Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022--San Antonio

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead is the third book I have read by this author.  It is a good book, but I would rank it 3rd in sequence in terms of reading pleasure with The Nickel Boys first and The Underground Railroad second.  "Shuffle" tells the story of a black man whose father was a criminal.  The son was determined to be respected and made his way through business college and had a successful career running a furniture store--at first, selling used furniture, then a mixture of new and used, and finally selling only the finest lines of new furniture.  He married a woman from a wealthy Harlem family to the disgruntlement of her father.  He also finds himself occasionally mixed up in criminal activities due to his cousin who is like a brother, since he lived with the cousin's family for a few years when his father went to jail for his criminal activities.  The story covers a period of time during sit-ins, race riots, etc.  Throughout it all, the main character keeps his head down and his eyes on a steady progression to a better life for him and his family.  I gave the book a rating of 4 stars out of 5.