David Thayer

PROBABLE CAUSE by Theresa Schwegel leads the New York Times crime fiction review this week. Schwegel’s second novel is juxtaposed with Marcus Sakey’s THE BLADE ITSELF, a debut reviewed by Janet Maslin last week. Chicago is the common ground for these young writers whose work is garnering praise and the sort of attention publicists dream of. I enjoyed both books, feeding my inner Harriet Klausner rich portions of sublime indulgence, yet preserving vestigial parts of my brain once devoted to critical thinking.
Ed Champion would scream bloody murder if privy to the inner sanctum of your reporter’s Gray Lady shock and awe, or the mysterious amusement I derive at the sight of Newt Gingrich. I can only say in my defense that reading fiction reviews in the NYT supports Einstein’s theorum that we’re all working on Maggie’s farm in the hopes of an occasional brownie.

Not that Theresa Schwegel or Marcus Sakey got bad reviews, far from it, although “self-absorbed and anxious” is the way Stasio describes young crime writers of today. I could take a stab at figuring out what that means, but I’m still reading THE BLADE ITSELF and have reached the point in the story where the beginning and the end intersect. Yes, take the brownie from my plate.

What the two novels share is simple: a single event alters the protagonists’ life in a negative way. The authors don’t stray far from the centerline. Sakey is a more active observer than Schwegel, who is less of a romantic about setting. Schwegel is understated and Sakey can overwrite when emphasizing his character’s moral dilemma. Self-absorption is strictly limited to the characters on the page, which is sort of the point of both stories.

Next month Simon & Schuster is releasing a book titled ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS: MY jOURNEY THROUGH THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld. I think you know who Kareem is. He attended Power Memorial High School in the Bronx before UCLA and the Lakers. Raymond Obstfeld has written over forty books and is one hell of a teacher and writer. This is the press release.

In his inspiring and enlightening new book, ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS™: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance (Simon & Schuster; February 2, 2007; $26.00), basketball legend and New York Times best-selling author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, writing with Raymond Obstfeld, chronicles this seminal period in African-American history and how its literary, musical, and sports achievements shaped his own destiny. Both a meticulously researched account of the most important events and central figures of the Harlem Renaissance, and a thoughtful personal narrative, this lively history underscores the unsurpassed accomplishments of an extraordinary group of African-American writers, artists, athletes, and musicians in the years between 1920 and 1940 – and beyond.

“The Harlem Renaissance was like a tidal wave washing through history, especially African-American history, and as a teenager, I was caught up in that massive wave,” writes Kareem. “It swept me along, as it did many other black men and women, and made us what we are today: proud and successful African-Americans who, because we know exactly where we came from, also know exactly where we want to go. We proudly and humbly acknowledge the shoulders we have stood upon to see our future road, and we now stand ready to be those same strong shoulders for others. Hopefully, this book will act as a set of tall and mighty shoulders.”

Harlem’s history, writers, basketball, and jazz – influenced his own life as an African-American athlete, writer, and historian. “The Harlem Renaissance contributed to the man I am today – and the man I hope to be tomorrow,” says Kareem. “Opening the door to that period of history opened many subsequent doors to guide me.”

Harlem was the unofficial capital of Black America in the twentieth century, and later became the Mecca of African-American culture, the place that many aspired to be and the home of many of the most important voices in Black history. The book highlights the legacies of such indomitable political and cultural leaders as W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, and Malcolm X, as well as Charles S. Johnson and Alain Locke. Among the finest writers America has ever produced, the “Great Eight” that Kareem writes about includes James Weldon Johnson, Jessie Redmon Fauset, Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston, Jean Toomer, Wallace Thurman, Countee Cullen, and Langston Hughes. Most of these geniuses experienced hardship and fought for acceptance, not only among the white establishment, but within the black community as well, but their struggles only served to accentuate their achievements.

Basketball, the sport that came to be synonymous with the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, came to Harlem through the efforts of a Caribbean immigrant called “Smilin’ Bob Douglas” and his Spartan Braves. Later renamed the Renaissance Big Five, the “Harlem Rens”, as they were affectionately known, would become an unbeatable force, but when the country’s first professional basketball league, the American Basketball League, was formed, the Rens were denied membership because of the color of the players’ skin. Seeing the Rens’ archrivals, the Harlem Globetrotters, play would prove a turning point for a young baseball fan who we would come to know as basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The other great Harlem product that shaped Kareem was jazz. “Jazz’s impact on me has been monumental,” he writes. “Jazz stands as a series of mileposts that chronicle my maturation from childhood to manhood [and] ….jazz connects me to African-American history.” Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughn, Billy Eckstine, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn – Harlem’s history would be incomplete without these and countless other jazz greats.

As Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leads readers through his personal tour of Harlem’s storied past, he hopes to inspire the next generation of African Americans to embrace their heritage and come to recognize how it has shaped them, too. “Kareem has offered his own unique perspective to the story of the Harlem Renaissance,” says Muhammad Ali. “By doing so, he has provided a moving history of a cultural place and time that can be experienced by our children and grandchildren. As the saying goes, to know where you are going, you must know from whence you came. We came on the shoulders of giants.”

ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS ™ is also the source material for a forthcoming documentary, co-written and co-produced by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Deborah Morales, directed by Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee as executive producer.

About the Authors

Recognized as one of the greatest basketball players in history (the NBA’s all-time leading scorer), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is also the author of several New York Times bestsellers. His books include Giant Steps, Kareem, Black Profiles in Courage, A Season in the Reservation, and Brothers in Arms. Since retiring as a player, he has also been active in the entertainment industry and worked as a coach of professional basketball teams as well as volunteer coach for Apache children on the reservation. He is currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers.

An associate professor at Orange Coast College, Raymond Obstfeld is also the author of over forty books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including studies of the Renaissance, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Moby-Dick.

http://resources.simonsays.com

A Conversation with

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS™

My Personal Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance

ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANT S™ is both a history of the Harlem Renaissance and a thoughtful exploration of how that great period in Black history has influenced and changed you throughout life. Why is this a book you wanted to write?

I felt that by explaining the Harlem Renaissance that people would get a perspective

on my point of view about various subjects that were discussed during the HR and are still

important today. For most people, the degree of success they achieve in life is based on the role models they choose to emulate. Those who choose money-hungry athletes or fame-hungry movie stars will soon discover a hollowness at the core of their quest. I was fortunate enough to discover the intellectual and athletic giants of the Harlem Renaissance when I was only seventeen. Their writings on politics, race, and the arts inspired me to become the man I did—a man interested in pursuing professional success, but just as interested in seeking social justice, creating a harmonious community, and celebrating my cultural heritage.

This book is my way of showing young people that history is anything but a boring recounting of the past, it’s a powerful tool to help shape our futures. My hope is that this book will present the Harlem Renaissance in such a way as to inspire them, too.

Were you born and raised in Harlem?

I was born and raised in Harlem. The Harlem of the post-war years was a place of high hopes and great expectations due to the fact that the Civil Rights movement was just beginning.

You came along after the glory days of the Harlem Renaissance. What was the Harlem of your youth like?

Turbulent and inspiring. The great engine of social change launched by the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance came steaming through the Harlem of my youth, inspiring leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Rev. Powell, who had known many of the prominent leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, was motivated by his predecessors to lead a boycott of stores that discriminated against blacks. It was into this atmosphere of unrest and growing self-determination that I was born and raised. The general feeling in Harlem during my youth was that, as long as we stood together, African-Americans were a powerful community. That gave me the confidence—and commitment—I needed as an individual and as a member of that community.

What do you mean when you write about the “Harlem within” you?

Because Black Americans are seen as separate, it’s always as if all Black Americans are part of one community when that isn’t the case. Black people in Florida have different ideas than Black people in Chicago or San Francisco, but the rest of America always sees any individual Black person as part of every other Black person.

Who are some of your personal favorites among the great writers of the Harlem Renaissance, and how has their work influenced your life?

Two of my favorite writers from the Harlem Renaissance are W.E.B Dubois and Langston Hughes. They have influenced my life by showing the potential the Black community has to produce to great thinkers. Especially Dr. Dubois’ personally journey. His struggle through the various parts of his life is a great example of how difficult it is to cause meaningful change. I admire his persistence.

Why were certain writers of the Harlem Renaissance whom we now consider great – writers such as Zora Neale Hurston and Countee Cullen – ignored, dismissed, and even criticized by the wider black community during their lifetimes?

The great debate of the time was how much of the dark side (no pun intended) of Harlem life should be shown to white America. Some of the younger writers, such as Hurston and Hughes, put the integrity of their art above all else. But some of the older writers, such as DuBois and Johnson, put the integrity of their cause above all else. Both sides fought the same war: to show white America the depths of what black Americans were capable of achieving. They just had different strategies of how to win the war.

You write that jazz’s impact on you has been monumental. How so?

