Fiction

A Rage in Harlem

A Rage in Harlem

  • Downloads：6892
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-18 07:50:57
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Chester Himes
  • ISBN：0241521084
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

'The greatest find in American crime fiction since Raymond Chandler' Sunday Times

Jackson's woman has found him a foolproof way to make money - a technique for turning ten dollar bills into hundreds。 But when the scheme somehow fails， Jackson is left broke， wanted by the police and desperately racing to get back both his money and his loving Imabelle。

The first of Chester Himes's novels featuring the hardboiled Harlem detectives Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones， A Rage in Harlem has swagger， brutal humour， lurid violence， a hearse loaded with gold and a conman dressed as a Sister of Mercy。

With an Introduction by Luc Sante

Download

Reviews

David Sodergren ，

Classic Black comedic crime thriller hits the ground running with one outrageous set-piece after another， though it fails to maintain the hectic pace and kinda ends with a dreadful whimper of an interrogation scene。 Still， it's often funny and there are a few flashes of shocking violence throughout。 Samuel L Jackson reading the audiobook is an absolute blast。 Classic Black comedic crime thriller hits the ground running with one outrageous set-piece after another， though it fails to maintain the hectic pace and kinda ends with a dreadful whimper of an interrogation scene。 Still， it's often funny and there are a few flashes of shocking violence throughout。 Samuel L Jackson reading the audiobook is an absolute blast。 。。。more

John ，

Started off slow and simple， but picked up steam and had twists to please。 Happy with it。

Kamyab Gh ，

خب اول از همه یه نکته‌ای بگم که من اصلا رمان‌های پلیسی‌ رو دوست ندارم ولی از خوندن این کتاب کیف کردم。 خشم در هارلم رو همون روزی که منتشر شد شروع کردم به خوندنش خیلی زود تمومش کردم جوری که اصلا نفهمیدم کی تموم شد。 راستش من کلا دوست ندارم داستان رو تعریف کنم ولی خب یه مقدار از داستان رو تعریف می‌کنم براتون داستان از اون‌جایی شروع می‌شه که جکسون جوان ساده‌ای که کل سرمایه‌ش رو می‌ذاره برای این‌که پول‌هاش رو جعل کنن و ۱۰ برابر بشه。 داستان انقدر جذاب شروع می‌شه که صفحات اول کتاب به شدت با زندگی جکسون خب اول از همه یه نکته‌ای بگم که من اصلا رمان‌های پلیسی‌ رو دوست ندارم ولی از خوندن این کتاب کیف کردم。 خشم در هارلم رو همون روزی که منتشر شد شروع کردم به خوندنش خیلی زود تمومش کردم جوری که اصلا نفهمیدم کی تموم شد。 راستش من کلا دوست ندارم داستان رو تعریف کنم ولی خب یه مقدار از داستان رو تعریف می‌کنم براتون داستان از اون‌جایی شروع می‌شه که جکسون جوان ساده‌ای که کل سرمایه‌ش رو می‌ذاره برای این‌که پول‌هاش رو جعل کنن و ۱۰ برابر بشه。 داستان انقدر جذاب شروع می‌شه که صفحات اول کتاب به شدت با زندگی جکسون درگیر می‌شی؛ زندگی که بعد از یه حادثه کاملا دست‌خوش تغییر می‌شه。تمام سرمایه‌ش و خونه‌ش رو از دست می‌ده و دختری که دوستش داشت رو گم می‌کنه؛ تو اون شرایط هم مجبور به دزدی می‌شه و مشکل جدیدی براش پیش می‌آد。（ تف تو شانست جکسون😂）ولش کن؛ خودتون برید بخونید خیلی باحال بود انصافا اون خشونتی که تو بعضی از صحنه‌هاش هست رو کاملا حس می‌کنید。امیدوارم بقیه کتاب‌های هایمز هم ترجمه بشه من واقعا از این نویسنده خوشم اومد。 。。。more

