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17th out of 40 books
—
75 voters
Standing at the Scratch Line: A Novel (Tremain Family Saga #1)
by
Guy Johnson
Raised in the steamy bayous of New Orleans in the early 1900s, LeRoi "King" Tremain, caught up in his family's ongoing feud with the rival DuMont family, learns to fight. But when the teenage King mistakenly kills two white deputies during a botched raid on the DuMonts, the Tremains' fear of reprisal forces King to flee Louisiana.
King thus embarks on an adventure that fir...more
King thus embarks on an adventure that fir...more
Paperback, 576 pages
Published
January 9th 2001
by Villard
(first published December 1st 1998)
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This book had me thinking about what KING TREMAIN would do in certain situations. He is a simple yet complex man in his relationships with those around him. Family took form as blood relatives, people he trusted and of course his military associates. He was no nonsense and upfront. His knack for taking what he wanted chimed throughout the entire book. However, he was not a selfish man.
Early in the book LeRoi "King" Tremain is sent away from his family for his actions while protecting his family...more
Early in the book LeRoi "King" Tremain is sent away from his family for his actions while protecting his family...more
King Tremain is a complex character with many layers and dimensions. I admired his strength, appreciated his love of family and honor, his courage was sexy and his dark side was scary but necessary.
The story is exciting, thought provoking and cathartic. Social, psychological, financial and emotional issues are all addressed in this creative story of love, loss, growth and maturity. I can see each of character in this book. From the international scene of World War I to streets of Harlem and from...more
The story is exciting, thought provoking and cathartic. Social, psychological, financial and emotional issues are all addressed in this creative story of love, loss, growth and maturity. I can see each of character in this book. From the international scene of World War I to streets of Harlem and from...more
This is my absolute favorite book!!! I read this book over 10 years ago & it is still my favorite!! King Tremain was a man's man despite being black during an era when being black meant being less than. He didn't take no mess from anyone! No other book has completely enthrallled me and has me wishing for more stories about the main character!!! I would live to see this book made into a movie!
I was so moved by the main character that I kept giving my husband updates while being pregnant with...more
I was so moved by the main character that I kept giving my husband updates while being pregnant with...more
I stumbled upon Guy Johnson and his work while searching for “Pym” by Mat Johnson at my local library. I gave it a shot and was surprised with “Standing at the Scratch Line”. King Tremain is a complex and well layered character that honestly made me want to understand his train of thought and look into his future.
Johnson used a lot of different characters like Serena, Big Ed, and Darwin “The Professor” Morris to give us a view of various characters that were involved in King’s life. Honestly, I...more
Johnson used a lot of different characters like Serena, Big Ed, and Darwin “The Professor” Morris to give us a view of various characters that were involved in King’s life. Honestly, I...more
This Klantastic account of a psychotically angry African-American killing all who stand against him (including plenty of Klansman) would make a fucking awesome blaxsploitation film. The language is pretty simplistic, though, by no means a great book, but a fun ride. The author is the son of Maya Angelou, btw. I listened to it as an audio book, and the reader did a great job with black vernacular, but had some difficulty sounding like the racist crackers of the South. He should have impersonated...more
This is my favorite book hands down; I have never been so excited about a character in a book before where I visualized that the character was myself. The main character in this book is a strong, wise, fearless, family oriented, loving brother that will not back down from any situation in order to protect the ones he care for and love. Guy Johnson, the author, also drops tid bits of history in this book (i love authors who do that), with the history he weaves in this story it encourages you to g...more
WOW!! This was one of the most exciting books I've ever read----truly a page turner. The story spans the years from WWI through WWII giving a unique perspective of the African American experience in that time frame. The author has depicted King Tremain, the main character, as a strong, proud, Black man during a time when it was especially difficult to survive the constant indignities of racism. The reader follows Kings as he leaves his teens in Louisiana, participates in a segregated army unit i...more
Wow. What a great book! Not at all what I expected. Completely unique, which is kind of a shame. I mean, why hasn't a story like this been told before? A pre-Civil Rights story about an African American male who is not a door mat shouldn't be such a novel concept, but it is. Yes, the fact that he is almost a super-human hero was a bit hard for me to swallow at first. But then I remembered that I have read lots of books with similar off-the-charts, Superman-like male protagonists (spys, assassins...more
Aug 25, 2009
Deanie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone 18+
Recommended to Deanie by:
Olivette Thompson
This is the first installment of a family saga written by Guy Johnson, son of Maya Angelou. Obviously he inherited her gift for communicating. The novel spans from 1916-1946 through larger-than-life protagonist LeRoi Boudreaux Tremain-aka King. From the trenches of WWI to 1940s San Francisco, by way of Harlem and New Orleans, King takes part in a family feud at 14, fights with the all-black 369th Regiment in the fields of Alsace-Lorraine, does battle with the mob, the KKK and law enforcement age...more
An exciting, fast paced and unique book. I love the way Guy Johnson weaved African American history into the story on 'King' Tremain. King does what many black men of that time probably wanted to do when confronted with the racism of the time. I think this book and its follow up, Echoes of a Distant Summer, would make a great miniseries. One of my favorite reads.