Jazz personally inspired me as a teenager. The intensity of the music somehow empowered me in the way that gospel music can empower certain congregations. Yet, it wasn’t just the sound of the music that I found so inspiring, it was also that the musical form was an original form created by African-Americans. Listening to it made me feel like I was part of, not just a Black community, but also the endless stream of Black culture reaching back to Africa. I’m especially proud of the prominence and popularity that jazz has achieved worldwide.

As a child you were a self-described “egghead,” far more interested in baseball than basketball. How did the sports legacy of the Harlem Renaissance influence your decision to pursue the game that you came to own?

I did not understand directly the influence HR basketball had on me although that influence was there. Many of the older players in my neighborhood had been coached by players who had played for the Harlem Renaissance. One of the referees that officiated many of my high school games was Dolly King, a star player for the Rens in the ‘40’s.

You say that the unique structure of ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS ™ is an acknowledgement and homage to African-American history. How so?

The structure of the book itself is a unique homage to the call-and-response form that started in Africa and is still popular in the Black community today. This form is common in jazz, in Black churches, and even in audience participation in Black theaters. Beyond that, the book details how many of our most beloved art forms of today—including stand-up comedy and rock ‘n’ roll—are directly linked to the black artists of the Harlem Renaissance.

You are a retired athlete, with a legacy as one of the most successful basketball players of all time. You could be resting on your well-earned laurels. Why have you turned to writing in your post-basketball years?

If you stopped half a dozen people on the street and asked them what their jobs were, then asked them what they did in their spare time, you’d find lawyers who are novelists, doctors who are musicians, teachers who are painters, waitresses who are poets. We are all much more than any one thing. Basketball was and always will be one of my passions. But not the only one. Retiring from active play does not mean I’ve retired from my community. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Retiring as something of a role model means I have a responsibility to do something positive with that gift. Because I have always been a devoted student of literature and history, writing books seemed like a natural way for me to fulfill my duty of my community and to my own interests.

In our fast-paced age of mass media and technology, why is it important for the next generation of African-Americans to learn about a long-dead group of writers, athletes and musicians from a time that must see like ancient history to them?

The benefits of the HR inspired more than one generation of Americans to excel and participate in American life. They were people who had been denied that opportunity. So as an inspiration I think it is very fresh and certainly has not been part of everyone’s education in America. There are many people who can find out about the HR and learn a lot and be inspired. Everybody thatI share this information with seem to get a lift from it.

A real time drama unfolding in BLOGOVISION:

The Set-up: Vanity publishers Boris and Natasha have a new scheme to defraud authors. With their infomercial rolling and hearts and minds up for grabs, they’re set for the biggest heist in history: total control of the digi-bot who ranks Google pages.

Int. Day. The earl’s tepidarium: After getting wind of the plot, the earl dons his ceremonial sword, jodhpurs, and summons the household. There is a delay while the Jane Fonda workout tape rewinds.

Ext. Day: Boris and Natasha are laughing, counting checks from unsuspecting authors. The Digi-bot disables a John Deere tractor using its fingers as tools.

Ext. Night: The earl hits the streets in a Ferrari Daytona. As he floors it, he wishs he remembered to reset the digital clock. Uncertain of the time space continuum, he scans the AM dial for real time information. Ever cautious, he brakes for a yellow light.

Ext. Night: Convenience store parking lot: Boris meets with buyer. Natasha picks up suitcase full of cash. Boris buys a pack of certs. The earl careens into the parking lot, the Ferrari’s high pitched whine warning Natasha not to listen to side B of Dark Side of the Moon: there simply isn’t time.

Int. Night: The Leonid Breshnev Quintet unleash a barrage from their violin cases: in slow motion the earl dives through the window, jostling a beef jerky display. Members of the politburo dive for cover.

Ext. Night: Boris shakes his fist at the earl. The Digi-Bot ranks a bottle of Yoo-hoo ahead of the sugar-free gum, but then changes its mind. Both items are useful but how? And what would a hierarchal algorithm accomplish anyway?

Ext. Night. Natasha will listen to Dark Side of the Moon because the earl, her nemesis, is trapped in slow motion. Somehow he disarms all the Breshnevs while remaining airborne. He’s gone in Sixty Minutes.

Int. Day. Charlie thanks the earl while patting the digi-bot on the head. Boris, on speaker phone, vows revenge.

Ext. Day. The earl wins the Daytona 500. Natasha waves the checkered flag, vowing in semaphore to ditch Boris and get a part time job.

