Paulclem
08-06-2011, 06:12 PM
Gil Scott-Heron died earlier this year, and, as I hadn’t previously been aware that he’d written any books, I decided to buy and read it straight away.
I encountered his musical work before either his poetry or his novels. The Bottle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b2F-XX0Ol0
is one of my all time favourite songs which I encountered in a sleazy little nightclub in West Yorkshire in the 1980’s. It was the only place I ever heard it, until, through the magic of the internet and Spotify, I was finally able to find it on Youtube. Until then I hadn’t known that Scott-Heron was the singer, though I had heard his:
The Revolution Will Not be Televised.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS3QOtbW4m0
So I read The vulture to find out whether Gil Scott-heron was as good a novelist as he was a musician and poet.
What is immediately striking about the book is that it is about kids of 16-18 written by Scott-Heron when he was barely much older. It concerns the murder of a drug dealer – John Lee – and is told through the narrative contributions of 4 protagonists – Spade, junior Jones, Afro and Ivan Quin. They all retell their stories and reveal their reasons to kill John-Lee and why his death will solve a problem.
It is well written with engaging and believable characters, and it gives Scott-Heron the opportunity to describe the typical lives of young black men from the Harlem Housing Projects in the late 1960’s. It certainly has a young man’s focus; the description is at a minimum which does focus the reader upon the murder and the wider situation of the characters. As a historical novel now, I would have liked more description, but I can certainly appreciate the young man’s view which is both the novelist’s and the protagonists.
The usual elements of a young man’s life are present – drugs, liquor, dealing, parties, sex, women and the interplay of relations between the young men. It doesn’t suffer from the later 70’s preoccupation with graphic violence, and this does give it a sense of authenticity. The violence is muted and comes with a young man’s logic. I feel it is closer to American noir, and I think some of the characters are strong enough to have been developed in further novels.
The characters represent different aspects of the Black Harlem community. Spade is tough and self reliant, but elicits respect despite being a dealer. John-Lee, the victim, represents the corrupted dealer who becomes self serving. Junior is the up and coming young kid who is likely to become even more embroiled in the drug scene. Afro is the political activist willing to commit murder to further the rights and power of the Black community. IQ is the college kid with real prospects who stands with his feet straddling the Harlem projects and an academic future.
Of these IQ seems to represent Scott-Heron most closely. Scott-heron showed early promise as a 12 year old, but his involvement in the drug scene and imprisonment persisted into the last years of his life.
I enjoyed the book, and I completed it quickly. Then, drawing back from the book, I realised it represented a very narrow window upon a particular place and time in Black American History. Apart from the young men, none of the other classes of characters are developed. Parents are peripheral with only glimpses of the relationship seen through Afro’s father joshing him and the grief of Ricky’s Mother. Women are portrayed as needy and deceptive whilst using the young black men. The police take minor roles, and the crime boss and political leader are shadowy and threatening.
This is not a criticism. I think Scott-Heron captures the young man’s preoccupations and perceptions of others very well. I could appreciate this view with all the selfish flaws and enjoyments that are a part of a young man’s experience. I don’t think I’ve read a book that captures that, to the exclusion of all other views, as clearly as this does.
if you are interested in Black Social history in 1960’s USA, the particular views of young men, or want to get a view of life in the Harlem Housing Projects, then this is a good place to start. I certainly could associate my younger man’s experience with aspects of this book, and I think it does credit for the book that it is relevant to the 1960s US and the 1980s in England when I was that age.
I encountered his musical work before either his poetry or his novels. The Bottle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b2F-XX0Ol0
is one of my all time favourite songs which I encountered in a sleazy little nightclub in West Yorkshire in the 1980’s. It was the only place I ever heard it, until, through the magic of the internet and Spotify, I was finally able to find it on Youtube. Until then I hadn’t known that Scott-Heron was the singer, though I had heard his:
The Revolution Will Not be Televised.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS3QOtbW4m0
So I read The vulture to find out whether Gil Scott-heron was as good a novelist as he was a musician and poet.
What is immediately striking about the book is that it is about kids of 16-18 written by Scott-Heron when he was barely much older. It concerns the murder of a drug dealer – John Lee – and is told through the narrative contributions of 4 protagonists – Spade, junior Jones, Afro and Ivan Quin. They all retell their stories and reveal their reasons to kill John-Lee and why his death will solve a problem.
It is well written with engaging and believable characters, and it gives Scott-Heron the opportunity to describe the typical lives of young black men from the Harlem Housing Projects in the late 1960’s. It certainly has a young man’s focus; the description is at a minimum which does focus the reader upon the murder and the wider situation of the characters. As a historical novel now, I would have liked more description, but I can certainly appreciate the young man’s view which is both the novelist’s and the protagonists.
The usual elements of a young man’s life are present – drugs, liquor, dealing, parties, sex, women and the interplay of relations between the young men. It doesn’t suffer from the later 70’s preoccupation with graphic violence, and this does give it a sense of authenticity. The violence is muted and comes with a young man’s logic. I feel it is closer to American noir, and I think some of the characters are strong enough to have been developed in further novels.
The characters represent different aspects of the Black Harlem community. Spade is tough and self reliant, but elicits respect despite being a dealer. John-Lee, the victim, represents the corrupted dealer who becomes self serving. Junior is the up and coming young kid who is likely to become even more embroiled in the drug scene. Afro is the political activist willing to commit murder to further the rights and power of the Black community. IQ is the college kid with real prospects who stands with his feet straddling the Harlem projects and an academic future.
Of these IQ seems to represent Scott-Heron most closely. Scott-heron showed early promise as a 12 year old, but his involvement in the drug scene and imprisonment persisted into the last years of his life.
I enjoyed the book, and I completed it quickly. Then, drawing back from the book, I realised it represented a very narrow window upon a particular place and time in Black American History. Apart from the young men, none of the other classes of characters are developed. Parents are peripheral with only glimpses of the relationship seen through Afro’s father joshing him and the grief of Ricky’s Mother. Women are portrayed as needy and deceptive whilst using the young black men. The police take minor roles, and the crime boss and political leader are shadowy and threatening.
This is not a criticism. I think Scott-Heron captures the young man’s preoccupations and perceptions of others very well. I could appreciate this view with all the selfish flaws and enjoyments that are a part of a young man’s experience. I don’t think I’ve read a book that captures that, to the exclusion of all other views, as clearly as this does.
if you are interested in Black Social history in 1960’s USA, the particular views of young men, or want to get a view of life in the Harlem Housing Projects, then this is a good place to start. I certainly could associate my younger man’s experience with aspects of this book, and I think it does credit for the book that it is relevant to the 1960s US and the 1980s in England when I was that age.