59 pages • 1 hour read
Colson WhiteheadA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
In literature, an aside is a speech or short explanation delivered by a character directly to the audience rather than to other figures within the narrative. Although action-packed, the novel builds much of its important thematic structure through calmer moments like characters’ inner monologues. Whitehead does this partly to fill in pieces of the narrative that speak back to Harlem Shuffle, the first novel in this series. Although Crook Manifesto can be read as a standalone text, many of its characters appeared in the first book, and both Ray’s legal and illegal business operations are continuations from that text. However, the asides serve another function as well. They provide significant social, political, and cultural context. They add rich detail to the story about Black culture, life in Harlem during the 20th century, and each of the characters’ personal histories.
A key example of this device at work is the backstory Whitehead provides about New Country Kitchen and Lady Betsy’s restaurant. Although that scene overtly focuses on Zippo’s meeting with Pepper, a significant portion of the text is given to Pepper as he muses about the history of the two restaurants.
By Colson Whitehead
Apex Hides the Hurt
Apex Hides the Hurt
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Harlem Shuffle
Harlem Shuffle
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John Henry Days
John Henry Days
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Sag Harbor
Sag Harbor
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The Colossus of New York
The Colossus of New York
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The Intuitionist
The Intuitionist
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The Nickel Boys
The Nickel Boys
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The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad
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Zone One
Zone One
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