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DescriptionEddy L. Harris - Still Life in Harlem  Though Harris (Mississippi Solo) spent two years living in Harlem, this book is more about Harris than Harlem. A middle-class black whom some consider "too soft" to be black, he felt compelled to test his allegiances and identity in New York's most famous black district. He even decided to be unemployed and to "become poor," as if to share local poverty. However, his portrait of Harlem?a bit of history, a few conversations and observations?presents an ur-ghetto. Harris does acknowledge that "All [in Harlem] is not the cliche of poverty," but he dismisses its wealthy and ignores the working class that sustains its churches and civic groups. Harris's book can be affecting, as when he reflects on his father?who hoped to create a better world. Ultimately, Harris's reveries do not lead him to any hard political or sociological analysis. Rather, his work ends with stories that show his mixed feelings of obligation, anguish and machismo. He stubbornly faces down a young tough blocking the sidewalk. He decides to help kids in an after-school program. He intervenes when he hears a man harassing a woman. He concludes that "the ghetto lies within" no matter how far he goes. However, his self-dramatizing style diminishes his epiphanies. Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (September 15, 1997) Language: English ISBN-10: 0805048529 ISBN-13: 9780805048520 Sharing Widget |