Rachel’s Reviews > Pinktoes > Status Update

Was fun and funny. I definitely spread this out too much tho bc I did not keep track of who was who in this large cast of characters.

I think I struggled to finish bc of the lack of plot with the book but thats more a flaw with me - I’m a plot gal. Keen to read more of Himes tho, rlly liked his writing style. His voice reminded me a bit of Vonnegut? Anyway it was fun

“I’m getting damned tired of people accusing me of being anti-Negro just because I’m from Mississippi,” Professor Samuels said. “Some of the Negro peoples’ best friends are from Mississippi.”

(Note re language that this was first published in 1961)

Panama Paul is a man? Man I’m getting so mixed up with these characters

Okay I’d maybe enjoy philip k dicks unnecessary mentions of women’s breasts if he made it as funny as Chester Himes does

“If I were Botticelli, what a feast! I could eat forever. Ah, what a boon to art! What a boon to humanity! You could feed the worlds famished, on an assembly line. Let me show you—“

I laughed out loud reading this omg

Anyway. I watched a documentary on Sammy Davis Jr. with my dad tonight and loved it, I love Sammy. I was a bit obsessed with him for a couple years in high school. He got so much shit for his romance with Kim Novak, marriage to May, and portrayal of the first interracial relationship on stage in The Golden Boy. So I look up this book - published a year after Sammy’s highly scrutinised wedding. Sounds like fun.

God the edges of the pages of my copy are absolutely Filthy. But the inside and the cover and everything else seems to be in fine condition so maybe this is just what happens to 57 year old books. Also I only realised 10 minutes ago that my copy is actually that old, since this is apparently the first edition hardcover. I’m fairly sure I bought this for $15-$30 at either berklouws or Elizabeth book shop