An African AmericanBreakfast at Tiffany'sa hip, refreshingly candid tale of identity and self-discovery from the critically acclaimed author ofThe View from HereandWalking Through Mirrors. Mason Randolph, a black preppie of impeccable Southern pedigree, is bound for Stanford Law School after graduating from college. Before embarking on the path to his golden future, however, he takes a detour through Harlem, where he intends to live "authentically"...
I don't know what I expected when I picked up this book. I have never read anything by this author and the cover looked interesting. So here goes.....Mason needed to discover himself and the only logical way to do that was to spend time in Harlem. But to do that he became Malik. Malik befriends Carmen, who kind of reminds you of a fading beauty queen that refuses to give up her crown, and the mystery begins. Jackson's...
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The Queen of Harlem reminds me of my favorite amusement park ride the roller coaster (the old fashioned wooden ones). There are highs, lows, surprises, and just when you get the hang of it the ride is over.Though a story of Mason Randolph, my favorite character is Carmen England -- The Queen. I envision her as a woman every man would want and a woman that every woman would want to be. She has an acute eye of the human condition...
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I won't go into great detail because to do so would reveal too much of the book. However, who among us has not pretended to be someone we are not to impress others or pretended to be less than we are to fit in. The publishers compare this to Breakfast at Tiffany's. I've read that book and must say Holly Golightly has nothing on Carmen England. Up until now I considered myself to be the Queen of Harlem, but honey, I relinquish...
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You know the cliche sayings: "Don't judge a book by its cover ", "There is more than meets the eye", and "What is done in the dark will surely be brought to the light". Well all of these sayings and more apply to the two main characters in the Queen of Harlem. Mason needs to reinvent himself. Prove that he is down with the brothers and the hood. Sans preppy clothes, groomed hair and private schooling persona; dons baggy...
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Mason Randolph has always been known as "the black guy." He grew up in an environment in Louisiana where he could easily be identified by this nomer. Determined to experience the black experience in all of its glory, he heads to Harlem where he reinvents himself as Malik, an around the way boy. He boards with socialite Carmen England, a woman who seemingly knows all the right people. Continuing his facade with the friends...
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