Only the Strong
By Jabari Asim
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
"Incomparable charisma and verve." The Root, Best Fiction of 2015
"Lean, mean, and moving." Kirkus Reviews, Kirkus Prize nominee
Jabari Asim’s debut novel returns readers to Gateway City, the fictional Midwestern city first explored in his acclaimed short story collection, Taste of Honey. Against a 1970s backdrop of rapid social and political change, Only the Strong portrays the challenges and rewards of love in a quintessential American community where heartbreak and violence are seldom far away.
Moved by the death of Martin Luther King Jr., Lorenzo "Guts" Tolliver decides to abandon his career as a professional leg-breaker and pursue a life of quiet moments and generous helpings of banana pudding in the company of his new, sensuous lover. His erstwhile boss, local kingpin Ananias Goode, is also thinking about slowing downbut his tempestuous affair with Dr. Artinces Noel, a prominent pediatrician, complicates his retirement plans. Meanwhile, Charlotte Divine, the doctor’s headstrong protégée, struggles with trials of her own.
With prose that's sharp, humorous, and poetic, Asim skillfully renders a compelling portrait of urban life in the wake of the last major civil-rights bill. Massive change is afoot in America, and these characters have front-row seats.
Jabari Asim
Jabari Asim is the author of several adult and children's books, including Preaching to the Chickens which was named one of the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2016 and Fifty Cents and a Dream-an NAACP Image Award Nominee, CCBC Choice, School Library Journal Editor's Choice, and Kirkus Best Book. He is an associate professor at Emerson College in Boston and executive editor of The Crisis, the magazine of the NAACP. He recently was honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.
Read more from Jabari Asim
The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn't, and Why Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWe Can't Breathe: On Black Lives, White Lies, and the Art of Survival Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Only the Strong: An American Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not Guilty: Twelve Black Men Speak Out on Law, Justice, and Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Obama Means: ...for Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Future Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Baby Loves Halloween Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Baby Loves Valentine's Day Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to Only the Strong
Related ebooks
Only the Strong: An American Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Edgar Saltus: The Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dark Side of the Earth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Prince of Possum Walk Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Good Spy Wife: A Christian Spy Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKissing the Wizard: A Shifter's Unexpected Valentine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCoon Dogs and Outhouses Volume 2 Tall Tales from the Mississippi Delta Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Swallows in the Boathouse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTour of Atlantis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Shining Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Guardian: The Battle of Grey Island Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThirty Rich: 30 Incredible Short Fiction Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIndian Heroes and Great Chieftains Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSlaves of Freedom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGrand Gesture: Remember the Ruin, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdventures With Hugo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeeded For Death Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIrresistible Impulse and Other Short Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Highway Store and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lies That Bind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Vacation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Life And Opinions Of Maf The Dog, And Of His Friend Marilyn Monroe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Tale of Grunty Pig: Slumber-Town Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurph Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThree Men and a Maid Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrazy Rhythm Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn Defense Of The Harvest: After Dinner Conversation, #34 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFamily Unity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Legend of Quincy Stone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDead Cow in Aisle Three: A Polly Deacon Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Historical African American Fiction For You
The House of Eve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yellow Wife: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Color Purple Collection: The Color Purple, The Temple of My Familiar, and Possessing the Secret of Joy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Reformatory: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild Women and the Blues: A Fascinating and Innovative Novel of Historical Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Color Purple Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Meridian Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Twelve Years a Slave (Illustrated) (Two Pence books) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lovecraft Country: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jubilee Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Perfect Peace: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bailey's Cafe: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Confessions of Nat Turner: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Twelve Years a Slave: Narrative of Solomon Northup (AD Classic) (Illustrated) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Absalom, Absalom! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Third Life of Grange Copeland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Long Division: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Yonder: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another Brooklyn: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gilda Stories: Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Luster: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Middle Passage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Literature Help: The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLet Us Descend: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of Erzulie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Only the Strong
3 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Emerson College professor writes in the mode of Walter Mosley, but in a fictionalized of St. Louis in the late '60s-early '70s. Almost all the neighborhood folks are traumatized by their earlier lives down South and still, by Jim Crow.From Guts, the enforcer for Ananias Goode, a gangster turned legit businessman; Goode's lover, the baby saver Dr. Artinces Noel, guardian of Charlotte, pre-med student and admirer of fellow student Percy Conway; Crenshaw, an MVP on the local baseball team; and Playfair, whose car trunk holds "everything a black man or woman would want" - each and every one has their internal thoughts and motivations powerfully laid bare.There are many so strong characters and shifting points of view, making for a riveting read, and hopefully, a return to Gateway City.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Slice of life (and time) novel of St. Louis in the 70s. I grew up across the river and worked in St. Louis for a few years (actually, in the period the book is set within), so it was interesting to see familiar places and street names referenced. A little too slow-moving for me, with dialogue that didn't seem very realistic.