Night Journey

By Murad Kalam

Not since Richard Wright's Native Son has the education of a young man been rendered as daringly, defiantly, and emotionally galvanizingly as in Murad Kalam's Night Journey. Night Journey is the story of Eddie Bloodpath, beautiful, oversized, awkward child of South Phoenix's Third Ward. Hefty and handsome, quiet and strong like his long-lost father, Eddie is the good son, seemingly immune to the powerful pull of the streets. His older brother, Turtle -- a frail, stuttering, grammar school dropout who was born to hustle -- isn't convinced that Eddie will stay out of trouble. Acting on instinct, Turtle plucks Eddie from the brink of the urban abyss and delivers him to the boxing gym. A perpetual innocent and reluctant pugilist, Eddie is adopted by a rogues' gallery of melancholy prizefighters, artful hustlers, strung-out mystics, pubescent crack lords, and drunken burnouts. He falls in love with Tessa, a hauntingly beautiful prostitute with whom he shares an unspeakable secret. Waiting in the wings is Marchalina, Eddie's high school crush, a privileged, bookish, North Phoenix girl who could save him from his worst instincts. When a senseless murder and its aftermath send Eddie running from the sun-washed landscape of the American Southwest, he tries to fight his way to safety -- first in Chicago, at the national amateur competition, and then in the surreal underworld of Las Vegas professional boxing. Rushing pell-mell toward manhood, Eddie must discover where his true allegiances lie. An American odyssey, Night Journey is a first novel equally remarkable for its raw power and wise empathy, borne up by Murad Kalam's unshakable belief in the ultimate grace of humanity.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743244192
• ISBN13: 9780743244190
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Impressive debut novel by a frequent contributor to NPR.

Night Journey is both an impressive debut novel, and an intriguing, modern addition to the genre of "coming of age" novels. Much like Richard Wright, Kalam is able to write about so-called undesirable members of society with unparalled complexity and lyricism. Kalam demonstrates a great deal of promise in this novel, and is definitely an author to watch. As an additional introduction to Kalam's work, I highly recommend the 2005 edition of Best American Travel Writing, which includes a captivating article that Kalam wrote about his hajj experience. Additionally, the author's website, muradkalam.com, has links to several of his NPR commentaries.

Excellent Young Writer

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which describes people, places, and events completely outside anything I have ever (or will ever for that matter) experience. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a gripping story.

Caught by Surprise

"Night Journey" is a good book that had me totally fooled. After reading the title and skimming the author's bio I thought it would include more in depth details of a religious and/or spiritual journey. To my surprise the novel is full of obstacles that a young boy must overcome to free himself form the microcosm that he knows as the world. The end of book leaves a lot open for interpretation and hopefully an empowering and uplifting sequel.

Haunting but Hopeful

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel, but I find myself remembering the characters at random moments days after I finished the book. Kalam is good at writing memorable characters, and it's easy to envision them. I admit the first 70 pages or so were too graphic for me. I stuck with it though and was rewarded for my effort. I find it hard to believe that Kalam did not grow up as his main characters did -- gang-banging and pimping -- because he describes these activities so well. But the way these activities are described, the reader does not have a contempt for them. It's a way of life, good or bad. The main character -- Eddie -- hopes that boxing will be his way of overcoming his rotten childhood. In fact, his older brother, Turtle, forces Eddie to take up boxing to distract Eddie from his affection for Tessa, one of Turtle's prostitutes. Eddie triumphs in the end, but not as we expect -- in a way that is actually more personally satisfying. Even Tessa turns out to be the great love of Eddie's life but in reality not. Eddie accepts this reality, just as he accepts his brother's bad ways, his own shortcomings, his dissillusionment with the Nation of Islam, which he joins towards the end of the book. Eddie is a boxer outside of the ring too: keeping his head low and averting punches but fighting still. It's an inspiring book. The writing is well done too. I am a slow reader generally, but, once I was past the first 70 pages, I was breezing along -- which happens rarely for me. I think it's because I became a part of Eddie's world too.

A Truly Inspired Work of Literature

An Amazing Novel and An Even More Amazing Debut. From the first sentence it is atmospheric and intense, dark, and intelligent. A joy to read.The story focuses on two brothers raised by their mother in Phoenix's poor and desolate Third Ward. Eddie, the thoughtful and more sensitive brother will become a boxer, encouraged by his erratic hustler brother, Turtle. At its heart the novel is a story of growing up poor and Black in America and in that way reminiscent of Invisible Man, and The Autobiography of Malcolm X. The truly remarkable achievement of Night Journey, though, is that while the writing lives up to these weighty predecessors, the novel is itself an original and thoroughly modern addition to the line. And while it is the story of two boys, it is also in many ways a deeply insightful meditation on the state of race and poverty and meaning in America today. I truly enjoyed this book, in fact, carried it with me everywhere reading any chance I had until I finished it. The characters are deeply understood and caringly rendered. Kalam exhibits both a deep sympathy for the people he writes about and a commitment to show them as they are, complicated, confused, and flawed. The characters stay with you, as if they are people you know. That I enjoyed this book, couldn't put it down, is testament to the strength of these characters because the novel deals with hard topics in an unflinching way. Prostitution, drug abuse, poverty, none are glamorized, are simply laid before the reader to view, to consider. But you care so much about the characters that you must deal with these difficulties simply because they must.I can't recommend this novel enough. In a sea of the fluff published today, Kalam floats to the top, taking on hard issues through beautiful writing, creating a truly original and inspired work of literature.