Fighting the Droop: Colson Whitehead’s Sag Harbor
After a glorious week of August sunshine to tease us, New York City has sadly been doused back into the reality of springtime showers. Monday night, however, Colson Whitehead brought the hopeful rays of summer to a damp and chilly Court Street corner of Brooklyn in a reading of his latest novel Sag Harbor.
[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aILSfknGqFY]
Whitehead is indeed a child of the 80′s, and Sag Harbor is his play-pen, a smorgasbord of Michael Jackson, rubics cubes, Cosby Show, comic books, and Donkey Kong references – all to the delight of the pop culture junkie. In his fourth novel, Whitehead gives us the semi-autobiographical story (that’s right, semi – “only 10% autobiographical,” he says) of Benji and Reggie Cooper, two brothers, close in age and sentiment, who have made the yearly trip to Sag Harbor for most their lives. These summers are important for the boys, particularly Benji: summers in the Hamptons are the imperative, three-month release from the social awkwardness that seems magnified by his being the lone African-American student at his Manhattan prep school. But with the summer of 1985 comes the realization that Benji and his brother really are two separate people. Benji’s understanding of his personal struggle unfolds in his reflections on the school year he has just survived – including the cost of being a Fangoria fan and enduring the occasional lopsided fro-cut from his dad.
Whitehead’s crowd at BookCourt shared more than a few chuckles with the author, and although he claims his novel is as “post-Black” as possible, Whitehead seemed to revel in sharing his observations of the familiar points of ethnic humor, like ashy elbows, knees, and everything else, Jheri curls, and Benji’s friend who is simply called N.P. (for “Niggah Please” of course) The cover even boasts the image of what could be anyone’s unassuming uncle: that firm belly pushing through pastel plaid and perched upon the kind of bowed legs that turn heads down South. But what makes this story everyone’s story is Whitehead’s talent for remembering the adolescence many would choose to forget and daring us to relive those growing pains through his words.
For other chances to hear Colson Whitehead read from Sag Harbor in NYC, check out his summer calendar of events.
Tags:BookCourt, Colson Whitehead, Sag Harbor
28. November 2011 at 6:18 am :
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