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Reviews"An oddity, this story of New York street-smart black life by columnist and bible studies instructor Goldblatt (SUNY) is actually both hip and moving. It takes chutzpah for a nonblack to write something like this, but some risks are worth the effort for what they reveal of essential humanity. This is one." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"In his debut novel, Goldblatt breaks taboos with a vengeance, telling the first-person story of a 23-year-old black man, Africa Ali. Think Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint, except instead of a Jewish man speaking to his analyst, here a black man is recording a series of interviews with a (white) sociologist. Goldblatt's rendering of black urban street idiom seems flawless, but the author's chutzpah in tackling this subject, in this in-your-face way, is even more impressive." -Newark Star Ledger "With an uncanny knack for the hip-hop idiom, stiletto-sharp satire, unusual sensitivity, and unparalleled courage in tackling racial taboos, Mark Goldblatt has created a masterpiece. Africa Speaks sings." -Michelle Malkin, syndicated columnist "An ambitious debut novel from a white news columnist. Goldblatt [has a] remarkable ear for idiom." -Publishers WeeklyTo buy Africa Speaks on Amazon.com . . . |
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So begins the confession of Africa Ali, a twenty-three year old black man who is determined to "get the truth out" through a series of weekly interviews with an anonymous white sociologist. His tape-recorded monologues recount the adventures of the 149th Street Crew, a group of friends clinging to the vestiges of their youthful alliances and confronting the awful uncertainties of their futures. In the course of his reminiscences and philosophical musings, Africa introduces us to other members of the Crew: his best friend Hercules, his former lover Keisha, the student radical Jerome, and the determined realist Eddy. When, on occasion, Africa cannot make the interviews himself, he dispatches one of his friends in his place; their differing perspectives on events Africa has narrated create a kind of Rashomon effect, revealing simmering grudges and petty jealousies among Crew members. As the story unfolds, terrible secrets emerge from Africa's past. By turns shockingly funny and appallingly sad, Africa Speaks is a portrait of young people on the cusp of both self-realization and self-ruin. |
