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The Last Block in Harlem
by
Christopher Herz (Goodreads Author)
All fire escapes lead back to the same block in Sugar Hill, Harlem ? where kids run through hydrants and music blares from stereos plugged into lampposts. When a new resident (the story's unnamed narrator) notices the trash polluting the picturesque streets and tainting his block's beauty, he is spurred to action. However, his best intentions go awry when the cleanup bring...more
Paperback, 216 pages
Published
July 13th 2010
by AmazonEncore
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Change. Ignore it to live a life of monotony. Embrace it and risk it all.
When we see wrong in this world, there is this inherent urge in us to do something about it, to make it right. Some would choose to walk away. Others choose a more heroic approach, to get involved and make a difference. These are the people who desire to change the world, to fight for what is right. They see change in a positive light.
The reality is that change is not always positive, and the problem with changing the world...more
When we see wrong in this world, there is this inherent urge in us to do something about it, to make it right. Some would choose to walk away. Others choose a more heroic approach, to get involved and make a difference. These are the people who desire to change the world, to fight for what is right. They see change in a positive light.
The reality is that change is not always positive, and the problem with changing the world...more
Unless you're new to reading my blog, you're probably aware of my love for all things New York City. There is something so real about the city, and it's full of such history. And the variety in culture and people in New York is something that continues to draw me to it. My family makes fun of me for a remark I made after returning from my first trip to NYC when I said that I felt like I "belonged" in NYC more than I do here in Florida where I grew up. (But it's true). On my most recent trip to t...more
Ok, so this book was loaned to me on my Kindle and I was so excited to receive it I began to read it immediately. Of course, I only had two weeks to finish it which is an eternity to me but I was anxious to get started reading. The title drew me in also. The story began and I was somewhat interested. As I continued reading, I began to feel disconnected and lost for where the author was trying to take me. The development of characters was slight at best. I didn't feel any connection to them at al...more
I orginally found out about this book because I was interested in finding out about the Harlem Renissaince. Althought this book did not give information about famous and influential people coming from Harlem, it did give a fictional representations of modern day Harlem.
Not being familar at all with NYC at its neighborhoods (ie, Harlem)- I was draw to this book. It painted a world that was so much different from mine, which helped me have a greater appreciation of different culture and societes.
T...more
Not being familar at all with NYC at its neighborhoods (ie, Harlem)- I was draw to this book. It painted a world that was so much different from mine, which helped me have a greater appreciation of different culture and societes.
T...more
This book was going so well for about the first half, then it started to gradually veer off course, and then the plane crashed into a mountain in the last 20 pages or so. The ending was bungled in a way that's so epic that I actually kinda respect it. If you gave me the first 14 chapters of this book and told me to write two final chapters that completely ruin it, as some silly writing assignment, I don't know that I could come up with something as bizarre as what this guy came up with. I don't...more
A young man and his wife return to his roots, a block in Harlem where he writes and she goes to work as an architect. Yuppies, not in their own mind. When he sees the neighborhood is "trashy" he goes to work, sweeping it up. But his good intentions get caught up with ambitions to change Harlem to an area of affluency and he becomes a part of it -- for a while. Once he and the people on the block realize what's happening, they try to turn things around with one unintended result - the accidental...more
I've never been to Harlem, but I feel like I have after reading this book. The author has a rare talent for recreating the sights, sounds, and smells of the neighborhood, (not to mention realistically depicting the characters who populate it). Not to give too much away, but I didn't see the ending coming, and wasn't sure how I felt about it. Later, I thought about the book and mentally retraced the steps leading up to the last chapter--similar to what I did after seeing the film, "The Sixth Sens...more
I can't recall where I first heard the story of Herz and his book, but I remembered being intrigued by the idea that he was engaging in old-school street hustling in order to get it sold. The second thing that drew me in (and made me add it to my reading list), is the book's title. The Last Block in Harlem is set in the Sugar Hill section of Harlem and Herz he sets the scene well, leaving me experiencing a bit of nostaligia in the early pages of the book.
Herz is a good storyteller and the setti...more
Herz is a good storyteller and the setti...more
This is a story about a neighborhood. A neightborhood in Harlem, New York, USA. What thoughts just went through your head when you read the word Harlem? There is such a negative connotation with Harlem being this dangerous place, that we don't really stop to think about the people who live there. The people who have amazing stories to tell. The people who make up this wonderful debut novel by Chris Herz.
The main narrator, never named, is struggling to identify who he wants to be in life. In his...more
The main narrator, never named, is struggling to identify who he wants to be in life. In his...more
The premise to this novel is original, and I did enjoy it up to a point. I would have liked more time with some of the characters, they were very individual and I would have liked to have had a more in depth experience with them. The novel on the whole felt too condensed, maybe because I am used to reading long novels. I also wasn't keen on the ending at all, it reminded me a lot of Brother Odd by Dean Koontz, though much more sinister and I wondered why he did it. The descent into madness wasn'...more
A well-written and engaging story. Couldn't put it down. I like novels that make you think about how people interract with each other and the effect they have on the world around them. We all want to make a difference. We'd like the world to be a little more perfect - the way we think it should be. Christopher Herz does an excellent job of portraying the life of a very self-focused man who wants to do just that. But, sometimes, when we try to solve other people's problems, we make more problems...more
I read this via a Crazy Book Tours and I have to say it did not impress me. Not every book can be a winner and it's great to step out and read things that normally you wouldn't so I am not sorry I read it, just that it didn't click with me.
