A WAVE FROM MAMA

The author sent me a copy of his novel to read and review:

The second novel of A. Robert Allen’s The Slavery and Beyond Series is a straightforward historical fiction story encompassing the struggles of freed slaves in the Weeksville section of Brooklyn, NY. In Allen’s first novel, Failed Moments (see my review of 7/3/2015), the story was somewhat arcane and nebulous compared to his current work. Both novels are profound in their own way but seem totally unrelated. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing for a professed series, but I must say that I enjoyed Allen’s storytelling ability in both novels. The reader gets a history lesson along with disparate tales pertaining to the difficult plight of slaves before and after The Civil War. I think the author’s prose needs some polishing, and he could be more descriptive (a stickler for me), but overall, he did a admirable job. I must say that I’m curious what the third book in the series will disclose since the first two were so dissimilar...except for the inclusion of the NYC Draft Riots. The July 1863 protest turned into a race riot with the Irish immigrants attacking the freed slaves living in the city. History says that 119 people died on that day (mostly Blacks?). The mass departure of the freed slaves from Manhattan into the Weeksville part of Brooklyn is the premise for A Wave from Mama.

Since the Irish were certain that the Blacks would take their jobs for lower pay, the Blacks left NYC for Weeksville after the riots. The freed slaves owned most of the land in Weeksville (finally they had a place of their own). Dock workers Ezra and Moses find a light-skinned black woman dead in a tent alongside many boxes, one with a boy in it. The young boy appears to be about five years old, tiny, and very violent. He jumps out of the box shouting, “You killed Mama, and you’re all gonna pay!” Then, the boy runs away. Later, Moses catches the boy stealing food at the general store and brings him back to the store. Good-hearted Ester Washington takes the boy in. He says his name is Vent (really Venture Simmons) and that he is twelve, not five and keeps mumbling, “I’m gonna get everyone who killed Mama.” He has the unusual habit of reciting numbers, such as, 2,4,6,8. Vent finally calms down and stays with the Washingtons. He is very athletic, fast, and can climb trees like a monkey. Everybody in the family accepts Vent except Horace (Ester and Thomas’s son). Horace is very vain (always looking at himself in the mirror) and is the top student in school.

Inasmuch the Washingtons took him in, Vent feels obligated to protect the family. When Horace gets beat up over a girl, Vent gets revenge by thrashing the kid who attacked Horace. Strangely, Vent goes into the woods each night swinging in the trees like a monkey and trapping raccoons (what?). Meanwhile the African Civilization Society in Weeksville wants to move to Liberia in Africa because outside of their area...the Blacks have no rights. Some of the freed Blacks leave for Liberia. Moses (now a friend of Vent’s) saves enough of money to buy his own property in Weeksville (you need $250). Vent finally goes to school (he is brilliant at math), and tells the principal his rule, “Any animal that eats his own kind is the devil, and got to be killed.” Vent is referring to the raccoons he has trapped and to the men who killed his mother. The men that went to Liberia come back, “The local tribes didn’t accept the Americans.” I’m only on page sixty in my review. The rest of the novel pits the freed Blacks, the Irish Whiskey gangs and the mostly corrupt police force against each other during the construction of The Brooklyn Bridge. This is where Mr. Allen does his best writing and storytelling while developing some ensuing big-time twists.

This novel enlightens the reader to a piece of history that most Americans were never aware of. Why did the Irish hate the freed Blacks? On page 67, a retired police officer know as the Professor gives the answer to a rookie cop, “The Irish understand they are viewed as the shit of society and as much as this is distasteful, it provides a kind of guarantee for the lowest-paying jobs requiring manual labor. The Blacks, though, created the pinch of the game, and the Irish view freed Blacks as a threat because they’ll work for even less. I’m sure you remember the Draft Riots six years ago-even though you must’ve been a wee bit of a lad. Despite the fact the Germans, Italians, and Polish might be viewed in much the same way, the Irish consider the Blacks as the primary threat to their livelihood.” This excellent novel by Mr. Allen covers the turbulent years of 1863 through 1883 in Brooklyn, NY. I’m assuming the third novel will take the story into the early 1900s. As I’m writing this review, I realize that it’s a good thing that this novel is different from the first, because it now makes (you guessed it) two standalone-novels. I recommend this historical fiction novel.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: The turbulence of the first two years of the novel (1863/1865) is further explained in the author’s Historical Notes & Liberties: “The first section of the book takes place in the town of Weeksville, a section of Brooklyn dominated by free Black landowners, which was located where Crown Heights stands today. Male Blacks were able to vote in New York during the early 1860s if they owned land valued at $250 or more. Many Blacks from New York fled to Weeksville after the violent Draft Riots in 1863. These riots pitted the Irish against the Blacks and the rich. The Blacks were targeted because the Irish were infuriated at the prospect of being drafted in a war that would free the people (Blacks) who would likely steal their jobs. Blacks were beaten severely and a number were lynched by roving Irish mobs. Many homes of the rich were ransacked and some wealthy New Yorkers were physically attacked because the Irish were incensed that they were able to pay a fee to be exempted from the draft.”

My favorite movie about the Draft Riots was the 2002 film Gangs of New York directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz. Another fitting book about the Civil War Riots is Barnet Schecter's The Devil's Own Work (although I haven't reviewed this book yet).