The Walls of Jericho by Rudolph Fisher (1928)

In Harlem, a lawyer moves into a white neighborhood as a furniture mover looks for love.

Book Review: The Walls of Jericho is light on plot but rich in character, atmosphere, and color. The first novel by Rudolph Fisher (1897-1934), a member of the Harlem Renaissance, who provides an energetic and insightful view of the black mecca of America. The lengthy centerpiece of the novel is the Annual Costume Ball, which all Harlem, high and low (literally), attends. As well as showing the caste system in Harlem, Fisher presents the good guys and bad guys of black society and the mostly clueless white visitors. The protagonist hates white people and the white people want to help black folks in the worst way. Climate change and 1619 get mentioned along the way -- everything old is new again. Comic relief and subplot in The Walls of Jericho is provided by BFFs Bubber and Jinx, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in different clothes. The characters reappeared as suspects in Fisher's later mystery novel, The Conjure-Man Dies (1932), and in a short story, "One Month's Wages" (2008), generously included as a bonus in this volume by the British branch of HarperCollins. The story is enjoyable, and includes a version of a scene in Conjure-Man. In addition to a Preface and Introduction, this volume also contains "An Introduction to Contemporary Harlemese, Expurgated and Abridged," which includes such words as "belly-rub," "dickty," "K.M.," "salty dog," and "tight." Curious whether Fisher aimed this novel more at a black or white audience, I found The Walls of Jericho to be quick, entertaining, and educational all at the same time.  [4★]