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White Man's Justice, Black Man's Grief
Goines' classic novel of prison life, it has been called "one of the most revealing books ever written about prison life and the bigotry built into the system." This is the story of Chester Himes, who thought he was the baddest man to come down the street. Behind prison walls he was nothing more than fresh meat.
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Published June 1, 2000
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About the author
Donald Goines
30 books758 followersDonald Goines was born in Detroit to a relatively comfortable family - his parents owned a local dry cleaner, and he did not have problems with the law or drugs. Goines attended Catholic elementary school and was expected to go into his family's laundry business. Instead Goines enlisted in the US Air Force, and to get in he had to lie about his age. From 1952 to 1955 he served in the armed forces. During this period he got hooked on heroin. When he returned to Detroit from Japan, he was a heroin addict.
The next 15 years from 1955 Goines spent pimping, robbing, stealing, bootlegging, and running numbers, or doing time. His seven prison sentences totaled 6.5 years. While in jail in the 1960s he first attempted to write Westerns without much success - he loved cowboy movies. A few years later, serving a different sentence at a different prison, he was introduced to the work of Iceberg Slim (Robert Beck). This time Goines wrote his semi-autobiographical novel Whoreson, which appeared in 1972. It was a story about the son of a prostitute who becomes a Detroit ghetto pimp. Also Beck's first book, Pimp: The Story of My Life (1967), was autobiographical. Goines was released in 1970, after which he wrote 16 novels with Holloway House, Iceberg Slim's publisher. Hoping to get rid of surroundings - he was back on smack - he moved with his family to the Los Angeles ghetto of Watts.
All of Goines's books were paperback originals. They sold well but did not receive much critical attention. After two years, he decided to return to Detroit. Goines's death was as harsh as his novels - he and his wife were shot to death on the night of October 21, 1974. According to some sources Goines's death had something to do with a failed drugs deal. The identity of the killers remained unknown, but there were reports of "two white men". Posthumously appeared Inner City Hoodlum (1975), which Goines had finished before his death. The story, set in Los Angeles, was about smack, money, and murder.
The first film version of Goines's books, Crime Partners (2001), was directed by J. Jesses Smith. Never Die Alone (1974), about the life of a drug dealer, was filmed by Ernest R. Dickerson, starring DMX. The violent gangsta movie was labelled as "junk masquerading as art."
During his career as a writer, Goines worked to a strict timetable, writing in the morning, devoting the rest of the day to heroin. His pace was furious, sometimes he produced a book in a month. The stories were usually set in the black inner city, in Los Angeles, New York or Detroit, which then was becoming known as 'motor city'. In Black Gangster (1972) the title character builds a "liberation" movement to cover his planned criminal activities. After this work Goines started to view the social and political turmoil of the ghetto as a battlefield between races.
Under the pseudonym Al C. Clark, Goines created a serial hero, Kenyatta, who was named after the 'father of Kenya', Jomo Kenyatta. The four-book series, beginning with Crime Partners (1974), was published by Holloway House. Kenyatta is the leader of a militant organization which aims at cleaning American ghettos of drugs and prostitution. All white policemen, who patrol the black neighborhoods, also are his enemies. Cry Revenge! (1974) tells of Curtis Carson, who is tall, black, and used to giving orders. He becomes the nightmare of the Chicanos, who have crushed his brother. Death List (1974) brings together Kenyatta, the powerful ganglord, Edward Benson, an intelligent black detective, and Ryan, his chisel-faced white partner, in a war against a secret list of drug pushers. In the fourth book, Kenyatta's Last Hit (1975), the hero is killed in a shootout.
The next 15 years from 1955 Goines spent pimping, robbing, stealing, bootlegging, and running numbers, or doing time. His seven prison sentences totaled 6.5 years. While in jail in the 1960s he first attempted to write Westerns without much success - he loved cowboy movies. A few years later, serving a different sentence at a different prison, he was introduced to the work of Iceberg Slim (Robert Beck). This time Goines wrote his semi-autobiographical novel Whoreson, which appeared in 1972. It was a story about the son of a prostitute who becomes a Detroit ghetto pimp. Also Beck's first book, Pimp: The Story of My Life (1967), was autobiographical. Goines was released in 1970, after which he wrote 16 novels with Holloway House, Iceberg Slim's publisher. Hoping to get rid of surroundings - he was back on smack - he moved with his family to the Los Angeles ghetto of Watts.