THE BEST BOOK EVER . . . I got this book as a gift and didn't even pick it up for two years. Stupid, Stupid me ! This book is excellent from beginning to end. Guy Johnson's characters are so well written and developed you can't put the book down. King Tremain, the main character is my new HERO. This is a book everyone at some point in time should read.
Love, love, love this book. The first time I read it I was about 16 or 17. It was a challenging read for me, picked up a dictionary quite a few times. But oddly that is one of the things I loved about it. The story line was great and unpredictable, it took you through so many twists and turns. He needs to write more books. Loved it!
An excellent read. I struggled a little bit with the fact that everyone around King has to pay for their mistakes (Sampson, Serena, Professor, his uncle), but King never does. It does not seem as if King has learned anything or really grown at all. King seems to be the backdrop for the transformation of the individual lives he touches.
Excellent read. This is the book for those of us who are tired of taking everyone's bull. Shoot em up bang bang...
There are also strong historical references. I just finished this book and it was amazing. Really took me to another place and time. The kind of book where you look around and are surprised to see yourself still in the sameplace.
There are also strong historical references. I just finished this book and it was amazing. Really took me to another place and time. The kind of book where you look around and are surprised to see yourself still in the sameplace.
This book was recommended to our book club members by an author that said it was his favorite book. I was a little intimidated when I saw how many pages it had, but I kept reading. In the end I thought that this was a really good book as well. I'm interested in finding out what happens to King and Serena's family, so I'm definitely going to purchase the sequel immediately. Just as someone recommended it to us, I would definitely recommend it for others to read. Guy Johnson did a wonderful job!!!
This book is by M. Angelo son. One of the best books I have read. It an epic story about a man named Trumain King. What a story . It takes you through so many different eras. Would be an excellent movie. Somebody must own the rights!! What a powerful African American man!!
This was a superb read and deserves to be a saga like The Godfather. It's sequel Distant Summer is a must read as well. One of the truly undiscovered tales of the adventures of life.
I am a fan of sagas and this has now became one of my favorites. I personally did not like King Tremain as a person very much but I admired his goals, dreams, and determination for fairness. I also did not like his wife because of how deceitful and selfish she was. I truly loved the side characters and wished Guy Johnson would have pumped some of their warmth and likability into King and his wife. I will read the followup because I am now a fan of Guy Johnson's writing.
A great story; read while in the Army. Historical fiction beginning in Louisiana. Guy paints a great African-American story. I read the hard back book.
There's nothing like a big historical epic to keep me up at night. This one takes us into the under-explored territory of the African American experience in the early twentieth century. A tough Louisiana backwoods kid has to flee the bayous after killing a sheriff's deputy; he serves in the segregated U.S. Army in World War I and then comes back to Jazz Age Harlem and points west in a country where he is a second-class citizen, fighting for respect the whole way. The dialogue is a bit stilted at...more
This has to be one of the best books I read. What I hate is he only published 2 books and stopped
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This book was interesting but some of the characters could have been eliminated.
One of the best fiction books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Great job!
One of the most amazing books I've ever read. Very vivid. Thoroughly enjoyable.
All males should read this book. Strong, positive and loyal AA male figure.
2 likes · like · see review
In my top five...this book hands down is Brilliant! Team Treiman!!
I wish Mr. Johnson would write more stories. Loved this book.
Excellent book. Very good read with suspense.
Calorific writing; intense... very intense story.
Author is son of Maya Angelou
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Jan 12, 2011 08:41pm