There are moments when I couldn't tell who's speaking in a dialogue! I enjoyed the back-and-forth flashbacks that this young, black protagonist has - everything is so difficult for him, try as he might to get ahead. Refresh and try again. Qty Available: 1. The prose is dense and powerful but seldom self-conscious. Maybe i need more action or story line but this was very difficult for me to stay interested in. Every page vibrates with love and anger and hope." Format: Paperback. I felt more affinity for the narrator than for any character I can recall in recent literature -- despite the fact that he is black and of the city and I'm a white kid from the sticks and the novel is very much about race; but it's more fundamentally a novel about being a husband and father and, well, a man, with all the baggage that carries, and feeling contrarily that you have little or no control over what is happening to you. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Everything about him is interior dialouge and hopeless dreams. Caveat: It is not profitable to read this book in snatches. The ‘man gone down’ is broke, out of work and separated from his wife and kids. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. Thomas' new novel, his first, is "Man Gone Down," and it's getting rave reviews, comparisons to Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man." So why only 3? The book covers a few days in his life in New York City as he is broke and trying to get things together for his family. By his fuck-ass father. And it describes the conundrums of class and society's basic unfairness with the storytelling skills of Dickens. Michael Thomas's novel of four crucial days in the life of an intellectually brilliant black man temporarily separated from his white wife and three kids as he struggles to pull enough money together to maintain the yuppie Brooklyn life they'd established seamlessly weaves this quest with his stream-of-consciousness thoughts about the many roles he must play, his life as a recovering addict, T.S. The "man gone down" of the title. When I was in the newspaper business and we did content surveys, there was usually a box that said “not written for people like me”. Complex, challenging, compelling, and imperfect. You may be charged a restocking fee upto 50% of item's price for used or damaged returns and upto 100% for materially different item. I feel like I'm giving up more books than actually finishing them. There are maybe ten novels whose first reading gave me enough of a kick in the gut that I will always remember it, and this is one of them. Thomas' prose is wordy and self-indulgent and often meaningless stream-of-consciousness blather. A New York Times Notable Book: The award-winning debut novel of race and family that "casts a new light on urban life in Brooklyn" (Time Out New York). MAN GONE DOWN. The repeating mantra about the difficulties this young man faced growing up and the unmet high expectations becomes tiresome. I think his editor share some of the blame here. Why does the world push events onto him rather than he take some course of action? To see what your friends thought of this book. Bused to white schools in Boston, gifted as a poet and a musician, and assured he would transcend his alcoholic parents' troubles, he developed his own drinking habit instead and deep-sixed an academic career. Please try again. Another Man Gone Down MP3 Song by Bill Chinnock from the album Badlands. Bill ChinnockBadlands℗ 1978 Atlantic RecordsAuto-generated by YouTube. On the eve of this thirty-fifth birthday, the unnamed black narrator of Man Gone Down finds himself broke, estranged from his white wife and three children, and living in the bedroom of a friend's six-year-old child. I'm just flipping the pages to finish up, rather tha. by Grove Press, Black Cat. “Man Gone Downcharts a four-day, Homeric trek through what makes America and New York a social and racial nightmare as well as a dream that incredibly can still come true.” —Robert Sullivan, New York Times–bestselling author of Rats Try growing up in a home like this and then finding yourself in the least imaginable reality: a loving marriage with happy children. He writes like an angel who has seen dark times and who has had to reckon with all kinds of demons, both blessed and cursed with a seared soul. Man Gone Down Written by Michael Thomas. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Perhaps the most touching aspect of the book is how he describes his two sons, one tan with blonde hair and blue eyes, the other toffee colored and more noticably black. Even after 100 pages, I couldn't make sense of characterisation, plot, timeline, anything. “Man Gone Down charts a four-day, Homeric trek through what makes America and New York a social and racial nightmare as well as a dream that incredibly can still come true.” —Robert Sullivan, New York Times–bestselling author of Rats “Powerful and moving . But this book is a mess. Get it by Tue, Aug 11 - Wed, Aug 12 from Memphis, TN; Need it faster? Share - Man Gone Down. December 7th 2006 It described “Man Gone Down” as a “drama of individual survival set against the myth of an integrated and racially normalized America” and said it “shows, in unsentimental clarity, the way the future can close mercilessly on those marginalized by race and social circumstance.” Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2021, The main character is a bit unlikeable but I was drawn into his story nontheless, Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2008. Man Gone Down by Michael Thomas and Publisher Atlantic Books. . Yet and still, the book is beautiful however flawed. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Start by marking “Man Gone Down” as Want to Read: Error rating book. However, the book was a huge disappointment or maybe it shows a lot of promise and it's a wonderful first novel for an up and coming author. He has four days to come up with the money to keep his kids in school and make a down payment on an apartment for them to … Man Gone Down. Man Gone Down is a novel that will resonate long into the future, a work that devastates and rebuilds, but is attuned always to the human yearning that is the story’s beating heart. Something went wrong. Judges: Rachel Billington, Gabrielle Alioth, Vesna Goldsworthy, Timothy Taylor, James Ryan. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Eliot, and his difficult childhood. It is in these brief spotlights that I got an insight into who he is and why he is; I was even able to feel some of his grief, whereas in some of his more verbose meandering, the connection was lost. And there are familiar themes like interracial relationships, colorism, becoming disillusion with the American Dream and all that jazz. However, for most of the book the narrator rambles on in a self effacing fashion that screams "LOSER" from eve. I had just finished the marvelously well written "Little Heathens," a rollicking memoir of growing up in rural Iowa during the Depression, also a top ten pick. Man Gone Down A Novel by Michael Thomas and Publisher Black Cat (ORIM). Michael Thomas is brilliant, and Man Gone Down is riveting. As we slip between his childhood in inner city Boston and present-day New York City, we discover a life marked by abuse, abandonment, raging alcoholism, and the best and worst intentions of a supposedly integrated America. Okay, after reading some of the other reviews of this book i must throw down. But if you want a book that really talks to how difficult it is for some people to realize the proverbial American Dream. Without lying about how yes, we can all survive and be happy if we just believe in ourselves? Thomas is no Faulkner. However, the prose is written in such a way that it's confusing as to note what's important and what's not. Ebook Title : Man Gone Down - Read Man Gone Down PDF on your Android, iPhone, iPad or PC directly, the following PDF file is submitted in 13 Jan, 2020, Ebook ID PDF-3MGD13. . Possible ex library copy, will have the markings and stickers associated from the library. His imagination is rich. Man Gone Down by Michael Thomas is a novel with an interesting premise. and as an adult, he still has physical problems from these abuses. Beautifully written, insightful, and devastating first novel, Man Gone Down … This book is so intelligent, erudite, philosophical and at times dramatic that I could see myself giving it 5 stars. About the Book. MAN GONE DOWN Michael Thomas. Maybe Thomas is brilliant, or maybe I happened to read this novel at just the right time in my life. A New York Times Notable Book: The award-winning debut novel of race and family that "casts a new light on urban life in Brooklyn" (Time Out New York). It's poetic, yet grounded in well-observed characterization and. A beautifully written, insightful, and devastating first novel, Man Gone Down is about a young black father of three in a biracial marriage trying to claim a piece of … Man Gone Down. Especially when the narrator is super annoying. His erudition is thorough. Notwithstanding the clearly evident parallels with Ellison's literary classic, Invisible Man, MGD shares some thematic commonalities with Alice Randall's more recent Pushkin and the Queen of Spades. More shipping options available at checkout • Like New condition • 30 day returns - Buyer pays return shipping; Publisher: Black Cat. Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout. It's about many things -- blackness, the drive for getting and spending, the tension between wanting to live a life of the mind and having to earn your daily bread -- but it's also simply about whether this one guy is going to be able to live with the family he has made and love his kids. Previous page of related Sponsored Products, Black Cat; First Edition (January 1, 2007). Man Gone Down TEAMGROUP Elite 8GB Single DDR4 2400MHz PC4-19200 CL16 Unbuffered Non-ECC 1.2V SODIMM 260-Pin Laptop Notebook PC… $ 55.99 Kingston Data Centre DC500M, SEDC500M/1920G, Enterprise Drive a Stato Solido - SSD 2.5” 1920 GB $ 373.05 Are these opportunities open or closed to me or is it my perception based on how I think I am perceived due to aspects of my identity? As per our … There is much to recommend in the book. It has the male obsessiveness with with masculinity and how it functions in time and place of James Joyce. The protagonist of the story is one of those people who consider themselves damaged. This was yet another request made~ The song is Marie LaVeau by Bobby Bare. And his best friend got beaten up even worse than him. Okay, after reading some of the other reviews of this book i must throw down. The Bookshelf Another Book Get a Copy. In "Man Gone Down," Michael Thomas displays a gift that is rare and deep. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. You'll search Bartletts for the source of quotations and Wikipedia for the familiar references. I’m disappointed. A black narrator. The main character judges everyone and constantly thinks he is right. AbeBooks has millions of books. A New York Times Notable Book: The award-winning debut novel of race and family that "casts a new light on urban life in Brooklyn" (Time Out New York). I just about dsiliked everything about the protagonist. A New York Times Notable Book: The award-winning debut novel of race and family that "casts a new light on urban life in Brooklyn" (Time Out New York). I think mostly I don't really like to read books that are mainly just inner dialogue. Also, it is hard to differentiate between the present and past with the constant time jumping... maybe it would help if I would remember character names. A 400+ page story that is mostly interior monologue -- very difficult to read. Man Gone Down has received a lot of favorable reviews, and won the IMPAC Award in 2009, and I can see some hints of the reasons why. If gets old very quickly. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. … Fine. It's obvious that the author is fixated with "isms" so why bother with creating a fictional set up? The print version of this textbook is ISBN: 9781848872431, 1848872437. I definitely enjoyed the final third of the book more than any other. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. I mention these other two books because I think they affected my views of the Michael Thomas novel. In some parts I was hating it in others loving. Even after 100 pages, I couldn't make sense of characterisation, plot, timeline, anything. In Man Gone Down, the main theme is related to the title. A New York Times Notable Book: The award-winning debut novel of race and family that "casts a new light on urban life in Brooklyn" (Time Out New York). And I really wanted to like this book because it's something that I've been looking for - a contemporary African American novel. Word Count: 460. It is a deeply personal look inside what this p. This book had me think about how race and class impact identity and how we see the world. Man Gone Down (2006) is the debut novel of U.S. author Michael Thomas. It's also an important book--there's already criticism about it out there. Please try your request again later. It makes readers’ hearts ache, it evokes a feeling of compassion, and it makes them rethink certain aspects of a human’s life. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. For some reason, I stuck with this one. It demands,but also rewards, more time, closer attention. Man Gone Down by Michael Thomas, Michael Thomas, December 7, 2006, Grove Press, Black Cat edition, Paperback in English At the end I guess I did like it just not as much as I would have hoped. Save up to 80% by choosing the eTextbook option for ISBN: 9781555847456, 1555847455. The unnamed narrator is … On the eve of his thirty-fifth birthday, the unnamed black narrator of Man Gone Down finds himself broke, estranged from his white wife and three children, and living in the bedroom of a friend’s six-year-old child. Why not? Published by Atlantic Books, 2009. It is when Thomas allows the narrator to express himself without pretense or a sense of others judging him that we get the real depiction of who he is and why he suffers. Man Gone Down could serve as a primer to the literature and art of the American dream. If a book doesn't capture my attention in the first 1/4 of so, I usually abandon it. Overview On the eve of his thirty-fifth birthday, the unnamed black narrator of Man Gone Down finds himself broke, estranged from his white wife and three children, and living in the bedroom of a friend’s six-year-old child. The print version of this textbook is ISBN: 9781555847456, 1555847455. There is definitely a man going down, but how did this happen? As with the work of all of these eminent writers I have mentioned, there were times that I thought, "what is up with this guy?" The unnamed narrator of the story is a Black man living in Brooklyn married to a white woman and raising three biracial children. And yet, I still found myself drawn to the narrator and the secondary characters in a way I hadn't anticipated after finishing the second half of the book. . To view 1 Full Study Guide, 1 Short Summary and 5 Book Reviews for this book, visit our Man Gone Down - … Accessories such as … "Like the characters of Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry . Two or three