All of Goines's books were paperback originals. They sold well but did not receive much critical attention. After two years, he decided to return to Detroit. Goines's death was as harsh as his novels - he and his wife were shot to death on the night of October 21, 1974. According to some sources Goines's death had something to do with a failed drugs deal. The identity of the killers remained unknown, but there were reports of "two white men". Posthumously appeared Inner City Hoodlum (1975), which Goines had finished before his death. The story, set in Los Angeles, was about smack, money, and murder.
The first film version of Goines's books, Crime Partners (2001), was directed by J. Jesses Smith. Never Die Alone (1974), about the life of a drug dealer, was filmed by Ernest R. Dickerson, starring DMX. The violent gangsta movie was labelled as "junk masquerading as art."
During his career as a writer, Goines worked to a strict timetable, writing in the morning, devoting the rest of the day to heroin. His pace was furious, sometimes he produced a book in a month. The stories were usually set in the black inner city, in Los Angeles, New York or Detroit, which then was becoming known as 'motor city'. In Black Gangster (1972) the title character builds a "liberation" movement to cover his planned criminal activities. After this work Goines started to view the social and political turmoil of the ghetto as a battlefield between races.
Under the pseudonym Al C. Clark, Goines created a serial hero, Kenyatta, who was named after the 'father of Kenya', Jomo Kenyatta. The four-book series, beginning with Crime Partners (1974), was published by Holloway House. Kenyatta is the leader of a militant organization which aims at cleaning American ghettos of drugs and prostitution. All white policemen, who patrol the black neighborhoods, also are his enemies. Cry Revenge! (1974) tells of Curtis Carson, who is tall, black, and used to giving orders. He becomes the nightmare of the Chicanos, who have crushed his brother. Death List (1974) brings together Kenyatta, the powerful ganglord, Edward Benson, an intelligent black detective, and Ryan, his chisel-faced white partner, in a war against a secret list of drug pushers. In the fourth book, Kenyatta's Last Hit (1975), the hero is killed in a shootout.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
April 15, 2010
My older sister seemed to have enjoyed reading books by Donald Goines. Having already read two of his books, I thought it would be nice to read another one. This time around I picked up this book out of my interest to the justice system and crime, and the cover portrayed a man in jail. I have been doing some research about the law enforcement in the United States for my senior exit project, and I though this would allow me to see how some people perceived it. The other books I have read by Goines have been intriguing and talk about somewhat taboo subjects. He definitely did not let me down this time around.
This story in particular follows the character Chester Hines and how he goes from a “normal” man to a prison man. Hines is degraded in prison and departs from the person he was on the streets (in respects to his actions). Although there are shows which let everyday people understand what prison life is like, reading it in a well-crafted story it becomes truly impressive. Goines doesn’t fail to utilize dialogue to illustrate what prison life is like. Hines has conversations with other inmates, and those conversations bring up things like the scarcity of food or Hines mental instability. Hines built a relationship with another inmate called Willie, and this turned out to be a fake friendship. The build up in this book is so captivating and the ending is even better. What I took away from this book is that criminals can get immersed in a vicious mindset which makes anything off limits. Some become insensitive to committing more crimes and genuine relationships. Prisons are not ideal places and this book undoubtedly shows that; they are a place of misery and uncertainty.
This story in particular follows the character Chester Hines and how he goes from a “normal” man to a prison man. Hines is degraded in prison and departs from the person he was on the streets (in respects to his actions). Although there are shows which let everyday people understand what prison life is like, reading it in a well-crafted story it becomes truly impressive. Goines doesn’t fail to utilize dialogue to illustrate what prison life is like. Hines has conversations with other inmates, and those conversations bring up things like the scarcity of food or Hines mental instability. Hines built a relationship with another inmate called Willie, and this turned out to be a fake friendship. The build up in this book is so captivating and the ending is even better. What I took away from this book is that criminals can get immersed in a vicious mindset which makes anything off limits. Some become insensitive to committing more crimes and genuine relationships. Prisons are not ideal places and this book undoubtedly shows that; they are a place of misery and uncertainty.
May 7, 2021
Was hooked by this right from the start. Doesn't have a lot of set-up and just drops you right in the deep end. From reading Dopefiend, Black Girl Lost, Whoreson and now this, Goines had a talent for taking really grim, intense situations that were a part of his life and translating them to books that feel lived-in, authentic and totally gripping.
