Name: Home to Harlem
ISBN: 9780486852584

Who It's For

Good for readers who enjoy Fiction / African American / Historical
Good for readers interested in black
Strong fit for readers who prefer grounded, real-world context.

What You Get

Themes: Kids, History, Historical.
Reading lane: African American and American.
Publisher: Dover Publications.

About This Book

Claude McKay’s 1928 novel, Home to Harlem , is one of the most important works of the Harlem Renaissance. With raw, unflinching candor, McKay explores race, identity, love, and loss and gives voice to the plight of young Black men during the Jazz Age. Jake Brown, a Black American soldier and a World War I deserter, returns to Harlem and struggles to find his place in a vibrant working-class community that’s rife with poverty, crime, and racism. He meets various characters, i...

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Claude McKay’s 1928 novel, Home to Harlem , is one of the most important works of the Harlem Renaissance. With raw, unflinching candor, McKay explores race, identity, love, and loss and gives voice to the plight of young Black men during the Jazz Age. Jake Brown, a Black American soldier and a World War I deserter, returns to Harlem and struggles to find his place in a vibrant working-class community that’s rife with poverty, crime, and racism. He meets various characters, including a displaced Haitian intellectual, prostitutes, hustlers, and jazz musicians, and he experiences everything from love and joy to despair and violence.