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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