Corner Boy

By Herbert Simmons

Book Overview

Herbert Simmons' first novel, winner of the prestigious Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship in 1957, relates the violent rise and fall of 18-years-old Jake Adams, whose Buick Dynaflow, custom-made suits, and attractiveness to women are all the fruits of his job pushing dope for the Organization.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393314650
• ISBN13: 9780393314656
• Release Date: July 1996
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

"Jake Adams 50 years later"

I first read this book 50 years ago and still think that it was one of the best books that I have ever read. I had never heard of "Bird" or "Pres" before reading this book. I always wondered what city was the basis for the urban setting depicted in this book. Since there is a Lincoln University near Philadelphiia I wondered if the book was set in Philly. Then I discover3ed that the author was from the St. Louis area. I am currently reading "Miles" and he mentions that he played with "Bird" and "Pres" in East St. Louis, IL and there actually was a Street Gang called the Termites there. So, I don't have to wonder any more about where the book was set.

Period noir

It is easy to see why this book won awards and critical acclaim on its first publication in 1957. Its portrayal of life and crime in inner-city Black America of the late 1940s by a young black writer broke new ground by depicting gang warfare, drug dealing and addiction, corruption and racial tension. Reading the book today, when so much similar, and far more sensational writing has appeared, it might be considered tame and predictable in comparison, although Simmons' stylish prose raises it above the level of some others. Jake Adams is a sharp-dressing teenage drug pusher and member of the Termites, a black street gang. He is not fussy about who he deals to, and a friend, Scar, soon becomes addicted and dependent. Despite his obvious failings, it is difficult not to empathise with Jake, who comes across as a basically good guy but a pawn of the big man with all the connections, Monk. With the flashy car and clothes his dubious income allows, Jake is a hit with the girls, but when he starts dating a white schoolgirl, disaster is waiting to happen, and it does. The period is evoked well, particularly by the descriptions of smoky clubs and pool-halls, and the jazz and R & B songs and singers who fill the background. The slang is delightful, but dated and quaint, as all slang must become. Surprisingly perhaps, considering the era in which it was written, the book gives women a sympathetic treatment, and a voice. Its exploration of inter-racial relationships was also brave for that time. Despite minor reservations, then, Corner Boy offers an admirable presentation of a slice of '40s street life from one of the pioneers of the genre.

great downer noir novel

I read this book years ago when I was in high school and was blown away. I was just beginning to get into writers like Jim Thompson and Chester Himes and thought this stood up well compared to their work. I lost this book some time ago and am quite happy that it has been reprinted so that I can read it again and see if my original impression still holds true.

So far, the only book I read in 1998 that had "meat."

This was a book was hard for me. For one reason, I could not personally place myself into the characters' shoes because of the late 40s-early 50s setting. I was not a part of that time. Secondly, the beginning started slow which potentially caused me to close the book and read it later. But after I stuck with the characters and allowed Mr. Simmons to describe the story's surroundings the reading began to pick up. There were some scenes that I had to read over to see how they fitted into the overall idea of the book; but, in the end Mr. Simmons carefully brought all the pieces together. This book is definitely one that every generation needs to read. It is a classic. Mr. Simmons needs to be placed alongside James Baldwin and Walter Mosley as a great black male writers.

Hope is what you make it

Herbert Simmons' CORNER BOY is a stark slice-of-life novel in which life frequently slices back at the characters inhabiting its post-WW II world. Simmons masterfully reveals the weaknesses that shore up some characters while displaying the strengths that other characters hide from themselves. Very well written, Simmons' novel shines at its brightest when he turns to the jazz-inspired descriptions that bring the characters and the scenes to life. There is plenty of hopelessness on display, but there is plenty of hope as well. Old School Books' promotional materials that describe this novel as a rediscovered pulp find don't quite ring true. Yes, there are elements here whose origins hark back to the pulp world; but Simmons' novel is a literary work riffing in the pared down style of popular fiction. After reading CORNER BOY, I certainly want to read his other novel.