The Book of Harlan by Bernice L. McFadden

Years later, I discovered that after emancipation, my triple-great grandfather, Mingo McFadden, made his home as freeman in Ozan, Arkansas a mere 2.5 hours drive from Bigelow. Till this day, I’ve not set foot in Bigelow or the Wonder State. My very first novel (SUGAR) was centered in Bigelow, Arkansas. My decades long enchantment and longing is evident in my writing. Oh, you may think my adulation is less than genuine, but believe me, what I say is true. I may have grown up with blacktopped highways and the scream of sirens in the night, but I prefer oak shaded back roads and crooning katydids. Yes, I have Yankee sensibilities, but I do enjoy cheese grits and the occasional tall, cold glass of sweet tea. My paternal grandfather was born in Kentucky, and his father before him - South Carolina. My maternal great grandparents were born in Georgia, as were their parents before them. You may very well be the very drum of my heart. In fact, I feel you, under my skin, pulsing through my veins. When Harlan and his best friend, trumpeter Lizard Robbins, are invited to perform at a popular cabaret in the Parisian enclave of Montmartre-affectionately referred to as 'The Harlem of Paris' by black American musicians-Harlan jumps at the opportunity, convincing Lizard to join him.īut after the City of Light falls under Nazi occupation, Harlan and Lizard are thrown into Buchenwald-the notorious concentration camp in Weimar, Germany-irreparably changing the course of Harlan's life.īased on exhaustive research and told in McFadden's mesmeric prose, The Book of Harlan skillfully blends the stories of McFadden's familial ancestors with those of real and imagined characters.Ĭopyright: 2016 Book Details Book Quality: Publisher Quality ISBN-13: 9781617754548 Publisher: Akashic Books Date of Addition: 05/27/16 Copyrighted By: Bernice L.An Open Letter to The Southern States of America,

The Book of Harlan opens with the courtship of Harlan's parents and his 1917 birth in Macon, Georgia.Īfter his prominent minister grandfather dies, Harlan and his parents move to Harlem, where he eventually becomes a professional musician.

The Book of Harlan by Bernice L. McFadden