The Legend of Quito Road.The Legend of Quito Road by Dwight Fryer Kimani Press, June 2006 $13.95, ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 1-583-14706-3 Scene: Son, a young black boy in Depression-era Tennessee is fighting with his friend Tom, a white boy. Son is the progeny PROGENY - 1961. Report generator for UNIVAX SS90. of sharecroppers; Tom is the son of Conrad Coleman, the man who owns the land on which the black boy's family farms and lives. A black field hand breaks up the fight and tells Tom that if he likes Son alive, they should not fight. This is one of many complicated lessons the boys must learn from both sides of the color line color line n. A barrier, created by custom, law, or economic differences, separating nonwhite persons from whites. Also called color bar. Noun 1. . The Legend of Quito Road is a sprawling tale of the Erby family, specifically their Son Erby. His grandfather, Gillam Hale, a free colored man and master distiller known for his intoxicating in·tox·i·cate v. in·tox·i·cat·ed, in·tox·i·cat·ing, in·tox·i·cates v.tr. 1. To stupefy or excite by the action of a chemical substance such as alcohol. 2. brew of spirits, passed on his corn-liquor-making skills to his son, Gill, Son's father. Everything changes the day Gill teaches Son a secret that both secures and endangers his future. Fryer's gift is dialogue. He captures the succinctness of Southern speak without losing its subtlety for satire and sass. His sense of timing is good, too. The Legend of Quito Road is paced nicely, deftly deft adj. deft·er, deft·est Quick and skillful; adroit. See Synonyms at dexterous. [Middle English, gentle, humble, variant of dafte, foolish; see daft. illustrated with dramatic turns that pull readers closer to each character without grand flourishes. There are, however, times when Fryer's hand gets a little heavy with the white characters, particularly Conrad's evil brother Rafe, whose evilness is telling enough without any enhancement. At times the author's sexism is revealed by offering lush rather moving descriptions of the women, down to the thickness of their calves, while offering little attention to the menfolk men·folk or men·folks pl.n. 1. Men considered as a group. 2. The male members of a community or family. menfolk Noun, pl men collectively, esp. the men of a particular family . There are poignant passages in The Legend of Quito Road that provide crucial reminders about a not-so-distant past that shaped many African American's sensibilities about race and wealth in this country. Perhaps, Fryer's greatest gift is a glimpse into the very complex lives of African Americans and the economic system that continues to exploit the majority of the population. --Reviewed by Steven G. Fullwood Steven G. Fullwood is a project archivist ARCHIVIST. One to whose care the archives have been confided. at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. |
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