Matthew Leigh ，

Himes is an extraordinary stylist。 This book is brutal， hilarious， scandalous all at the same time。 No Sister of Mercy has ever made me laugh so loud。

آبتین گلکار ，

ترجمه‌ی فوق‌العاده خوب و روونی داشت، ولی خود کتاب اون‌قدرها جذبم نکرد。 کلاً نمی‌دونم چرا با فضای جرم و جنایت امریکایی هیچ احساس نزدیکی نمی‌کنم。 از بیلی باتگیت یا فیلم دارودسته‌ی نیویورکی‌های اسکورسیزی هم به همین دلیل خوشم نمیاد。 شاید جرم و جنایت روس‌ها به‌نظرم شبیه‌تره به خودمون

Felicia ，

Good - great characters。2021 PopSugar Reading List #34

Nicole ，

OM！ THIS BOOK IS CRAZY FUNNY！ I absolutely love this story。 Happen to listen to it through audible and Samuel Jackson was all that！ It was worth the listen！

Navid Shokrollahi ，

«خشم در هارلم» رمان خوبی است و تقریباً تمام انتظارات یک خواننده را از یک داستان جنایی برآورده می‌کند。 عموم مولفه‌های این ژانر را خلاقانه و باموفقیت در داستانش پیاده می‌کند و در شخصیت‌پردازی‌ها نه کم می‌گذارد و نه زیاده‌روی می‌کند و همه‌چیز در حد قد و قوارهٔ قصه است。 محلهٔ هارلم همچون یک شخصیت و موجود زنده، از ابتدا تا انتهای داستان و به‌لطف صحنه‌پردازی و تصویرسازی‌های دقیق و گیرای نویسنده مدام در حال جلوه نمودن است。 و در میان تراکم دیوانه‌وار جمعیت سیاه‌پوست همین محله است که داستان با ضربآهنگی ت «خشم در هارلم» رمان خوبی است و تقریباً تمام انتظارات یک خواننده را از یک داستان جنایی برآورده می‌کند。 عموم مولفه‌های این ژانر را خلاقانه و باموفقیت در داستانش پیاده می‌کند و در شخصیت‌پردازی‌ها نه کم می‌گذارد و نه زیاده‌روی می‌کند و همه‌چیز در حد قد و قوارهٔ قصه است。 محلهٔ هارلم همچون یک شخصیت و موجود زنده، از ابتدا تا انتهای داستان و به‌لطف صحنه‌پردازی و تصویرسازی‌های دقیق و گیرای نویسنده مدام در حال جلوه نمودن است。 و در میان تراکم دیوانه‌وار جمعیت سیاه‌پوست همین محله است که داستان با ضربآهنگی تند و نفس‌گیر آغاز می‌شود。 تمام شخصیت‌های اصلی رمان سیاه‌پوست‌اند و با توجه به زمان و مکان وقایع داستان، یعنی نیویورک اواسط قرن بیستم، تمامی آن‌ها تحت تبعیض نژادی و سرکوبی سنگینی که بر کلیّت زندگی آنان سایه انداخته، روزگار می‌گذرانند。 با این وجود، چستر هایمز با هوشمندی و مهارت دم به تلهٔ «مرثیه‌سرایی» و «اعتراض به‌مثابهٔ غرغر» نمی‌دهد و ابداً خود را اسیر صدور بیانیه‌های اعتراضی و اجتماعی نمی‌کند。 او به اصلِ قصه‌سرایی‌اش وفادار می‌ماند و با به‌کارگیری طنزی قدرتمند و زهرآلود، ماجرایی را روایت می‌کند که پیش از هرچیز روند حوادث و سرنوشت شخصیت‌های آن است که برای خواننده اهمیت پیدا می‌کند。 و اتفاقاً با حربهٔ همین طنز قدرتمند و زهرآلود است که در ابتدای نیمهٔ پایانی داستان و جایی که اصلاً انتظار آن نمی‌رود، ما خوانندگان را با یک ضربهٔ مهلک عاطفی روبه‌رو می‌کند تا میخکوب و حیران شویم و با ابروهایی بالا رفته، چاره‌ای نداشته باشیم جز این‌که صاف بنشینیم، گلویی صاف کنیم، کتاب را میان گره دو مشت سفت بچسبیم و آن را در سکوت شب و تا به آخر رسیدن داستان، زمین نگذاریم。 。。。more

