Crook Manifesto, by Colson Whitehead

 

Characters

Ray Carney Elizabeth – wife, works for travel agency John May   Mike Carney – Ray’s father, Pepper used to work with him   Carney’s Furniture Marie – secretary, abused by husband (Rodney) Salesmen – Larry and Rusty

1971

Munson – detective, took weekly payments from businesses, “the pad”, Carney got involved with him trying to get Jackson 5 tickets for May Buck Webb – partner   BLA – Black Liberation Army, robbed jewelry store Notch Walker (Robert Taylor) – gangster, helping BLA Malik Jamel - BLA leader   Knapp Commission – subpoenaed Webb   Munson planning to leave – forced Carney to go along with crimes and collections: 1.       Held-up private Memorial Day poker game 2.       Beat up pimp on sidewalk 3.       Robbed bottle club 4.       Robbed bodega 5.       Robbed Chink Montague’s numbers location

1973

Blaxploitation movie – films featuring black stereotypes   Secret Agent: Nefertiti Aaron Flood “Zippo” – photographer, artistic director Lucinda Cole – Nefertiti (real name Leanne Wilkes) Roscoe Pope – comedian Pepper – security   Chick Montague – investor in movie, Lucinda’s boyfriend, changed her name   Quincy Black – drug dealer Pickles – chef

1976

Alexander Oates – running for Boro president, supported by Elizabeth and May, involved in redevelopment schemes and murdered   Albert Ruiz – son of tenant, hurt in fire   Arsonists (1/3 of fires in Harlem were deliberate): Izzy Leon Drake

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.       Which characters did you like?  Were you able to relate to any of them?  Which would you have been friends with?

2.       What do you think motivated Carney to do something about the fire that hurt the Ruiz boy?

3.       Did you like the author’s writing style?  There were many characters and events.  How did you keep everything straight and determine what was important?   In the end, did everything fit together?

4.       Did you like the mix of fiction and real events?

5.       There were various, almost separate stories in the novel, for example the long section about the movie, Secret Agent: Nefertiti and the part about the two competing chicken restaurants, New Country Kitchen and Lady Betsy’s.  What was the point of including these in the novel aside from introducing Pepper as a thief who stole Lady Betsy’s secret ingredient.

6.       Did you like the descriptions of furniture?  When describing the fire at the furniture store, the author wrote, “The four recliners – real beauties, a solid representation of the kind of options out there, whether you were new to the market or looking to upgrade – ignited speedily” (page 289).  Did this add to the story?   Did it make you want to shop?

7.       The description of the book online said “Colson Whitehead’s portrait of Harlem is sure to stand as one of the all-time great evocations of a place and a time.”  Did the book meet this expectation for you?  Why or why not?  Did you learn anything new?

8.       The description also said the book “is a darkly funny tale of a city under siege, but also a sneakily searching portrait of the meaning of family.”  What different forms did “family” have in the novel?

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Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver

 

Characters

Damon Fields “Demon Copperhead” Damon Woodhall – biological father “Copperhead” due to red hair Mother – Fields Stoner - stepfather   Nance Peggot “Mammaw” - neighbor Mr. Peggot “Mr. Peg” Seven children – Humvee, June (nurse, in Knoxville), Mariah (in jail) Grandchildren: Matt “Maggot” – Damon’s friend, Mariah’s son with Romeo, Mariah in jail Emmy – Humvee’s daughter, living with June   Hammer Kelly – Emmy’s ex-boyfriend   DSS caseworkers: Miss Barks – left to pursue teaching degree Baggy Eyes   Foster Home #1 Mr. Crickson – grew tobacco Boys: Tommy Waddell “Waddles” Swap-Out Sterling Ford “Fast Forward” – high school football star   Foster Home #2 Mr. and Mrs. McCobb Brayley, Hallie, and twin babies   Golly’s Market – worked there after school Landfill – Ghose “Ghost” – “Extra-Eye” from time with Stoner

