goldhattedlover's review against another edition
3.0
The blurb of this dynamic collection lauds Simple as 'an Everyman for black Americans', a title for which he was destined, being a deliberate conglomeration of the coloured people Langston Hughes knew in 1940s Harlem. Simple's witty observations of racial niceties yield an uncomfortable pleasure: how can a book-length discourse on systemic inequity and racial discrimination prove to be a source of entertainment? The genius lurks in the near-neutrality of the narrator - a thinly veiled guise of Hughes himself - who plays a form of devil's advocate, often questioning Simple on the relevance of race and suggesting his expectations of the world are unrealistic.
"And to tell you I am tired of working like a Negro all week in order to live like white folks on Saturday night. What I want is a part-time job with full-time pay, or else a position where you take a vacation all summer and rest all winter. But I am coloured, so I know nothing like that is going to happen to me."
"Colour, colour, colour!" I said. "It is so easy to blame all one's failures and difficulties on colour. To whine I can't do this, I can't do that because I'm coloured - which is one bad habit you have, friend - always bringing up race."
"I do," said Simple, "because that is what I am always coming face to face with - race. I look in the mirror in the morning to shave - and what do I see? Me. From birth to death my face - which is my race - stares me in the face."
Compiled chronologically, The Best of Simple tracks its titular character over the course of several years in his dealings with landladies, barflies, his ex-wife, his girlfriend, his occasional mistress, his nephew, his cousin, Jim Crow laws, and the privileged members of 'high society'.
Read in succession, the stories - initially written as a weekly newspaper column - become quickly repetitious in the manner of an ocean tide, eroding the reader's inbuilt perspectives and prejudices, replacing them with the humble quietude of fruitless understanding. Cleverly written, packaging political parleys into punchy plots, this expedition into the mind of Simple, who - despite concerning himself primarily with money and race - remains endearing throughout, is a glistering example of context as a vital component of fiction. Though the narratives themselves are not dependent on the setting - requiring only a barroom and a drinking companion - it should be obvious to anyone who reads this collection that without the New York backdrop, there is no Simple.
Despite similarities with his poetry in terms of thematic overtones, this collection is a far cry from the jazzy melodiousness of Hughes' debut collection, The Weary Blues. A rousing feat of interwoven politicism, satire, realism and - importantly - humour, The Best of Simple is a quintessential case study of race relations in the mid-20th century, and also a gratifying read.
3/5 stars.
"And to tell you I am tired of working like a Negro all week in order to live like white folks on Saturday night. What I want is a part-time job with full-time pay, or else a position where you take a vacation all summer and rest all winter. But I am coloured, so I know nothing like that is going to happen to me."
"Colour, colour, colour!" I said. "It is so easy to blame all one's failures and difficulties on colour. To whine I can't do this, I can't do that because I'm coloured - which is one bad habit you have, friend - always bringing up race."
"I do," said Simple, "because that is what I am always coming face to face with - race. I look in the mirror in the morning to shave - and what do I see? Me. From birth to death my face - which is my race - stares me in the face."
Compiled chronologically, The Best of Simple tracks its titular character over the course of several years in his dealings with landladies, barflies, his ex-wife, his girlfriend, his occasional mistress, his nephew, his cousin, Jim Crow laws, and the privileged members of 'high society'.
Read in succession, the stories - initially written as a weekly newspaper column - become quickly repetitious in the manner of an ocean tide, eroding the reader's inbuilt perspectives and prejudices, replacing them with the humble quietude of fruitless understanding. Cleverly written, packaging political parleys into punchy plots, this expedition into the mind of Simple, who - despite concerning himself primarily with money and race - remains endearing throughout, is a glistering example of context as a vital component of fiction. Though the narratives themselves are not dependent on the setting - requiring only a barroom and a drinking companion - it should be obvious to anyone who reads this collection that without the New York backdrop, there is no Simple.
Despite similarities with his poetry in terms of thematic overtones, this collection is a far cry from the jazzy melodiousness of Hughes' debut collection, The Weary Blues. A rousing feat of interwoven politicism, satire, realism and - importantly - humour, The Best of Simple is a quintessential case study of race relations in the mid-20th century, and also a gratifying read.
3/5 stars.
rodterez07's review against another edition
5.0
Written by the brilliant poet,playwright and novelist, Langston Hughes','The Best of Simple' contains vivid insights into the life of post World War II African-Americans. Even more stunning is how relevant those insights remain almost fifty years after they were first published.
lraven13's review against another edition
4.0
Big fan of his poetry, love Langston Hughes! There are some very deep, interesting, funny and colorful moments in this book that I would certainly read again. Will be seeking out more of his writing!
dbrown's review against another edition
5.0
This book tells of the intriguingly, complicated life of a man with a great sense of humor. I loved every part of this book!
kaigogo's review against another edition
5.0
The only thing I regret is not having read this sooner. It's undoubtedly one of the best collection of stories I've read in years. Every story and character triggered a memory. When he quoted the Bible, I was back in the pew listening to my grandfather preach or at home watching my mom write her nightly prayer. When he talked about Virginia, I was sitting in my uncle's house hearing about what it was like going to school in the south. Joyce and Zarita had me thinking of my great uncle who had different girls in NYC. An apple strudel took me to discussions I've either had in class or with my friends on the bus going home. It was witty and intellectual and cultured in the most homedown form. Jesse B. Semple reminded me of home. Of Harlem. Black voices of all kinds conveying that conversations on race and racism and living and surviving and thriving haven't really changed even though the times have.
I loved it.
I loved it.
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