What is the most influential genre in fiction these days? While the sun never sets on Romance and literary fiction got a jolt of Pynchon last fall, the ying and the yang of fiction indicates a shift is underway. Big name romance writers are making the move toward thrillers while literary writers pedal their way toward genre. I won’t even mention the burst of psuedonyms used by established authors to revitalize their careers. At this point in the cycle the genre exerting the most influence is crime fiction.

That segue brings me to the topic of Natsuo Kirino. Her novel GROTESQUE is being released by Knopf in March. Kirino is well-established in Japan as a crime fiction writer although she began her career writing romance, ala Tess Gerritsen and Catherine Coulter. I can’t wait to read the book and see where Ms. Kirino takes us.

You may argue that the story elements in many of the current thrillers owe homage to Romance, that the shift toward crime fiction is a market reaction to the demise of Chick Lit and the marginalization of literary fiction. Cover art, marketing focus, target demographics all contribute to the fuzzy line between the major genres. This feels like a transitional time as the last of the DaVinci thrillers trickle into stores, repackaged as Lord Archer’s Latest and Greatest.

What do you think? Which is the most influential genre?

Wellington Leg: Publishers Weekly announced the demise of the Sobol Contest also known as the Sobol Award. Rachel Diehl, PW’s correspondent, observes, “lower than expected responses dogged the contest since its announcement in September.” A thousand manuscripts arrived at Sobol’s virtual slush pile, far short of the fifty thousand expected after the flood gates opened. Sue Pollard, spokesperson for Sobol Award, blamed their inability to heighten awareness of the contest. Sobol founder Gur Shomron is out over one million dollars according to PW.

Wow. The mind reels. A million dollars to establish a dubious literary agency with an $85 reading fee. Most scams work the other way around: $85 invested, one million received. If all scams turned out this way irrational exuberance will propel the US economy to dizzying if not wuthering heights. Instead of being broke starving artists would be driving Bentleys flush with backdraft funding from inept schemes promising literary fame.

By the way 50,000 manuscripts at $85 a pop would have generated 4,250,000 smackers. Organizers could’ve reduced overhead by reading 2,976 manuscripts each week, finishing the great task in just over three years. Remember, they planned to select winners out of this seething mass of prose. The whole thing might have been more tempting if they’d hired Ed McMahon to rush the front door with a camera crew. Cue screaming.

Editors note: One More Bite of the Apple will have a Bulgarian focus for the foreseeable future. Who better qualified to cover the Bulgarian lit scene than our own Mandy Rice-Davies? Mandy received straight As in geography: if this blog had graphics you’d see a spinning globe with images downloaded from the Wellington Leg Spy Satellite. Sadly a misunderstanding at Walmart prevented the development of the spy satellite photos. Experts in suburban Langley will go to Walmart tomorrow with exact change.

Book Review Shuffle: The Jeffrey Archer column is suspended. Lord Archer has a new book deal but we believe Bulgarian rights are up for grabs.

Richard Nash, president of Soft Skull, is based in Brooklyn, but a move to Sofia may be in the offing, Mandy Rice-Davies reports: “With the Jets and Giants out of the playoffs why stay in New York?” she asks.

Ron Hogan and Dave Itzkoff may set up shop on the Black Sea. “They’ll discuss speculative fiction,” Mandy says.

Judith Regan on Bulgaria: Mandy?

John Updike’s next novel? Rabbit Bulgarianus: “I think the title is self-explanatory,” Mandy says.

Bookscan Report: A man carrying a golf umbrella purchased a copy of VOLTAIRE’S MIASMA at Eddie’s Book Nook. Once home he used the earl’s masterpiece to slay a Brown Recluse. “Overkill,” noted Mandy. “No return,” Eddie said. “I mean, yuck.”

Claiborne Hancock Publisher and Editor in Chief of Pegasus has been putting together quite a list for crime fiction fans. Claiborne was kind of enough to send your reporter the current catalogue and here are some of the roster he’s put together. Pegasus has a Wall Street address a few doors down from where this correspondent toiled as a teenager. I was a map clerk. I was an insurance investigator ( “put down that original Utrillo, Mrs. Grimes, and we’ll all go home happy.”)

Anyway: among the authors on the Pegasus list we have John Shannon, Martyn Waites, and Charlie Stella. John Shannon’s Jack Liffey series set in Los Angeles is well worth your time. John’s latest is THE CRACKED EARTH. I believe this is the ninth novel in the series.

Martyn Waites garnered praise for THE MERCY SEAT. His latest is scheduled for US release in the next few months. I’ll have more info once the press arrives. Charlie Stella’s latest is titled SHAKEDOWN. Also on the Pegasus list is Parnell Hall’s HITMAN.

