“Black people always found a way in the most miserable circumstances. If we didn't, we'd have been exterminated by the white man long ago.”

Harlem Shuffle is set in New York 1954, Harlem. It’s a novel about heists, rip-offs and shake-offs. Carney, a son of a notorious criminal shot by the police, is 29 and determined to make something of his life with his furniture shop. But unfortunately it’s hard to make ends meet and so Carney gets swallowed more and more by side hustles to provide for his family.

This book transported me to the late 1950s of Harlem. It read like a painting. With its eye for detail I could feel, hear and taste the grime of Harlem but also experience it’s beauty. But, I wasn’t prepared for its entirety. Yes, it did have heists, thrilling ones, and yes it had the most dangerous crooks. But it also had family, humor, loyalty and the difficulties of growing up a black person in Harlem 1950. This book isn’t just about heists. It tells the story of black and white separation, a split world, about race and class power and social injustice. It tells about the Harlem Riots and about the need for making the American dream. Despite these serious themes, it wasn’t a hard read. This book definitely left an imprint and is highly recommended for a travel back in time and some reflection afterwards.