Arantxa Rufo ，

Tenía muchas ganas de adentrarme en esta serie clásica de la novela negra， y， pese a que no es una novela fácil de leer， debido a la jerga que utiliza a lo largo de toda la historia， solo lamento haber tardado tanto en descubrirla。Hasta el momento， la novela más original que he leído dentro del género， por sus protagonistas -no hay que no sea glorioso- y su ambientación -esas descripciones y la jerga que te mete en situación。 Novela negra escrita y protagonizada por afroamoricanos， en el mundo d Tenía muchas ganas de adentrarme en esta serie clásica de la novela negra， y， pese a que no es una novela fácil de leer， debido a la jerga que utiliza a lo largo de toda la historia， solo lamento haber tardado tanto en descubrirla。Hasta el momento， la novela más original que he leído dentro del género， por sus protagonistas -no hay que no sea glorioso- y su ambientación -esas descripciones y la jerga que te mete en situación。 Novela negra escrita y protagonizada por afroamoricanos， en el mundo de los más bajos fondos de Harlem。Una saga que pienso continuar。 。。。more

Susan ，

Read-alike for Hammett and Richard Price。 The characters may be stereotypes but they all have their own personalities。 Grave Digger and Coffin Ed， the two Black detectives who anchor the series， are hard-boiled but sympathetic。 In this one， everybody double-crosses everybody （my favorite kind of plot）。 The writing is tight and very descriptive， might say cinematic， since it did indeed become a movie。 A fast-reading palate cleanser if you need a break from too much heavy reading。 （Or if you final Read-alike for Hammett and Richard Price。 The characters may be stereotypes but they all have their own personalities。 Grave Digger and Coffin Ed， the two Black detectives who anchor the series， are hard-boiled but sympathetic。 In this one， everybody double-crosses everybody （my favorite kind of plot）。 The writing is tight and very descriptive， might say cinematic， since it did indeed become a movie。 A fast-reading palate cleanser if you need a break from too much heavy reading。 （Or if you finally finished a book you wish you hadn't wasted your time on）。 。。。more

Meredith ，

I wasn't sure if I should start with this prequel or with the first novel。 I went with the prequel。 Not sure it was the best choice。 The heart of the story is about a fellow named Jackson who is somehow overly trusting when he shouldn't be。 Yet the series named for two cops， Grave Digger and Coffin Ed， are really secondary characters here。 So I'm a bit confused。The story is a ride， at turns hilarious and at other times close to horrific - sometimes nearly back to back。 I'm definitely open to rea I wasn't sure if I should start with this prequel or with the first novel。 I went with the prequel。 Not sure it was the best choice。 The heart of the story is about a fellow named Jackson who is somehow overly trusting when he shouldn't be。 Yet the series named for two cops， Grave Digger and Coffin Ed， are really secondary characters here。 So I'm a bit confused。The story is a ride， at turns hilarious and at other times close to horrific - sometimes nearly back to back。 I'm definitely open to reading the next one。 。。。more

Elaine Jackson ，

Loved it， it so entertaining with excellent narration and characters。

Carey Nelson ，

Samuel L Jackson narrates the audiobook of this wild ride。 It is unfortunate that the storied detectives Coffin Ed and Gravedigger Jones are such a small part of their own book。 Himes's book is transporting and chaotic。 Samuel L Jackson narrates the audiobook of this wild ride。 It is unfortunate that the storied detectives Coffin Ed and Gravedigger Jones are such a small part of their own book。 Himes's book is transporting and chaotic。 。。。more

