann
，
This is the second in a planned three book series by Colson Whitehead。 Fans of the first book "Harlem Shuffle" will applaud this follow up tale。 Whitehead once again deftly tells the story of a small time， semi-criminal furniture store owner 10 years later navigating the world of early 1970s Harlem。 The troubles of NYC in the seventies abound and bring the political changes， economic upheaval， police brutality， rise of women's rights， drug abuse and a changing Harlem to Ray Carney's world。 White This is the second in a planned three book series by Colson Whitehead。 Fans of the first book "Harlem Shuffle" will applaud this follow up tale。 Whitehead once again deftly tells the story of a small time， semi-criminal furniture store owner 10 years later navigating the world of early 1970s Harlem。 The troubles of NYC in the seventies abound and bring the political changes， economic upheaval， police brutality， rise of women's rights， drug abuse and a changing Harlem to Ray Carney's world。 Whitehead adds further interest by increasing the action around some minor characters especially the tough guy Pepper。I eagerly await his third book focusing on the 1980s。 。。。more
Danielle
，
An utter delight to return to this world， these characters。
Audrey
，
Ray Carney is back in these vignettes of him， his family and colleagues in the early 1970s Harlem/NYC。 And， true to form， he's savvy and dryly funny as he slowly inches his way back into his old ways。 To think， it all started with Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter。 What made this such an illuminating read is the expansion of character with Ray's people， specifically， his wife and Pepper。 I'm really looking forward to the third installment of this trilogy， just to see what Ray does next。I receiv Ray Carney is back in these vignettes of him， his family and colleagues in the early 1970s Harlem/NYC。 And， true to form， he's savvy and dryly funny as he slowly inches his way back into his old ways。 To think， it all started with Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter。 What made this such an illuminating read is the expansion of character with Ray's people， specifically， his wife and Pepper。 I'm really looking forward to the third installment of this trilogy， just to see what Ray does next。I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Diana
，
Colson Whitehead is an astonishingly good writer。 Reading this， I would incessantly feel these little jolts of pleasure and recognition at the clarity of the writing， and I felt like I could see and smell Harlem in the 1970s。 And the characters are so rich and recognizably human。 Pepper， the criminal who was friends- actually coworkers- with the main character’s father， could be a hard character to nail。 He’s been through a lot， he’s lost a lot， and he doesn’t say much， doesn’t put himself out t Colson Whitehead is an astonishingly good writer。 Reading this， I would incessantly feel these little jolts of pleasure and recognition at the clarity of the writing， and I felt like I could see and smell Harlem in the 1970s。 And the characters are so rich and recognizably human。 Pepper， the criminal who was friends- actually coworkers- with the main character’s father， could be a hard character to nail。 He’s been through a lot， he’s lost a lot， and he doesn’t say much， doesn’t put himself out there。 I’m a words person。 I usually prefer characters who talk。 But I GOT Pepper， and I became so interested in his reactions， in the things he’d say。 He’s so alive on the page。And the little stories that show up in this novel， little throwaway stories， but the kind of stories people always have and share- they show up in here seeming so organic。 The rivalry between the two women with fried chicken restaurants！I love how Carney， a furniture salesman， is always noticing furniture。 I started looking up the furniture brands， wanting to actually see what he was talking about。Backing up- this is a sequel to Whitehead’s Harlem Shuffle， one of my 2 best books of 2021， about Carney， the son of a crook， who operates a little fencing business out of his furniture store。 There are three main stories in The Crook Manifesto。 In the first one， Carney basically gets kidnapped by a rogue cop （although it seems like all the cops in Harlem might have been worse criminals than the actual criminals） and forced to be his driver， an accomplice as he steals and murders in preparation for running off and changing his identity。 In the second one， Pepper’s looking for an actress who has disappeared。 In the third， Pepper and Carney are looking for the arsonist who set a fire- and they find a lot more than they bargained for。Harlem is a character in both books。 I found The Underground Railroad really painful to read， which could have been timing？ （It was early November of 2016。） And I couldn’t bear to read The Nickel Boys， anticipating the pain of reading about children being tortured and murdered。 But these two books are fun。 They don’t gloss over the realities of being Black in a country built on racism， but the darkness makes the humor even better， and there’s so much pleasure in the fine writing。 These books put a spell on me。 I felt like I was time traveling。 I want more。 I think I’ll even have to brave The Nickel Boys。 。。。more
Em
，