Murder Valley, Tennessee: Betsy Woodall – grandmother, raised 11 foster girls Dick – younger brother, wheelchair Jane Ellen - #11   Kent – June’s boyfriend, drug representative, pushed Oxy Contin   Foster Home #3 Winfield – widower of one of Betsy’s girls, high school football coach, Lee High Generals Agnus “Angus” – daughter Mattie Kate – housekeeper Ryan Pyles “U-Haul” – assistant, didn’t like Demon Mr. Briggs – assistant and JV football coach   Rose Dartell – scar on lip caused by Fast Forward throwing a claw hammer at her   Mr. Armstrong – teacher and guidance counselor Ms. Annie – wife, art teacher Mr. Maldo – janitor   Dori - died after father died, drugs Mr. Vesper – father, ill   Courier newspaper: Tommy – janitor and designed ads Demon – comic strip “Red Neck”   Devils Bathtub: Fast Forward – fell and died Hammer – rifle pointed at Fast Forward, tried to help, drowned Maggot Big Bear – football teammate, yelled warning Demon

 

 

 

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.       Early on his mother told Damon that “her future was me” and that he “was one hundred percent of her reason for getting sober” (page 82).  She meant this as a compliment, but Damon only found it “one more thing to worry about” (page 82).  Did she put too much pressure on him?  Was this fair?

2.       There were many issues addressed in the book including addiction, foster care, and childhood trauma.  Were you able to understand the characters even if you have not experienced any of these things?

3.       What did you think about the incident at the Devil’s Bathtub where both Fast Forward and Hammer died.  Fast Forward was saying bad things about Emmy and Hammer pointed a rifle at him.  Big Bear came along and shouted a warning to Fast Forward at the top of the falls.  When he turned to look at Big Bear, he slipped, fell and drowned.  Hammer dove in to try to save him and also drowned.  Could this have been avoided?  How did it fit into the story?

4.       What did you think about Fast Forward.  He was adopted and then unadopted by the Dartell family after he scarred Rose with the claw hammer and tried to get her brother to jump off a chair with a noose around his neck connected to the ceiling.  (See pages 328 – 329.)  Could he have been redeemed at any point?

5.       We never read about Tommy being involved with drugs, but it was mentioned several times that he read a lot of books.  When he met him, Demon said he was “the type of make the best of things, mostly by reading library books and ignoring the fact of people hating him” (page 70).  Toward the end of the novel, Demon said “Tommy had squandered his youth on library books and had zero experience with cable TV” (page 417).   Do you think this was significant in his survival?

6.       The author lives in Virginia, which she identifies as “ground zero of the opioid epidemic” (page VI).  In a forward for a Barnes and Noble edition, she identified the book being about “generational anguish, limited choices, and suffocated hopes, poverty built into a region by historical design” (pages III and IV).    How did she address these issues throughout the story?   Did it make you think about these issues and give you any insight that you did not have before?

7.       The OxyContin epidemic was a main theme.  A doctor prescribed it to one of Damon’s mother’s co-workers who shared it with her and she became one of the first casualties (pages 112 – 113).  June’s boyfriend, Kent, was a drug rep and gave free gifts to doctors who prescribed the pills.  The company said they had studies that showed there was no addiction risk (page 243) and they developed the pain scale to encourage people to take the pills to eliminate pain.  Mr. Peg even received a coupon for some pills for free.  Mrs.  Peggot refused to let him get the pills.   If she recognized the danger, why didn’t more people?

8.       June said that Purdue “hand-picked targets like Lee County that were gold mines” (page 416) for their drug sales.  Demon told June “I don’t know a single person my age that’s not taking pills” (page 415).  Why did it take so long for people to understand what was happening and take action?

9.       Damon felt the low pay of the caseworkers was a reflection of the value society placed on kids like him.  Was he right?  How can we change that?

10.   At his one school the poor kids were singled out for special Christmas parties and called over the loud speaker to attend.   The organizers probably thought they were doing a very good thing, but the children were ashamed.  How could this have been done differently and better?

11.   When Damon was in fifth grade, Slam Books were popular where you wrote down your impressions of your classmates, both positive and negative.  Did you ever experience anything like that?  Do you think the teachers knew, and if so, why did they not stop it?  How does this compare to all the social media today?

12.   Who were the positive characters in the book?  Why do you think Demon survived and others did not?

13.   In chapter 62, Tommy called Demon and encouraged him to write his book about what had happened.  He said, “it’s a war. And it’s been going on the whole time, and nobody gets it, not even us” (page 522).  He felt it was all about money.  The people who lived off the land did not pay as much taxes, so therefore they did not count.  He compared Lee County to the Cherokees and Black people.   Did you understand his comparison?  Do you think he was right?

14.   Discuss your reading experience.   Did you enjoy the book?  What were your thoughts as you were reading?  Would you recommend it to a friend?  Why did it win the Pulitzer Prize?

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