From one of the most revolutionary writers of the 20th century, the uncensored and gritty novel that inspired today's street lit and hip hop culture. "After my ninth birthday I began to really understand the meaning of my name. I began to understand just what my mother was doing for a living. There was nothing I could do about it, but even had I been able to, I wouldn't have changed it." Whoreson Jones is the son of a beautiful black prostitute and an unknown white john. As a child, he's looked after by his neighborhood's imposing matriarch, Big Mama, while his mother works. At age twelve, his street education begins when a man named Fast Black schools him in trickology. By thirteen, Whoreson's a cardsharp. By sixteen, his childhood abruptly ends, and he is a full-fledged pimp, cold-blooded and ruthless, battling to understand and live up to his mother's words, "First be a man, then be a pimp." "All those other black writers, no matter how well they dealt with black experience, appealed largely to an educated, middle-class, largely white readership. They brought news of one place to the residents of another. Goines' novels, on the other hand, are written from ground zero. They are almost unbearable. It is not the educated voice of a writer who has, so to speak, risen above his background. It is the voice of the ghetto itself." -Michael Covino, The Village Voice
Unfortunately for the main character "Whoreson" just so happens to be his name. Despite the title, this happens to be a heartfelt story of a love that just wasn't destined to be. A great tale and another story written in a way that only Donald Goines could deliver. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.
it ain't pretty, then again, neither is life...
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
If you're a fan of Goines...get it. Gritty. Authentic. He lived it. Wrote about it. Not much else to be said.
Best D.Goines...
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
I have to agree with the other reviewer because this is also my favorite by Donald Goines and is much better than Pimp....although it is a very close 2nd
A Must Read Book!!!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
Out of all the Donald Goines books I have read this is still my favorite. Don't let the title scare you away it is a great read and I will read it again!!!
Brilliant
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I have read all of Donald Goines' books, this one is by far my FAVORITE. The first time I read this book I was very young, at that time it was exciting because I knew that I shouldn't have been reading the book in the first place. (Kinda like sneaking and listening to Richard Pryor records when no one was around) I was amazed with the fast pace of the book and all of the underhandedness of the main character.Once I got older I was able to appreciate the author's writing style. In all my years of reading I have never read anything that was as clear and concise as Mr. Goines' novels. His writing is so clear, its like you are apart of the story. Almost like the story is unfolding right before your very eyes. Not only do you feel as though you know each of the characters, you get a sense of familiarity of the surroundings. I have never been to Detroit MI, a day in my life. But I can envision each scene, each street corner, each alley and every building that was mentioned in this book. I must say that not all writers have the capability of great story telling, nor do all writers have the capability of good writing style, well Mr. Goines had both.This generations of writers seem to be patterning after the same style of writing and the same story line. Every once in a while we should step back in time and take a look at something original. Read something from someone with ingenuity and originality, someone who definitely had a flare for writing. And from a writer who wasn't afraid of telling his story the way he wanted it told. Maybe I am a little prejuiced, but damn that man could write !!!!!
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