This book took me a long time to read. It is one of those stories that is so authentically written that it feels like you are living the author’s life day to day. That means it can get at times a little repetitive, making it easy to lose focus.

However, on balance, this book is a masterpiece. Perhaps the reason i put it down so many times is simply because I could not personally relate, and therefore could not get fully invested, in all of Claude’s daily struggles. To gain this level of insight towards the realities of living as a young black man in 1960’s Harlem is to understand a living hell.

Yet, he writes of friendship, loyalty, resilience and love. To see through Claude’s eyes is a gift because it reminds the reader of how hard some people in this world are fighting just to survive another day, let alone to achieve some form of societal success.

It may take you a while, but especially in the current context, I believe this to be an incredibly worthwhile read.