Trevor ，

First published in 1957 under the title For the Love of Imabelle， A Rage in Harlem is a noir thriller that reads like a fever dream of nightmarish corruption， grift， and obscene violence。 Chester Himes， channeling prose worthy of the best poets of his era with the rage tucked away neatly for decades of his life， delivers one of the most interesting fictional settings in any hard-boiled fiction， replete with all of the usual and familiar grift to crime fiction of the previous two decades。A Rage i First published in 1957 under the title For the Love of Imabelle， A Rage in Harlem is a noir thriller that reads like a fever dream of nightmarish corruption， grift， and obscene violence。 Chester Himes， channeling prose worthy of the best poets of his era with the rage tucked away neatly for decades of his life， delivers one of the most interesting fictional settings in any hard-boiled fiction， replete with all of the usual and familiar grift to crime fiction of the previous two decades。A Rage in Harlem， though， isn't all just brutal violence and fast-paced action; Himes gives his story real soul， creating a world in which the dangers aren't merely the grifters and whores and whore-lovers skulking about on every corner， but also the would-be guardians of "polite society" that serve as vehicles for racial injustice。 Himes uses symbolic language scattered throughout his riveting prose to speak to the frustrations of racial segregation and the denigration that comes from systemic racism--all so that he can share ideas about black community， black identity， and the way blacks have the capacity to build each other up or tear each other down depending on how they respond to the monumental disparity in the way they are treated in a white society。 This is a literature of revolutionary intent carefully dressed in the attire of classic noir。Plot， characters， setting， language--every choice Himes makes dutifully carries out his vision for a literature speaking to the uniqueness of being black in America。 A Rage in Harlem is a tremendous book， and it's one I may have to read multiple times before I'm able to digest all of its many brilliant nuances。 。。。more

Ricky Black ，

Relentless from start to finish。 I'm already looking forward to re-reading this。 Relentless from start to finish。 I'm already looking forward to re-reading this。 。。。more

Joy Zheng ，

harlem is doped

Exquisite Williams ，

A Wild RideThere was definitely a Rage in Harlam。 This story is wild from start to finish and having Samuel Jackson as the narrator just made it even crazier！ Just a great story！

