Our book group choice for June 2018 is A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes. It’s a ripping introduction to Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, patrolling New York City’s roughest streets in Chester Himes’s groundbreaking Harlem Detectives series.
A Rage in Harlem is a 1957 crime novel by Chester Himes, the first in his Harlem Detectives series. The novel follows the investigation of two Harlem police detectives, Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, into the murder of a wealthy white man and the theft of a trunk full of gold.
The novel opens with Jackson, a naive young man, being conned out of his life savings by a man who promises to turn his ten-dollar bills into hundreds. Jackson is so desperate for money that he even steals from his boss, H. Exodus Clay, a funeral director. However, Jackson loses the stolen money at a craps table.
Meanwhile, Imabelle, a beautiful woman who Jackson is in love with, has stolen a trunk full of gold from Slim, a ruthless gangster. Slim and his gang are determined to get the gold back, and they kill the white man who was fencing it for them.
Coffin Ed and Grave Digger are called in to investigate the murder, and they soon realize that the two cases are connected. They track down Jackson and Goldy, Jackson’s twin brother, and learn that Imabelle has the gold. However, before they can find her, she is killed by Slim’s gang.
Coffin Ed and Grave Digger eventually track down Slim and his gang, and they kill them all. The gold is never recovered, but the detectives have solved the case and brought the killers to justice.
A Rage in Harlem is a dark and gritty novel that explores the seedy underbelly of Harlem in the 1950s. The novel is full of violence, corruption, and betrayal, but it also features moments of humor and compassion. Himes’s writing is sharp and witty, and he creates a vivid portrait of Harlem at a time of great social and political upheaval.
The novel was adapted into a film in 1991, directed by Bill Duke. The film starred Forest Whitaker, Danny Glover, Badja Djola, Robin Givens, and Gregory Hines. The film was a critical and commercial success, and it helped to introduce Himes’s work to a wider audience.
A Rage in Harlem is a classic of American crime fiction, and it is one of the most important novels to come out of the Harlem Renaissance. The novel is a powerful and moving story about love, loss, and redemption.
Discussion Questions A Rage in Harlem
- What are the different perspectives on the Black experience in Harlem in the 1950s that are represented in the novel?
- How does the novel explore the themes of violence, poverty, and crime in Harlem?
- What is the role of humor in the novel? How does it help to offset the violence and despair?
- How does the novel portray the relationship between men and women?
- What is the significance of the title, A Rage in Harlem?
- What is the role of religion in the novel?
- How does the novel depict the relationship between the police and the Black community?
- What is the significance of the setting of Harlem in the novel?
- How does the novel reflect the historical and social context of the 1950s?
- What is the novel’s message about the human condition?
- How does the novel challenge stereotypes about Black people?
- What is the novel’s significance in the history of African American literature?
- How does the novel compare to other works of crime fiction by Chester Himes?
- How does the novel compare to other works of crime fiction by other authors?