A Conversation with the Mann

Jackie Mann isn't real, but by the end of "A Conversation with the Mann," I felt like he was. I could imagine him doing stand-up the Copa, hanging out with Frank, Sammy and Dean during the filming of "Ocean's Eleven," and running afoul of studio boss Harry Cohn. I had only read one other novel by the multi-talented John Ridley, who has also written for television ("Third Watch"), the movies ("Three Kings") and the internet ("Undercover Brother"). That book, "Love is a Racket," was entertaining but vaguely upsetting, because the main character and the world in which he moved was so bleak and filthy. "A Conversation with the Mann" isn't exactly full of uplift, but the grimness isn't as unrelenting and the characters are given more depth. Jackie Mann isn't a happy guy -- his obsession with becoming famous is fueled by rage over a lifetime of mistreatment from the rest of the world -- but Ridley details his almost-rise to the top with such grace and honesty that I found myself genuinely caring whether Jackie made it onto "The Ed Sullivan Show" or not. I couldn't put it down, reading most of the book in a single evening (and going to bed really, really late). If you care about Rat Pack-era show business, the civil rights movement, or just great, lean writing, you really have to get this book. It's terrific.

I had never heard of Jackie Mann. I didn't feel so badly about not knowing him after John Ridley admitted in his introduction that he had not heard of him either before eventually meeting him when he was long past his glory days. Reading the Jacket cover I discovered he was one of the premiere black club Comedians in the 1950's, early 60's who made a living "telling America what it wanted to hear", but in reality Jackie Mann's life is like an "Aesop Fable", the moral of the story cannot be missed. All Jackie Mann ever wanted was to be famous, to be somebody and he was willing to do whatever was necessary to get there. Mr. Ridley tells his story with such eloquence and compassion and the story itself is so compelling I couldn't put the book down. I also understood his decisions. How he had arrived at every point where he made what could be considered fatal missteps. I can not honestly say that in that time and space, without a doubt, hand on a stack of bibles; I would have done things so differently. A fact I'm not proud of, but as a black woman who can't make a decision to stop perming her hair (it may be too political) I can hardly sit in judgment of him. I liked Jackie Mann. I was with him all the way. Wanted him to have his glory without paying too dearly for it. In retrospect people may point to his life as an example of what happens when you will not stand up and be a man, but Jackie Mann lived in an era where speaking your mind could not only kill your career but end your life. To be righteous and noble in those situations is to be admired, the stuff martys are made of, but it really takes more guts than most of us have. While Jackie Mann never became a household name, most of the people who were in and around his life we know extremely well. At times this book gave us new glimpses at stories we've heard about some of Hollywood's Icons and a new look at some of our hero's. There were also several people in Jackie's life that kept pushing him to be the man they knew he could be, who were succeeding on their own terms. As faith would have it they all became the one thing Jackie really wanted to be Famous. A Must Read!!!! Reviewed by Ruby APOOO Bookclub

Going back to his first novel, Stray Dogs. You knew Ridley had "the stuff." You could feel it in his writing, you could sense it in the way he confounded critics. Anytime they find somebody who refuses to write conventionally, all they can do is scratch their heads and sharpen their pencils. Ridley's follow-ups, Love is a Racket and Everybody Smokes in Hell just served to further establish him as one of the best Hard Boiled writers working. Now comes Conversation. Truly, at first, I was afraid to read it. I'm always nervous when an author tries something different, and I thought Ridley was giving in to the contemptable book critics who thought he needed to write what they wanted to read. But when the Wall St. Journal picked it as a best read, I gave Conversation a try. May I just say this is one of the finest books I have EVER read. It is powerful, it is moving... It transports me to a time and place that no longer exists. This is a writer at the top of his game. How any one person can fill a novel with so much - a history of America in the 50s and 60s, New York, LA, Vegas, entertainment, the civil rights movement, a journey to self - is beyond me. It is joyus and frightening, uplifting and cautionary all at once. Ridley has written fiction so real I had to literally keep checking the front of the book to make sure it was a novel. It is that good. IT IS THAT GREAT. If you don't shed a tear before reaching the end of this saga, you are not human. I doubt Ridley will get the accolades he deserves for this novel, too many people still think he's "just" a genere writer. But as a writer of amazing novels AND television AND movies AND an NPR commentator, Ridley is quickly becoming a national treasure. READ THIS BOOK!