And like those other books, it also gets sickeningly graphic and lurid at times. And even though it can feel really trashy with how far it goes, it doesn't feel totally sensationalistic because the author himself probably lived through/witnessed such things. It just depends on your stomach for it.
For a book written in the 70s about how unfairly the justice system treats black men, it actually feels like a bad thing that it's aged well in that regard. Because so much of it still resonates with news you hear nowadays.
White Man's Justice, Black Man's Grief was so easy to get through, and really drew me in with how suspenseful and intense it was. A couple of plot points felt like they didn't go anywhere or weren't integrated enough, but it didn't take away from how well-paced the book was. I really quickly grew to care a lot about the characters and got scared for them.
And like those other books, it also gets sickeningly graphic and lurid at times. And even though it can feel really trashy with how far it goes, it doesn't feel totally sensationalistic because the author himself probably lived through/witnessed such things. It just depends on your stomach for it.
For a book written in the 70s about how unfairly the justice system treats black men, it actually feels like a bad thing that it's aged well in that regard. Because so much of it still resonates with news you hear nowadays.
White Man's Justice, Black Man's Grief was so easy to get through, and really drew me in with how suspenseful and intense it was. A couple of plot points felt like they didn't go anywhere or weren't integrated enough, but it didn't take away from how well-paced the book was. I really quickly grew to care a lot about the characters and got scared for them.
August 10, 2009
Fiction A-Z Book 'G': White Man's Justice, Black Man's Grief by Donald Goines
I chose this one because Goines was one of the most asked-for authors when I worked at Media Play in Southfield, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
This was a good, fast-moving prison story packed full of realism and solidly-written main characters. You can tell that Goines had experience with the system. My only complaint about the book is that there are a number of times where it violates the "Show, don't Tell" rule, and Goines has the characters delivering speeches that feel more like editorial sermonizing than dialogue.
But overall, it was a very good book, and definitely better prison fiction than Selby's "The Room". I think I'll come back to Goines when the Fiction A-Z series is over.
I chose this one because Goines was one of the most asked-for authors when I worked at Media Play in Southfield, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
This was a good, fast-moving prison story packed full of realism and solidly-written main characters. You can tell that Goines had experience with the system. My only complaint about the book is that there are a number of times where it violates the "Show, don't Tell" rule, and Goines has the characters delivering speeches that feel more like editorial sermonizing than dialogue.
But overall, it was a very good book, and definitely better prison fiction than Selby's "The Room". I think I'll come back to Goines when the Fiction A-Z series is over.
August 21, 2025
A graphic, unflinching view of the devastating effect of the prison industrial complex.
Not a beach read.
Not a beach read.
March 5, 2023
I’m about to read it again so I can give it a proper review. I’m partial. I’ve been reading Goines for a very long time so I can’t rate objectively based off a first read cause it’s already preferred by me based off my love of the author.
May 7, 2014
Goins at his best.
November 9, 2022
This one crushed me…
I read Goines’ Dopefiend last year and was immediately drawn to his ability to develop characters amid breakneck pacing.
This story reinforces that sentiment. It moves at an unrelenting clip while spending enough time with its characters that you become fully immersed in this horrendous world they’re unfortunate enough to find themselves. For some, the misfortune is of their own making, but for others, they are merely victims of circumstances beyond their control.
I’m not going to reflect on the racial aspects of the story or the pervasive problems that plague our “justice” system to this day. Goines sums it up well enough in his own words in “An Angry Preface”, and it perfectly sets the stage for what’s to follow.
White Man’s Justice, Black Man’s Grief is a rough story that builds in intensity towards a devastating final line.
It broke my heart in its telling because the style in which the story unfolds serves as a microcosmic representation of the situations within the story itself.
In others words, I was given a false sense of hope only to have it shattered by… a sentence.
I read Goines’ Dopefiend last year and was immediately drawn to his ability to develop characters amid breakneck pacing.
This story reinforces that sentiment. It moves at an unrelenting clip while spending enough time with its characters that you become fully immersed in this horrendous world they’re unfortunate enough to find themselves. For some, the misfortune is of their own making, but for others, they are merely victims of circumstances beyond their control.
I’m not going to reflect on the racial aspects of the story or the pervasive problems that plague our “justice” system to this day. Goines sums it up well enough in his own words in “An Angry Preface”, and it perfectly sets the stage for what’s to follow.
