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anders_holbaek's review against another edition
3.0
[NO SERIOUS SPOILERS]
The Harlem Renaissance has to be one of my favourite periods of literary history. The fast-talking, innovative, booming, slightly intoxicated feel of the movement, the self-discovery and the reflection of this unto an unfair society – all of this clearly and brilliantly employs many of the best parts of literature. Claude Mckay was a seminal figure in the HR, but this is not the 20’s, Amiable with Big Teeth takes place in the 30’s and the Great Depression has slowed down the energy and spirit of the renaissance. As someone who picked up this book, perhaps naïvely, hoping to get a swig of that energy, the opening, a “grandly tumultuous parade”, was very promising.
“Get busy and do your stuff, brothers and sisters. Begin today, start right now, put your hands in your pockets and not for nothing, bring it up, bring it out, get under your pillow, open the jars in your cupboards, open up the old family Bible where you have some bills pressed down like faded flowers, pennies and nickels and dimes, bring them in for the defense of Ethiopia. The Emperor has honored us here in America, sending to us his personal personable representative.”
Booming voices, “[…] confetti flutter[ing] in the air like colored moths”, light, fraternity, colour – this is why I picked up this book! It quickly comes to a halt however, and the colourful Harlem Intelligentsia and the support groups are being pulled in all directions by foreign ideology that is difficult to understand for the public. McKay describes the public as good-natured, energetic, and empathetic though perhaps a bit naïve. The public is, however, mostly presented through the support it gives to the organisations and individuals – something to ‘lose’ (when scandals are made public) and to ‘gain’ (through powerful speeches and cultural appeal).
The political discussion were interesting, though it is obvious that McKay himself was harshly critical of the communists, describing them as vicious, shady, either driven by self-interest or narrow-minded to the point of wearing ideological blinders. It is interesting, reading this in the current day and age, to see how ‘the Left’ also faced serious problems as a result of being so divided back then. When I read a sentence like: “The Ethiopians stand in need of your united help. If we are divided the Fascists who are united will win. Then let us all work together”, I cannot help but feel that you could replace ‘Ethiopians’ with any marginalized group, and the sentence would ring true throughout most of history.
One serious problem I have with this book is that very few of the characters seem properly fleshed out and multi-dimensional. One reviewer wrote, “The characters were not humans, they were mouthpieces […]”, and to some degree, I have to agree. The characters always act how you expect them to act and say what you expect them to say. On the plus side, this at least makes every character’s goals obvious and motivations clear. On the other side, however, this means that much of the ‘conversation’ reads like a listing of facts or a paragraph from a (charming) history book.
Besides this, I have several other problems with the book, such as sexism, racism, slutshaming etcetera, all things to be expected from a book almost 100 years old. The love story (or perhaps love stories) seems unnecessary, forced, and unexplained and this really shows in how they end just as sudden as they begin. Many of the narrative turns the book takes seem sudden to the point of being random. The ending, which I did enjoy despite of this, is a good example of this. The reasons for the big dramatic ending are presented and set up in the very last chapter of the book, with none of the factors having any previous mention.
Do not get me wrong - Amiable with Big Teeth has numerous moments of brilliancy; moments where you are drawn into a captivating, powerful monologue or a heated debate. However, overall, I was disappointed. Most of the characters were one-dimensional, the narrative seems spontaneous and chaotic while simultaneously being predictable and boring (you can expect a lot of what will happen, but it is often just presented with very little detail as to why), and many of the issues this book ‘discusses’ are merely presented and commented upon without any interesting conclusions being drawn. If, however, you want a glimpse of this time period - important, charismatic, eloquent men (and only men) discussing politics, race, and ideology, this book is definitely still worth reading.
The Harlem Renaissance has to be one of my favourite periods of literary history. The fast-talking, innovative, booming, slightly intoxicated feel of the movement, the self-discovery and the reflection of this unto an unfair society – all of this clearly and brilliantly employs many of the best parts of literature. Claude Mckay was a seminal figure in the HR, but this is not the 20’s, Amiable with Big Teeth takes place in the 30’s and the Great Depression has slowed down the energy and spirit of the renaissance. As someone who picked up this book, perhaps naïvely, hoping to get a swig of that energy, the opening, a “grandly tumultuous parade”, was very promising.
“Get busy and do your stuff, brothers and sisters. Begin today, start right now, put your hands in your pockets and not for nothing, bring it up, bring it out, get under your pillow, open the jars in your cupboards, open up the old family Bible where you have some bills pressed down like faded flowers, pennies and nickels and dimes, bring them in for the defense of Ethiopia. The Emperor has honored us here in America, sending to us his personal personable representative.”
Booming voices, “[…] confetti flutter[ing] in the air like colored moths”, light, fraternity, colour – this is why I picked up this book! It quickly comes to a halt however, and the colourful Harlem Intelligentsia and the support groups are being pulled in all directions by foreign ideology that is difficult to understand for the public. McKay describes the public as good-natured, energetic, and empathetic though perhaps a bit naïve. The public is, however, mostly presented through the support it gives to the organisations and individuals – something to ‘lose’ (when scandals are made public) and to ‘gain’ (through powerful speeches and cultural appeal).