This is by no means comprehensive. Pegasus Books US has other books on offer, including one on Samuel Beckett.

I’m rummaging through storage boxes in anticipation of moving in the Spring. Some of the old paperbacks are gonna get donated because together they weigh a ton. I’ve pulled some out to reread and wanted to mention a few: I have all of JP Donleavy’s novels. A SINGULAR MAN is my favorite. These will move. The books are wild and outdated, Irish and weird.

Tacitus, Polybius and George Pelecanos. These dudes rock. One of them wrote SHAME THE DEVIL. Guess correctly and win! Win! Sorry, no prize.

Best Laura Lippman: THE SUGAR HOUSE. Best Livy: THE WAR WITH HANNIBAL. SJ Rozan: WINTER AND NIGHT. Robert Ferrigno’s HORSE LATTITUDE. I can’t give these away so we’ll move on. Same goes for my William Lashner pbs. You can see the logistical problem developing here.

Here’s an old Ian Rankin TOOTH AND NAIL. We’ll put Ian on the side with Ken Bruen, Jason Starr and the German poets. My edition of FAUST PART TWO looks as though I loaned it to Godzilla. Can’t give that away either. I think I’ll make an intermediate pile called to be determined. TBD. Oh man, here’s MADAME BOVARY. Did you know that Flaubert was influenced by Elmore Leonard?

The difference between being fired and being laid off is a forty eight hour grace period after the fact. Being laid off is a collective experience while being fired is singular. After two days the distinction blurs: either way the job is gone. The Philly Inquirer just laid off a substantial percentage of its staff. In 10 years there will be no distinction between news and entertainment a line already blurred by television’s fashionista sensibility.

Janet Maslin wrote a review of THE BLADE ITSELF in the NYT ( go, Marcus Sakey.) I cringed a little before reading because I’m reading the book, because crime fiction in the Times is there to be mugged like a tourist in Midtown. Well, she did a good job with a book that doesn’t lend itself to easy review. Maslin dissects the story structure and the inherent problem of suspense at the cost of believability. Then she wonders about the author’s voice.

THE BLADE ITSELF is a commercial novel. The only distinction between commercial and literary fiction is emphasis; Marcus Sakey emphasizes suspense. If he hadn’t this book would still be a manuscript. Maslin makes a point about the author’s voice, a bit of Lehane ( Mystic River), a dash of Pelecanos ( I didn’t see that) and of course a dollop of Elmore Leonard with James Ellmore for good measure. This is where her review becomes a shopping list cadged from web site references and the author’s homage to the greats. If a crime novel has dialogue someone will mention Elmore Leonard. This has all the class of a lay-off notice.

THE BLADE ITSELF is a reference to Homer’s observation that “the blade itself incites to violence.” Since no one in the novel hotboxes their smokes I see no Pelecanos derivation, but there are neo-classical references to Aristotle’s POETICS. That’s outrageous.

Aboard the Dreadnaught Graf von Sitzbaedchen: Hello, the earl here. I have gone to seed, gone to sea, aboard the iron hulled dreadnaught as the writer in residence. Aside from maintaining this on line web log I’ve brought along my newly released CD HE SINGS LAS VEGAS. Passengers are thrilled to have an entire week to approach me after reading VOLTAIRE’S MIASMA. Each afternoon I am ensconced on a throne wearing a red suit in that slow period after lunch and before the self service bar opens.

Day Two: After pursuing the French fleet toward Suez, the Graf fired her deck guns at a buccaneer sighted off Cadiz. The racket was considerable: a gentleman did approach me at 3pm to inform he wanted an X-box for Christmas. We rummaged through a stack of boxes during the first salvo, however, none were marked with an x.

Day Three: We shelled the French coastline before storming ashore. As we made landfall a pair of surly police officers cited us for beach erosion. Only a signed copy of VOLTAIRE’S MIASMA would mollify them and thus the day was saved. We returned to the ship with a new passenger who turns out to be a literary critic. He’s in his stateroom thumbing through a copy of VM and the latest issue of Cosmo. I’ve sent along a copy of HE SINGS LAS VEGAS and a quantity of glitter for his lapels.

We’ve engaged the Czarist fleet in the Straights of Sardinia. With her deck guns blazing the Graf is an unusual cruise ship, far more aggressive than the literature indicated ( sail the Med!). Well, it’s only a week. No customers thus far today. I must contact my agent. TTFN. YHS, The Earl.