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The Resource The street ; : and, The Narrows, Ann Petry ; Farah Jasmine Griffin, editor

The street ; : and, The Narrows, Ann Petry ; Farah Jasmine Griffin, editor

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The item The street ; : and, The Narrows, Ann Petry ; Farah Jasmine Griffin, editor represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Randwick City Library.
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Summary: Published in 1946 to widespread critical and popular acclaim -- it was the first novel by an African-American woman to sell over a million copies -- The Street follows Lutie Johnson, a young, newly single mother, as she struggles to make a better life for her son, Bub. An intimate account of the aspirations and challenges of black, female, working-class life, much of it set on a single block in Harlem, the novel exposes structural inequalities in American society while telling a complex human story, as overpriced housing, lack of opportunity, sexual harassment, and racism conspire to limit Lutie's potential and to break her buoyant spirit. Less widely read than her blockbuster debut and still underappreciated, The Narrows (1953) is Petry's most ambitious and accomplished novel -- a multi-layered, stylistically innovative exploration of themes of race, class, sexuality, gender, and power in postwar America. Centered around an adulterous interracial affair in a small Connecticut town between the young black scholar-athlete Link Williams and white, privileged munitions heiress Camilo Sheffield, it is also a fond, incisive community portrait, full of unforgettable minor characters, unexpected humor, and a rich sense of history. Also included are three essays by Petry on the art of fiction and the vibrant Harlem life that inspired her

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Summary: Published in 1946 to widespread critical and popular acclaim -- it was the first novel by an African-American woman to sell over a million copies -- The Street follows Lutie Johnson, a young, newly single mother, as she struggles to make a better life for her son, Bub. An intimate account of the aspirations and challenges of black, female, working-class life, much of it set on a single block in Harlem, the novel exposes structural inequalities in American society while telling a complex human story, as overpriced housing, lack of opportunity, sexual harassment, and racism conspire to limit Lutie's potential and to break her buoyant spirit. Less widely read than her blockbuster debut and still underappreciated, The Narrows (1953) is Petry's most ambitious and accomplished novel -- a multi-layered, stylistically innovative exploration of themes of race, class, sexuality, gender, and power in postwar America. Centered around an adulterous interracial affair in a small Connecticut town between the young black scholar-athlete Link Williams and white, privileged munitions heiress Camilo Sheffield, it is also a fond, incisive community portrait, full of unforgettable minor characters, unexpected humor, and a rich sense of history. Also included are three essays by Petry on the art of fiction and the vibrant Harlem life that inspired her

Summary: Explores the life and dreams of a young woman who struggles to raise her son in a suffocating ghetto world of racism, human degradation, and uncontrolled violence