The political discussion were interesting, though it is obvious that McKay himself was harshly critical of the communists, describing them as vicious, shady, either driven by self-interest or narrow-minded to the point of wearing ideological blinders. It is interesting, reading this in the current day and age, to see how ‘the Left’ also faced serious problems as a result of being so divided back then. When I read a sentence like: “The Ethiopians stand in need of your united help. If we are divided the Fascists who are united will win. Then let us all work together”, I cannot help but feel that you could replace ‘Ethiopians’ with any marginalized group, and the sentence would ring true throughout most of history.
One serious problem I have with this book is that very few of the characters seem properly fleshed out and multi-dimensional. One reviewer wrote, “The characters were not humans, they were mouthpieces […]”, and to some degree, I have to agree. The characters always act how you expect them to act and say what you expect them to say. On the plus side, this at least makes every character’s goals obvious and motivations clear. On the other side, however, this means that much of the ‘conversation’ reads like a listing of facts or a paragraph from a (charming) history book.
Besides this, I have several other problems with the book, such as sexism, racism, slutshaming etcetera, all things to be expected from a book almost 100 years old. The love story (or perhaps love stories) seems unnecessary, forced, and unexplained and this really shows in how they end just as sudden as they begin. Many of the narrative turns the book takes seem sudden to the point of being random. The ending, which I did enjoy despite of this, is a good example of this. The reasons for the big dramatic ending are presented and set up in the very last chapter of the book, with none of the factors having any previous mention.
Do not get me wrong - Amiable with Big Teeth has numerous moments of brilliancy; moments where you are drawn into a captivating, powerful monologue or a heated debate. However, overall, I was disappointed. Most of the characters were one-dimensional, the narrative seems spontaneous and chaotic while simultaneously being predictable and boring (you can expect a lot of what will happen, but it is often just presented with very little detail as to why), and many of the issues this book ‘discusses’ are merely presented and commented upon without any interesting conclusions being drawn. If, however, you want a glimpse of this time period - important, charismatic, eloquent men (and only men) discussing politics, race, and ideology, this book is definitely still worth reading.
seeseamus's review against another edition
3.0
A fascinating subject, a fascinating setting, but a mediocre story. The book itself read more like a historical text; one that could've used tighter editing. Worth reading if you're interested in Harlem's community politics in the 1930s.
koreilly's review against another edition
3.0
More interesting as a historical peak at the lives of Harlem's movers and shakers before the outbreak of World War II then as a character driven novel, Amiable with Big Teeth is slow but enjoyable. It follows the intertwining of local Harlem politics with the international scenes of the days most notably the Soviet Union's Nation Front. Trotskyism and Stalinism and all kinds of Facism pop up but most of the characters have only a cursory interest in them and are more than perplexed as to why their efforts to help the people of Ethiopa should be so complicated by these isms.
The prose doesn't exactly sing but some scene do stand out more than others. Admittedly you might find yourself having to sludge through the back half with the stakes become kind of muddle and weirdly low. Still, if you're interested in life in pre-war Harlem for the African American elite this is a great portrait of that.
The prose doesn't exactly sing but some scene do stand out more than others. Admittedly you might find yourself having to sludge through the back half with the stakes become kind of muddle and weirdly low. Still, if you're interested in life in pre-war Harlem for the African American elite this is a great portrait of that.
samantha_shain's review against another edition
5.0
Although some parts of the book read as speeches strung together, I think it actually works as a compelling literary device in a novel that is set up to interrogate the stereotypes of single issue Stalinists. I would say this book is not a great recommendation for readers who are not already well versed (to some extent) in the events of the Russian revolution and Stalinism. However, for readers who are, this is a fascinating and well written novel! I will be thinking about the questions raised in the text for years to come. I’m really glad I found this book in a little free library and it was a great follow up (unplanned!) to the 945 pg tome I just finished on the USSR.
tinnersrabbit's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
keight's review against another edition
4.0
The back story of how this novel came to be published is fascinating: originally written and edited in 1941, it was never published and was essentially lost in the archives until a graduate student at Columbia University found a copy of an essentially finished manuscript among the papers of another writer in 2009. The New York Times reported on this discovery and the process to authenticate the manuscript in 2012. Now finally the book has made it into print.
Amiable with Big Teeth captures a later point in Harlem’s Renaissance, at the time when Ethiopia was invaded by Italian fascists. It’s a satirical look at the political maneuverings of activist groups and differing perspectives of race and class relations, as people in Harlem organize in support of what was at the time the last independent country in Africa. Read more on my booklog
Amiable with Big Teeth captures a later point in Harlem’s Renaissance, at the time when Ethiopia was invaded by Italian fascists. It’s a satirical look at the political maneuverings of activist groups and differing perspectives of race and class relations, as people in Harlem organize in support of what was at the time the last independent country in Africa. Read more on my booklog
bwood95's review
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
adamcarrico91's review
3.0
This novel is super nerdy and very interesting. I knew absolutely nothing about the historical context of Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia and certainly didn’t know the response among Harlemites during that time. The plot can be a bit dry; it’s hard to stay fully engaged with the intricacies of organizational conflicts. I still loved the environment painted by McKay; he’s so good at bringing this specific corner of Harlem / NYC alive. It would be hard for any author to make this subject matter worth reading, but I kept wanting to know what would happen next. The ending may have been a bit melodramatic, but it was incredibly satisfying. It might not be my favorite book, but I’m glad people finally uncovered this novel.
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
roristutzman's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25