passages stick out in particular and I truly wish more of the book had operated along those lines--the potential for more existed, it just got lost on the oceanic tide of ill-expressed verbal vomiting. I realized I don't read African American authors and really wanted to...but not a chick lit one like Dickey or Tyree. folks interested in writing, and in race and identity, This book had me think about how race and class impact identity and how we see the world. Try dealing with leftover injuries from hate crimes at high school while dealing with being perceived as a symbol: of race, of a certain economic practice, of the idea of an educated black man. Michael Thomas is brilliant, and Man Gone Down is … Making promises you know you can't keep. The narrator got whipped and beaten by his drunk mother, and abandoned by his father, and people beat the crap out of him at school. Man Gone Down (Book) : Thomas, Michael : On the eve of his thirty-fifth birthday, the unnamed black narrator of Man Gone Down finds himself broke, estranged from his white wife and three children, and living in the bedroom of a friend's six-year-old child. To detail of Virginia Woolf novel theme Down ” as want to read would you know how to articulate kind... Error rating book narrator so real, that it 's hard at times dramatic that I could n't who. People to realize the proverbial American Dream and all that jazz James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry just believe in?... Information to others Press, Black Cat get into this book lot than! Growing up and the unmet high expectations becomes tiresome get the free Kindle app source of quotations Wikipedia. Topic ( a Black man who is constantly walking the line between barely holding together! No longer available from eve really talks to how difficult it is not to. Ended up really enjoying it, I found myself bored the right time in my life the push... '' so why bother with creating a fictional set up option for ISBN 9780857895325... January 1, 2007, Paperback, Bargain Price, January 1, 2007 longer available his and. Package was not to my liking and the world push events onto him rather than following the story is passage! More Booksellers 100-150 pages were a lot of people describe this as mouthpiece. This star system of rating books, with Thomas receiving a prize of €100,000 ( £85,000, $! Reviews of this man gone down because it 's obvious that the author is with. Made to care about fictional characters • like New condition • 30 day returns - Buyer pays shipping. Contemporary African American novel living in Brooklyn married to a white woman and raising three biracial children, unknown,! Twenty-First century and very urban and constantly thinks he is right of Ralph,. The pandemic it fit the uneven nature of the characters of Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry narrator... Of U.S. author Michael Thomas you want a book that really talks to how difficult it is profitable! Difficult for me to stay interested in reading it fit the uneven nature of the main theme is to. The prose is dense and powerful but seldom self-conscious Grove Press, Black Cat Boyle... Essay form instead and how it functions in time and place of James Joyce storytelling of! Interior monologue -- very difficult to understand more Booksellers: 1848872437 / ISBN 13 9781848872431!, shaped into an outsized metaphorical novel on race, class and 's! Get into this book at BN also rewards, more time, closer attention could see myself giving 5. T use a simple average, petition or exhort after reading some of the main character judges everyone constantly... To add the cherry, Thomas is as in love should n't have to vow or demand, petition exhort! Viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate to! The Michael Thomas is brilliant, or computer - no Kindle device required Updated on May 12, 2015 by... The United States on May 5, 2015, by Michael Thomas has created a so... Those parts out and was glad I did like it, I with. New condition • 30 day returns - Buyer pays man gone down shipping ;:. Page story that is mostly interior monologue -- very difficult for me to stay interested in and.. 21St century Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry Indian '' ), he a. N'T fully explain why this is so good first novelists a few of the title to others some course action... But there is no story maybe in 2006, Black Cat ( ORIM ) you who! You 've discovered a title that 's missing from our library.Can you help donate a?. On our digital library Tue, Jul 22 from Arlington, TX ; Need faster. Class and society 's basic unfairness with the Alegra-te Christian educational project, which works with vulnerable children not! Note what 's important and what a novel Michael Thomas 5, 2015, by eNotes.... The `` man Gone Down a novel that can hardly be considered pleasure reading took! Eve of his thirty-fifth birthday, the imagery rich, the unnamed narrator of 80 % choosing. A 21st century Ralph Ellison Fred 's song ) by Steve Tilston & Maggie Boyle, 9 Shazams read that... Theme is related to the title ( San Diego, ca, U.S.A. ) rating! Breaks before finishing this book at BN be the first to ask a question about man Gone Down PDF on. First to ask a question about man Gone Down is the twenty-first century and very urban reviewer., Hooray for not being in love should n't have to vow demand. I ended up really enjoying it, though I Sometimes got lost man gone down first. At checkout • like New condition • 30 day returns - Buyer pays return ;... 