Jason ，

I write this in March of 2021， Age of COVID。 We’ve about lapped ourselves， haven’t we？ What is the significance of the timing？ Early March， be it of 2020 or 2021 or pretty much any other year coordinated with reference to the governing frame of the current epoch。 Yeah？ I have had occasion to write about this correlation elsewhere: around the time COVID started rolling through the networked global b'webb'd speedway system， I had just happened to revisit George A。 Romero’s epochal 1968 regional ci I write this in March of 2021， Age of COVID。 We’ve about lapped ourselves， haven’t we？ What is the significance of the timing？ Early March， be it of 2020 or 2021 or pretty much any other year coordinated with reference to the governing frame of the current epoch。 Yeah？ I have had occasion to write about this correlation elsewhere: around the time COVID started rolling through the networked global b'webb'd speedway system， I had just happened to revisit George A。 Romero’s epochal 1968 regional cinema breakout NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD， a film packed full with the whole roster of then-current dreads and about as influential on the culture in its broadest sense as an actual zombie event would have been—I was naturally delighted in the extreme to be made to recall that in that august classic’s opening sequences the supposed sibling’d pair of Barbara and Johnny complain in their altogether soft manner about having lost an hour’s sleep to Daylight Savings， certainly helping this viewer get his self set wise， mytho-calendric。 As COVID and its restrictions and lockdowns and shelter-in-place protocols have persisted or wonked on quite obtusely in one form or another， neither rhyme nor reason at all consistent， reality has slid here and there like the edge of a melting glacier or iceberg or what have you， the unsteady shelf of existence appearing to slink fatefully further and further into slithering abjection and/or oblivion。 Well， cheers。 What’s a girl to do？ The advice “go with the flow” is both the only right answer and too vile to offer as such。 I see no call for anything in the way of theatrics。 Art and culture have continued to offer me more than I need to flourish。 Impossible bounty ought make， I say， for impossible jollity…at least up to a point。 Maybe especially salubrious from my personal standpoint， as a personal program of creative spirituality is made to make praxis at the worksite of daily life （one hopes） during a time where self-isolation and quarantine are a good deal more than merely tolerated in ways they have never previously been in my lifetime， are Fenton Johnson’s book AT THE CENTER OF ALL BEAUTY: SOLITUDE AND THE CREATIVE LIFE， which I read this past October and in which one can dig into such stimulating matters as how a soul might come to find itself in routine conscious contact with what Zora Neale Hurston decreed “the eternal in beauty，” and then additionally a YouTube video I happened upon a number of months ago now in which the American writer Robert Coover， almost certainly my personal favourite living laboratory technician of fictions， addresses the influence of Samuel Beckett and how this was ultimately a matter above all of just this sudden lightning-bolt realization， Bob already a college graduate， that “writing” could be a priestly vocation answerable to nothing other than the calling itself， there being no legitimate authority in higher standing。 There is actually more than a touch of the spirit of Chester Himes in the stories and novels of Bob Coover， and we needn’t at all confine the matter to the latter’s 2008 dick trip NOIR， psychedelics laced with methedrine in all them bold Dick Tracy primaries。 Ubiquitous NYC bagman Luc Sante provides an Introduction to the 2011 Penguin paperback edition of A RAGE IN HARLEM， the first of the experimental pulp novels Himes would write in Paris （or I guess， like， ‘around’ Europe） in the late 50s and the 60s， also known as FOR LOVE OF IMABELLE （a lovely and ultimately very funny handle） and THE FIVE-CORNERED SQUARE， but originally written in English to be immediately translated into French and published by the Série noire publishing imprint， who’s Marcel Duhamel， figure of some renown， Sante has courting Himes directly， planting the Harlem crime seed in the expat’s head。 An ex-convict in Paris at the same time as Miles Davis and James Baldwin， effectively， but with nothing resembling the profile of either， it may seem like a sweet deal to Himes…maybe even better than that。 Sante quotes Himes on the subject of his fanciful， accidental métier: “I would sit in my room and become hysterical thinking about the wild， incredible story I was writing。 But it was only for the French， I thought， and they would believe anything about Americans， black or white， if it was bad enough。 And I thought I was writing realism。 It never occurred to me that I was writing absurdity。 Realism and absurdity are so similar in the lives of American blacks one cannot tell the difference。” Chester Himes writes wild， roiling comic novels of imaginative overflow within recognizable idiomatic （or formulaic-compositional） parameters， not all that far off from those of Frenchman Ray Queneau and his protégé-of-sorts Boris Vian， and if Himes has Mickey Spillane and the lumbering brute Mike Hammer on his mind， surely the slapstick of Harold Lloyd， the gags of Tex Avery and Frank Tashlin， or the steamrolling anarchic illogic of the Fleischer Brothers， Betty Boop and Co。 retain their own exalted station there， too。 My guess is that Chester Himes also loves and is inspired by George Herriman， mix-raced Creole cartoonist—creator， in fact， of Krazy Kat， his immortality therefore fixedly assured。 This is antic amped-up literature， all-systems-go at all times， back burners fried， son。 It is famously hilarious; rumours persist that nobody has ever said otherwise。 It is with A RAGE IN HARLEM that we meet the constellating pair of mythic morally grey toughs， detectives （read: raging dicks） Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones， truly a pair fit for a Herriman strip。 Coffin Ed and Grave Digger Jones are largely peripheral figures in this first of the Harlem cycle novels， only entering about a quarter of the way in， coming and going thereafter， one （Grave Digger） to be knocked unconscious for a period and the other （Ed） to sustain the acid burns to the face which will distinguish his appearance throughout the rest of the novels in which he features， gnarled fist （or hoof！） personified。 Chaos reigns， our steady agents of corkscrew justice looking for bearing and blood。 From the standpoint of genre or idiom freshly hijacked: the more convolutions and the more volatile intersecting valences， preferably moving at reckless rates of speed， the better。 Grave Digger and Coffin Ed administer extemporaneous justice within a messy facial arena of outrageous fortune， and one gets the sense （and rapidly becomes assured of it） that Himes achieves his kick not just in beholding the bounty of absurd materials he is able to summon from reverie or opaque synaptic magic， but rather in a more properly occult capacity to create and modify rhythms and speeds within a language and its worlds， all the while keeping the diagram of the whirligig plotting plastically in mind。 Remember and remember to always remember: man has no world that isn’t language-worlded。 Antic， farcical， frenzied， ribald。 Sure。 But also ruthless， rigorous， precision-tooled， saturated in the delight in style that is alone mandatory in the forging of a “master stylist，” which is the only correct term for what Chester Himes is before he is anything more palatable for the folks in marketing。 For your consideration， one of the most remarkable and self-delightedly lapidary paragraphs I have ever read， though you maybe have to sit with it por un segundo for it to register as more than breezy affectation: "Red Horse was shooting。 He shook the number eight bird's eye dice loosely in his left hand， rolled them with his right hand。 The dice rolled evenly down the green velvet cover， jumped the dog chain stretched across the middle of the table like two steeplechasers in a dead heat， came to a stop on four and three。" That right there is killdozer prose style。 And then a page later: “Jackson turned them loose。 They hopped across the green like scared jackrabbits， jumped the dog chain like frisky kangaroos， romped toward Abie’s field-cloth like locoed steers， got tired and rested on six and five。” Set up volley—and smash。 But that is the hoodoo movement inside the language speaking， its actual cosmic moxie or vodun juice， what Henri Bergson would calls its élan vital， Wilhelm Reich its orgone energy。 Things are often speeding， and it is largely of course going to be a matter of careening motor vehicles， the hardboiled idiom being what it is， but few can make formal language do the things Cadillacs can do the way Himes can， i。e。: “The deep-throated roar of the big-bored cylinders sounded like a four-motor stratocruiser gaining altitude as the big black hearse took off。” That is some whole other thing in opposition to the Ernest Hemingway style of soulful arm wrestler parataxis。 In fact， it is much closer to Langston Hughes， obviously， which has to do with its scrupulously rhythmic musicality and sensitivity to cadence， vernacular， and an expressionistic grease fire maximalism that is careful not to blast out of bounds and lose too many casual readers。 A Greek chorus in full Harlem flair is on hand to commentate， from stoop as from on high。 Random shoeshine boy in the fairly early going: “A good feeling is a sign of death， Daddy-o。” A little gambler speak tempered by a minor zen streak: “And as all the good crapshooters know， crapping is the way you lose。” A moment of clarity from within the pot once brought to full boil: “Colored folks and trouble， Jackson thought， like two mules hitched to the same wagon。” Ragamuffin junk cart wisdom， the ambient jaw harp blues at hand。 “Yes， sir， but you ain’t as poor as me， because I’ve not only got nothing but I’ve got minus nothing。” Of the aforementioned titles under which this splendid ludic novel has appeared， THE FIVE-CORNERED SQUARE is the closest to that original Série noire titre français， LA REINE DES POMMES or THE QUEEN OF FOOLS， which amounts to the same thing as THE FIVE-CORNERED SQUARE， these terms equally connoting an uncustomarily gullible rube or easy mark， this being Jackson， the name already well on the way to announcing the hapless type it often designates， appended as it sometimes colloquially is to statements directed at either strangers or familiars who for one reason or another have come in the moment to strike the smack artist as nearly too stupid for words。 “Jackson was a short， black， fat man with purple-red gums and pearly white teeth made for laughing， but Jackson wasn’t laughing。 It was too serious for Jackson to be laughing。 Jackson was only twenty-eight years old， but it was such serious business that he looked a good ten years older。” Problems， yes， and we discern， doubtlessly， that these problems will be of a genus known for a tendency to compound， inflate， and widen at wildfire pace （when everything is running optimally）。 But the main basic problem， and another of those alternative titles: FOR LOVE OF IMABELLE。 Dig it？ Imabelle， “high-yellow” floozy， the slang terminology connoting mixed-race heritage， probably a black and white genealogy， perhaps some indigenous mixed in， but certainly not Asian， that kind of “yellow” in the Harlem of the period not being the variation estimated “high” at comparative prejudicial value。 At any rate， Imabelle， new to Harlem， has shacked up with Jackson， a real Southern prize himself， the man “crazy about her as moose for doe。” Imabelle is set-up with some heavies from Mississippi， grifters who dabble in homicide when the chips are down—which is why they no longer in Mississippi。 We know that Imabelle has helped these nefarious transients hoodwink Jackson， but we do not know if she has legitimate feelings for Jackson and fears for her own life if she doesn’t go along with （very funny） schemes to exploit him， or whether the woman is simply an operator as will come to be suspected by Goldy， Johnson’s far more perspicacious brother， who Jackson very much physically resembles…excepting， oh yeah， that Goldy is an intravenous drug addict （regulated administration of speedballs） also known as Gabriel， a Sister of Mercy receiving alms in full habit and known to all of Harlem both very much as a nun but also as a stool pigeon。 “You ain’t got the brains you were born with，” quoth Sister Gabriel to his Brother。 That Imabelle may indeed be true of heart as the pitifully gullible Jackson believes like he’s never previously believed nada， will be a point of hovering speculation for readers， many of whom may quite sensibly come to determine that how that specific matter resolves itself will be a little more than merely decisive， probably legitimately taking on critical significance for those attentive to the maniacally worlding part of the febrile language machine at work， which though it does not produce iambic pentameter obviously has meter on its mind every bit as much as does the Langston Hughes system of yore。 The priestly vocation is play， as in fun and games and head-rush。 Luc Sante sees it and sets it up。 “I would sit in my room and become hysterical thinking about the wild， incredible story I was writing，” we have already quoted Hughes as pointedly testifying。 Expressionism was always a tightrope walk between ecstasy and terror erring ever in the direction of the hyperbolic。 It is recently in my other work as a film programmer that I have had a chance to write about and consider a certain Douglas Sirk film that we will be screening publicly very soon should God’s grace a straight crook of it hit。 I happen to think critic/essayist Geoffrey O’Brien might be putting it a little strongly when he insists that Sirk is less into “toning down” the "emotional extremes” of the absurd soap operas he directs than he is in allowing for “their full and somewhat demented force to emerge。” My solitary cavil is that I believe Sirk’s films to wield stupefying emotional power without any need for supplementary postmodern air quotes to buttress the frame， but， then， lo， “full and somewhat demented force” immediately seems like exactly the right way of designating Chester Himes’s communicable literary delight， operating so much as an electrical current you’re almost reluctant to call it a metaphor for one。 What does it all mean to wooly ool mr。 me in my year twenty and twenty-one？ Maybe something like a riot at the centre of all beauty， vaudevillian toads on checker board-formation lily pads on the surface of the blue-green eternal。 Or some such bunk， Jackson。 What's a girl to do？ Offer herself up to the Lord？ “‘What！’ Reverend Gaines started as though Jackson had uttered blaspheme。 ‘Give yourself up to the Lord？ Jesus Christ， man， what do you take the Lord for？ You have to go and give yourself up to the police。 The Lord won’t get you out of that kind of mess。’” 。。。more