White Man’s Justice, Black Man’s Grief is a rough story that builds in intensity towards a devastating final line.
It broke my heart in its telling because the style in which the story unfolds serves as a microcosmic representation of the situations within the story itself.
In others words, I was given a false sense of hope only to have it shattered by… a sentence.
March 21, 2021
Machiavelli was my tutor, Donald Goines, my father figure. - Tupac ( greats recognize greats ) ❤️🙏🏿❤️
Another good gritty masterpiece right here ...... have someone read this and they'll pray to never do anything bad that'll send them to jail !!!! I can't say too much without giving the whole story away but trust me , when you read this you won't be able to put it down either ...... who could've imagined being too cautious while driving would lead you to a stressful, frustrating, stint in jail !!!!
This book was a sad , cautionary , wild tale that just pulled you in ....... Chester was a bad guy who I wanted to just change his ways ..... this book goes to show you
1) unfairness will always cover the world which is sad .....
2) justice isn't always served
3) and just because someone say they're your friend doesn't mean they are .
Donald Goines & Iceberg slim were phenomenal story tellers who works will never go out of style .
Another good gritty masterpiece right here ...... have someone read this and they'll pray to never do anything bad that'll send them to jail !!!! I can't say too much without giving the whole story away but trust me , when you read this you won't be able to put it down either ...... who could've imagined being too cautious while driving would lead you to a stressful, frustrating, stint in jail !!!!
This book was a sad , cautionary , wild tale that just pulled you in ....... Chester was a bad guy who I wanted to just change his ways ..... this book goes to show you
1) unfairness will always cover the world which is sad .....
2) justice isn't always served
3) and just because someone say they're your friend doesn't mean they are .
Donald Goines & Iceberg slim were phenomenal story tellers who works will never go out of style .
March 29, 2014
This book is a masterpiece of writing about life in prison. It is a treatise on institutionalized racism as well as a penetrating depiction of the quality of men's friendships--the strength and fragility of the bonds that counteract feelings of dehumanization and depersonalization that are endemic to harsh and cruel circumstance. Perhaps Goines greatest book. Not all of his work rises to the level of literature, although all surpasses the category of 'entertainment-without-any-greater-purpose." Not that I am downplaying the value of entertainent. Work that entertains serves a great purpose, but work that strives for more is in a different category. Work that achieves more is in an exalted category and that's where I'd place this book.
December 30, 2020
Donald Goines was a master at painting a picture of realism by using words that everyone can understand about subjects that not every author is comfortable dealing with especially in the 70's. This must be one of the more rare books by Goines, for some reason I had a hard time getting my hands on it but needless to say I finally did and it was worth the wait and effort. That being said the subject matter of this book is also quite rare in a sense that there aren't alot of modern books out there about the prison experience that are not written in the style of a memoir. Although this book is dated, it stands the test of time and still rings true to this day. Trust No One, Loose Lips Sink Ships. I would highly recommend this novel as a sort of guidebook to anyone who may be facing time upstate.
April 5, 2022
I liked this best of the three Goines books I read. Maybe it is because I already knew Goines really was in prison, but this book felt much more believable than the gangster books. Only the dream sequences felt a little bit off. The characters weren't exactly likable, but they were certainly sympathetic. It is educational to have a window into the justice system in the early 70's. I suspect though the technology has changed most of the racism is as healthy now as it was 50 years ago.
Chester Himes is the name of the protagonist here; it makes me want to go and read hard boiled author Chester Himes' work set in the 30s.
If I could've I would've rated this 3 1/2 stars instead of 3.
Chester Himes is the name of the protagonist here; it makes me want to go and read hard boiled author Chester Himes' work set in the 30s.
If I could've I would've rated this 3 1/2 stars instead of 3.
March 22, 2018
White Man's Justice, Black Man's Grief is about Chester Hines and his time in jail/prison. Chester is awaiting sentencing in country jail before being transferred to prison to serve his time. We get to meet some of Chester's cellmates
Prison life is raw, low-down, dirty, disgusting, nasty, violent, trusting and tricky. Chester gets close to another cell mate (just friends) and we get to read about how they spend their name and the characters time is spent with. This book (like all of Donald Goines books end with the reader shaking their head, sad or just saying DAMN!...DAMN!