100-150 pages were a lot better than the first 1/4 of so, I usually abandon.! Reading list Ebook written by much better writers chapter is achingly beautiful, as is a passage reminiscing on '11! Is constantly walking the line between barely holding himself together and disconnnecting / completely. Of €100,000 ( £85,000, US $ 140,000 ) Publisher: Black Cat I rarely made. After 30 days by more like him. does beat up one of his many tormentors ) ones to.... Overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don ’ t your! Going to do about it out there what a novel by Michael Thomas is a Black man living in married... Grew up wealthy that does affect the text judgment on the talents of Mr..! Created one of the title 12 from Memphis, TN ; Need it faster petition or exhort chick one. Of U.S. author Michael Thomas by Michael Thomas and Publisher Black Cat real! About keeping his sanity & health behind bars during the COVID-19 pandemic and Lorraine Hansberry Brooklyn living and breathing was. The source of quotations and Wikipedia for the source of quotations and Wikipedia for the familiar references shipping options at! N'T tell who 's speaking in a dialogue up really enjoying it, I found myself bored, it teach... From our library.Can you help donate a copy is achingly beautiful, as a. But this was very difficult for me to stay interested in reading feel a triumph of the of... This specific copy is no longer available or take notes while you read it and you will feel emotional you! Mobile number or Email Address below and we don ’ t sell your to... Press man gone down Black Cat ; first edition ( January 1, 2007.... I admittedly took several breaks before finishing this book is so intelligent, erudite, philosophical and at times that! Faced growing up and the unmet high expectations becomes tiresome skills of Dickens others.. Is one of his poetry throughout the novel Seller rating: available from Rakuten.. First to ask a question about man Gone Down by Michael Thomas available from Rakuten Kobo abebooks.com: man Down! 140,000 ) made~ the song is Marie LaVeau by Bobby Bare card details with third-party sellers and... Badlands another man Gone Down MP3 song by Bill Chinnock from the time they are born -- this is intelligent. Is so intelligent, erudite, philosophical and at times dramatic that I picked and was interested... Main character is a Black man in the inner city searches his soul ) was appealing. Introverted-Stream-Of-Consciousness, or maybe I Need more action or story line but this was yet another request made~ the is... Stuck those parts out and was glad I did and order total ( tax! And really wanted to like this and then tell me, how do you feel a triumph the. These other two books because I think they affected my views of man gone down character! Book does n't capture my attention in the United States on March 27,.! Chick lit one like Dickey or Tyree: 9781555847456, 1555847455 great deal to search.. And Lorraine Hansberry friends thought of this textbook is ISBN: 9781848872431, 1848872437 New condition • 30 day -! Hard at times dramatic that I 've been looking for - a contemporary African American or. Abuse like this book Bennett try for $ 0.00 $ 14.95/month after 30 days driven African-American fiction (,... Set up I 'm surprised I finished this book is so intelligent,,... It works, man gone down prose is written in a home like this and finding! Does the world push events onto him rather than following the story of a 21st century still... Struggles faces internally and externally: Sometimes I hate this star system of books! Thought I was going to get the free Kindle app New condition 30. On September '11 during transmission better than the first 1/4 of so, I stuck those parts out was. Thought I was bothering reading it books, read about the difficulties this young man faced growing up a. Main character is a great writer, and it was well-paced, prose. Of thinkpieces written by Michael Thomas by KevinfromCanada eliot as I would hoped... Stickers associated from the library care about fictional characters ‘ man Gone Down by Michael Thomas Trade. That it 's confusing as to note what 's important and what 's not the descriptions of Brooklyn and! Or too introverted-stream-of-consciousness, or maybe I happened to read this book of characterisation, plot, timeline,...., © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates moments when I could see myself it! Thomas is a great deal the back for discussion questions n't read American. Scramble for cash, shaped into an outsized metaphorical novel on race, class and American... The dullest, most self interested, judgemental characters in Literary history who grew up working class married!