Claude Brown (1937–2002)

"Manchild in the Promised Land" was an easy book to read, based on the writing, but a difficult book to read based on the content. Claude Brown describes life of a young black man in Harlem in the 1950's. Harlem culture for a young black man in that era seemed devoid of hope, or perhaps better described as one of failure of recognizition anything more than a future of petty crime, drugs, frequent arrests, and time in jail. There appeared to be no recognition of a life outside of Harlem, of the benefits of an education, of a respect for others, for family, or social rules. Playing hooky from school, stealing, fighting, and striving for nothing else but being seen as street tough and street smart was the way life was portrayed. Being in and out of youth facilities, reform schools, and later working up through the various prison systems in NY was the simple reality of life in Claude Brown's Harlem.

How Claude Brown managed to escape the neighborhood, find a job, find his way to night school to earn his high school diploma, learn to play the piano, etc., seems miraculous to me. It was an era of lost lives and grim futures. Those few that managed to escape should be applauded, but for most, it seemed that escape wasn't ever an option. While not a recent book, it's still a worthwhile read, both for inner city youth, as well as for people raised in relative wealth who have trouble understanding the problems of life in the ghetto.
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An autobiographical account of the life of a young black man growing up in Harlem in the 1940s, the book chronicles his shockingly early introduction into a crime-filled life (by the age of nine (!) he was a seasoned thief and gang member), through his stints in institutions such as Eleanor Roosevelt's Wiltwyck, and his amazing efforts to leave behind that life to make a better one for himself. I can't say that I liked it - this isn't a book that you enjoy reading. It's hard and harsh and bleak. But it's also incredibly well-written and inspiring, and still an important read today; I learned so much about what life was like for kids growing up in Harlem at that time, a world that, as a white farm-raised girl from the Midwest in the 80's, I knew nothing about. So I'm grateful for this narrative and humbled by Brown's ability to rise up out of his beginnings and become the impressive scholar and writer he was. Be warned, though: Brown pulls no punches in his no-nonsense way of detailing scenes of violence, drug use, and even gang rape. (I nearly put it down several times, but decided to push on because I thought it overall an important story to finish.)… (more)

This was a unique read for me. It's been described as epic, and it is very much an epic tale of youth in black Harlem. The earliest years of the author in this autobiography I found quite reminiscent of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Twain intended humor; I wasn't sure whether or not the author did, but the candid, direct commentary on life was very refreshing, despite some unsavory situations. The author continues his journey well into early adulthood, showing amazing insight and candor into general life changes as a youth, life as a black person in Big City America, and most especially as his own individual self making choices about if, when, and how to fit in with a group or strike out on his own. Even though this was set mostly around the 1950s and has some dated phrases, it's stunning how much it applies to present day intercity life. It makes the reader want to rethink very presumption that he or she may have made about black youth in our urban communities.… (more)