What starts as a little sweep-up from a resident, our main character, who is never named in the entire book, turns into so much more.
It's a look into the lives of people in Harlem and everywhere in my opinion.
What starts as a little sweep-up from a resident, our main character, who is never named in the entire book, turns into so much more.
It's a look into the lives of people in Harlem and everywhere in my opinion.
Sep 12, 2011
Shelf Magazine
added it
Christopher Herz wrote The Last Block in Harlem as “a love letter to his block,” he says of his first novel, which recounts, with great sensory detail, the comings and goings of a small group of people in a small space and the big implications of one man’s misguided efforts to save his neighborhood.
Herz self-published and marketed the novel until it was picked up by major publishers. Read how in our June/July 2011 issue. http://www.shelfmediagroup.com/staff_...
Herz self-published and marketed the novel until it was picked up by major publishers. Read how in our June/July 2011 issue. http://www.shelfmediagroup.com/staff_...
The Last Block in Harlem is a remarkable book that took me on a journey to Harlem! I was there on the fire escape and I witnessed the people down on the street as if I was there. I could vividly see in my head all the characters in the book and could feel what they were feeling! I would recommend this book to everyone! It is a fast paced story with amazing characters, real life situations and is definitely a "Must Read".
Reminiscent of Adam Langer's Ellington Boulevard, one of my favorite books of last year, The Last Block in Harlem concerns the continuing inevitable gentrification of New York. Whereas the former book made a character out of the building in question, this novel casts a wider net employing the block itself. There is a central story of love and pathos and loss and misplaced choices, but is well written and compelling.
Recently visited Harlem for the first time. I was amazed at how nice it was...not what I visioned while living in NYC until 1986. This book fit in with the Harlem of today. One man works hard to get his block to work together to clean up the area. What were the consequences?? You need to read to find out. I very much liked this book.
Great book! Herz has painted a vivid picture of Harlem and the people who live there. This book is full of creative, interesting characters that seem to come to life as you journey through it. Its great storyline and plot will leave you guessing until the end of the story and will keep you glued until the last page!
May 06, 2011
Danielle Lynd
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
every one
Recommended to Danielle by:
Christopher Herz
I started reading this not really sure what I would get going in as it was not my typical genre book. I was pleasantly surprised by Herz different writing style and thus never named narrator. Absolutely worth at least one read give it a try you will be living on the last block in Harlem when you read it.
I really enjoyed this book. The message was one that will truly make you think about what have you done with your life to make a difference. The characters we easily identifiable. This is one of those hard to put down books so it was easily finished in just a day and half by me
What would you do if you felt like your job wasn't making a difference? That the words you poured out of yourself were a lie? One man's journey in Harlem and how he picked up a broom and found stories in his neighborhood while trying to find himself.
I tried to get into this book, I really did. But I never liked the narrator, thought many parts of the narration were forced or fake, and completely HATED the ending. I was just disappointed all around. I feel like the concept of the story was good, but it wasn't handled in the best way possible.
Well...I found the first 3/4 of the book readable, with only a few tortured spots in the writing. There were some interesting themes. But the ludicrous ending (I didn't see that coming!) negates the whole thing.
Really 1.5 stars, though with a rating this low, does it matter? This book couldn't tell what it wanted to be and tried too hard to be profound. It barely held my interest and the curve at the end is reminiscent of when Audrey Niffeneger went off the deep end in Her Fearful Symmetry.
Last Block in Harlem started out intriguing, however about half way through it just seemed to wander. I kept reading because I really believed that because the beginning was so good that the author would bring it all together. But that didn't really happen and the ending veered off in an odd direction.
Great short book, reminded me of One Hundred Years of Solitude. Does a good job mixing the real and the surreal. Not the best written book I've ever read, but very engaging.
This book was just...odd. I don't know. It told a story but it was so all over the place. I didn't really care for the main character. I really just didn't get his point and the ending was just bizarre.
I loved the first half, wonderful writing. In the second half, it became so plot-driven that the writing was sacrificed.
When I first began reading this book, I was under the impression it was a memoir. I was mistaken. It is fictional story that seemed plotless to me, for the most part, and the ending was downright strange. Maybe I missed something.
Touching and believable story with a morbid ending.
It was just OK...there was room to make it more interesting--but it never played out.
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After working in the New York advertising world and seeing the possibilities that social media and the digital revolution held for writers, Christopher Herz fully went after his dream of writing novels and took to selling copies of his first book, The Last Block in Harlem, on the streets of New York. His unorthodox efforts and fresh contemporary prose garnered the attention of media outlets everyw...more
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Jun 11, 2011 11:05am