As a huge fan of Colson Whitehead， I jumped at the opportunity to read Crook Manifesto which is a continuation of Harlem Shuffle and the story of Ray Carney。 Crook Manifesto is set in 1970s New York， a time when the city was burning and developers were relocating from different areas to buy real estate and change the landscape of the concrete jungle。 I love how the plot of the story begins with Carney trying to secure Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter， May。 He is trying to stay on a straight an As a huge fan of Colson Whitehead， I jumped at the opportunity to read Crook Manifesto which is a continuation of Harlem Shuffle and the story of Ray Carney。 Crook Manifesto is set in 1970s New York， a time when the city was burning and developers were relocating from different areas to buy real estate and change the landscape of the concrete jungle。 I love how the plot of the story begins with Carney trying to secure Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter， May。 He is trying to stay on a straight and narrow path and outside a life of crime but soon realizes that all of his connections that could help him get the tickets are associates from his former life in the streets。 When Carney reaches out to Munson， his former police contact， the last thing he was expecting was to get manipulated into being an accomplice to murder among other crimes。 The plot of Crook Manifesto moved a lot faster for me than Harlem Shuffle。 The beginning of the story takes you on a journey where as a reader we are left wondering whether or not Carney will make it out of the situation alive。 The second half of the book is where we become more acquainted with specific characters， their beef with each other， past resentments， and future hopes。 I love how at the end of the narrative Carney makes the connection between his wife， Elizabeth， being the one to motivate him to be a better man。 Carney is a family man to his core after all。 "What else was an ongoing criminal enterprise complicated by periodic violence for， but to make your wife happy？" In the end， Carney is just trying to do right by his family， his business， and his friends。 We learn a lot about where his loyalties lie in this story while he navigates the NYC world of drug dealers， mobsters， hustlers， and crooked cops。 Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy！ 。。。more
Candie
，
The second in his Harlem trilogy， Crook Manifesto reads more like 3 novellas than a single novel。 Part one is the story of Carney’s return to crime after the short hiatus which ended the last book。 He goes on a spree with his cop contact， Munson， in order to get Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter。 Part two sees his pal Pepper as a guard for a local movie shoot。 The only Carney connection being a scene shot in the store。 Part three is Carney and Pepper together， trying to figure out who torched a The second in his Harlem trilogy， Crook Manifesto reads more like 3 novellas than a single novel。 Part one is the story of Carney’s return to crime after the short hiatus which ended the last book。 He goes on a spree with his cop contact， Munson， in order to get Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter。 Part two sees his pal Pepper as a guard for a local movie shoot。 The only Carney connection being a scene shot in the store。 Part three is Carney and Pepper together， trying to figure out who torched a nearby building。 Through all three parts， Harlem is really the unifying character。 We get to see the Harlem of the seventies - grim， decaying， and being used up by the cons and the politicians alike。 Glorious descriptions。 Moments of hilarity。 Another gem。Thanks Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Tracy Towley
，
I cannot believe I'm DNFing a book by Colson Whitehead but here we are。 Nobody tell him， please。 I cannot believe I'm DNFing a book by Colson Whitehead but here we are。 Nobody tell him， please。 。。。more
Geoffrey
，
（Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）It was a joy to see all the familiar faces from Harlem Shuffle again， and to meet a new group of eclectic characters。 However， what I loved in particular was what made the first book in the saga such a delight - the way it so deeply immersed me within a past Harlem and a past New York。 This time around， instead of the city in the 1960’s roaring to life through Colson’s words， it was the troublesome 70s that was vividly （Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）It was a joy to see all the familiar faces from Harlem Shuffle again， and to meet a new group of eclectic characters。 However， what I loved in particular was what made the first book in the saga such a delight - the way it so deeply immersed me within a past Harlem and a past New York。 This time around， instead of the city in the 1960’s roaring to life through Colson’s words， it was the troublesome 70s that was vividly painted in my mind - a city on edge， a city that is seemingly falling apart at the seams， a city whose neighborhoods are bursting into flames - but like the core characters of the book， despite the chaos and the deterioration， is still resiliently going， despite the uncertainty that lies ahead in abundance。 Whitehead could comfortably conclude here and leave it as a solid two-part series。 Frankly though， I’m hoping that he’ll be able to transport us to 80’s Harlem within the next few years。 。。。more
Ariel
，
Still good but not as great as the first one。 I grew up in Manhattan in the 1970s so it was a little bit painful to read about how the city was going downhill and how politicians were scamming off the city's misfortunes， the danger and violence that was like a fog everywhere， not just Harlem。 I would have liked it better if we'd stayed closer to Carney， the protagonist， as we did in the first book。 Still good but not as great as the first one。 I grew up in Manhattan in the 1970s so it was a little bit painful to read about how the city was going downhill and how politicians were scamming off the city's misfortunes， the danger and violence that was like a fog everywhere， not just Harlem。 I would have liked it better if we'd stayed closer to Carney， the protagonist， as we did in the first book。 。。。more
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Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Crook Manifesto
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Crook Manifesto&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Crook Manifesto&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0