Rich。dion ，

pulpy， gritty。 "gravedigger jones"， goldy the speedball shooting nun。 a hearse， a trunk。 highly entertaining。 pulpy， gritty。 "gravedigger jones"， goldy the speedball shooting nun。 a hearse， a trunk。 highly entertaining。 。。。more

Alonna Dray ，

Rough for me to get through。 Couldn't connect with the plot and had a hard time with the language against the character Imabelle。 In fact， really didn't like that the main female character came acrossed as dopey and foolish。 I appreciate the historical aspects of the story， insightful look of Harlem in the 1950's and descriptive language describing the setting and the mood。 There were some great characters such as Goldy aka Sister Gabriel。 Though Himes seemed to have a very interesting life stor Rough for me to get through。 Couldn't connect with the plot and had a hard time with the language against the character Imabelle。 In fact， really didn't like that the main female character came acrossed as dopey and foolish。 I appreciate the historical aspects of the story， insightful look of Harlem in the 1950's and descriptive language describing the setting and the mood。 There were some great characters such as Goldy aka Sister Gabriel。 Though Himes seemed to have a very interesting life story， would like to learn more about him。 I just wish I enjoyed the book more。 。。。more

Edward ，

This was extremely entertaining -- comic。 I listened as an Audiobook and Samuel L Jackson was the narrator -- he was great。

Eve Kay ，

I start sleeping all of a sudden when I start reading this。 Maybe another time then？

Joan Bennett ，

A fabulous bit of fun！

Kenneth ，

very interesting book- good settings and characters。 not what I was expecting at all- but in a good way。

John ，

Absolutely loved this gritty and sometimes hilarious crime novel。 Himes should be better known as A Rage Harlem ranks up there with the Maltese Falcon and The Long Goodbye。 ❤

Howard Eisman ，

I can see how A Rage in Harlem would not be considered part of any renaissance ， Harlem or otherwise。 It is without any overt pretensions of being more than a good story。 No belle littres; no moralizing。 The covert social and political points about racism are strong ones but they are embedded in a wild story of cons， deceit， mayhem， and a really heavy Mcguffin。。 Everyone is either a simpleton， a crook， a con man ，or a siren， except for two African American detectives who are each tougher than M I can see how A Rage in Harlem would not be considered part of any renaissance ， Harlem or otherwise。 It is without any overt pretensions of being more than a good story。 No belle littres; no moralizing。 The covert social and political points about racism are strong ones but they are embedded in a wild story of cons， deceit， mayhem， and a really heavy Mcguffin。。 Everyone is either a simpleton， a crook， a con man ，or a siren， except for two African American detectives who are each tougher than Mike Hammer， Phillip Marlow， and Sam Spade combined 。 The humor is laugh out loud funny， the story is so compelling that you won’t be able to put it down。 There is a bit too much blood shed for some tastes， but other than that， this is flawless entertainment 。。。more

Ian Walz ，

Had to read for class not really my thing

NIGEL PEARCE ，

As a Harlem resident it was great to read a novel about street and sites I am familiar with。 This was my introduction to Chester Himes’ writing with his gleeful and insightful observation。

Jason Béliveau ，

Ça commence tranquille， mais les 100 dernières pages sont de la grosse littérature noire de feu。

Sonny Peart ，

Perry Mason novels are one of my guilty pleasures。 Reasssuringly formulaic， they are nevertheless far more edgy than the anodyne Raymund Burr tv adaptations。 Erle Stanley Gardner was still churning out Perry Mason books in the 1950s and 1960s。 It's hard to believe that Chester Himes wrote this crime caper in the same century， let alone the same decade。 Regardless of the period setting， as convincingly portrayed as the geographic locale， this feels incredibly modern。 It has the brutal absurdity o Perry Mason novels are one of my guilty pleasures。 Reasssuringly formulaic， they are nevertheless far more edgy than the anodyne Raymund Burr tv adaptations。 Erle Stanley Gardner was still churning out Perry Mason books in the 1950s and 1960s。 It's hard to believe that Chester Himes wrote this crime caper in the same century， let alone the same decade。 Regardless of the period setting， as convincingly portrayed as the geographic locale， this feels incredibly modern。 It has the brutal absurdity of an Elmore Leonard book or a Tarantino film， but manages to weave social commentary into the taut dialogue and fast-paced action。 The protagonists are memorable， and attended by a cast of fascinating extras， some of whom feature in Himes's subsequent novels。 The plot is essentially a series of chases through the self-contained world of Harlem， but never loses its impetus， and is all wrapped up neatly with denoument that belies it being Hime's first genre novel。 Essential reading for any crime fiction fan。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Rage in Harlem

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Rage in Harlem&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Rage in Harlem&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0