Prison life is raw, low-down, dirty, disgusting, nasty, violent, trusting and tricky. Chester gets close to another cell mate (just friends) and we get to read about how they spend their name and the characters time is spent with. This book (like all of Donald Goines books end with the reader shaking their head, sad or just saying DAMN!...DAMN!
August 19, 2022
Goines’ books are always a good for pulling me out of a reading slug.
A few character’s are brought up so briefly and their endings never really fleshed out, but it’s easy, “light” reading of dark stories/lives. As always, the dialogue is a bit unrealistic/stuffed, but still. The ending always gut-wrenching.
A few character’s are brought up so briefly and their endings never really fleshed out, but it’s easy, “light” reading of dark stories/lives. As always, the dialogue is a bit unrealistic/stuffed, but still. The ending always gut-wrenching.
May 3, 2022
A very raw and gritty tale about life in prison and the system set in place to keep you there.
Goines and his vivid imagination never disappoint. I read this book many years ago and I’m still moved (to disgust) today at how real and very candid his writing is.
Goines and his vivid imagination never disappoint. I read this book many years ago and I’m still moved (to disgust) today at how real and very candid his writing is.
August 26, 2023
CWs:
Oof. Super tough to read. I've been enjoying Goines' books but I think I liked Black Girl Lost better. This one was really, really graphic, but dang did it paint a picture for you.
Oof. Super tough to read. I've been enjoying Goines' books but I think I liked Black Girl Lost better. This one was really, really graphic, but dang did it paint a picture for you.
February 1, 2018
Really serious book love the story of Chester Hines
February 1, 2018
Good street urban book
June 21, 2020
Great book, even though it took place in the 70s, it still very much applied to the race disparity in the American Prison System.
November 30, 2022
Audiobook: Decent audiobook but not the best from Goines. Gritty, solid dialogue but the story was lacking.
July 13, 2023
Wow this was another good one by Goines. Trigger warning for sexual assault scenes.
February 25, 2024
Great read!
October 13, 2018
I found this book a great read. Although it is fiction, the story is one that kept me interested from beginning to end. The end op the book was also surprising to me.
This book is also relevant in the “prison literature”, because it is referred to in many other prison books: i.e. the prison books that were written in the years after this book was published. For new inmates, it was regularly recommended to be read (by their fellow inmates)
One remark I though want to make. The writer of the book constantly repeats that black people get way more years of prison sentence as white people. Okay... I think this is valid opinion, but I found it a bit overdone in the number of times this opinion was repeated in this book.
Overall, I would give this book four stars.
This book is also relevant in the “prison literature”, because it is referred to in many other prison books: i.e. the prison books that were written in the years after this book was published. For new inmates, it was regularly recommended to be read (by their fellow inmates)
One remark I though want to make. The writer of the book constantly repeats that black people get way more years of prison sentence as white people. Okay... I think this is valid opinion, but I found it a bit overdone in the number of times this opinion was repeated in this book.
Overall, I would give this book four stars.
August 4, 2015
Donald Goines avec ce "roman" (la fiction est presque lointaine de ce récit aussi sordide que vrai) nous confronte au cercle infernal de la misère qu'induit la justice raciste (mais également la police et la société toute entière) dans le destin de millions d'hommes noirs. L'inexorabilité des peines plus lourdes et incompressibles pour les Noirs n'étant que la première étape avant la succession des faux espoirs, des viols, des cautions impayables, des amitiés trahies, des meurtres et bagarres dans un quotidien où la promiscuité et le danger sont indépassables.
January 10, 2015
The life inside of the prison system is disturbing and unfair. It is a dog eat dog world out there and one that seems to be in favor of the white male. It is a world that is set up as survival of the fittest and if you can't be stronger and smarter than the man on side of you, you probably won't make it. The injustices stem from cover to cover and they aren't in favor of main character Chester Hines.
January 19, 2025
Almost anything by Goines is an instant classic. I originally bought this at a Waldenbooks during a mystery shopping trip. I picked it up because it was in the price range and it looked like true crime—a quick read. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a novel full of drugs, crime, sex, raw and uncut. Goines writes from the street and you can tell he knows the street. His prose has an authenticity to it.
May 1, 2010
This is a compelling read. Donald Goines' personal political views on the bail-bond system are apparent throughout book. The preface alone let's you know exactly how he feels. He does acknowledge the racism involved in the system but he also acknowledges that the system also preys on poor people regardless of their ethnic background or skin color.
November 29, 2007
Great title. Decent prison yarn.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews