I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Book of Harlan 
Published by Akashic Books on May 3, 2016
Pages: 400 pages
Dear Reader,
In 2004 I read Firpo W. Carr's book Germany's Black Holocaust: 1890- 1945, and was immediately intrigued. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, "The fate of black people from 1933 to 1945 in Nazi Germany and in German-occupied territories ranged from isolation to persecution, sterilization, medical experimentation, incarceration, brutality, and murder."
I realized that while much had been written about the Jewish victims, the fate of Africans and African Americans at the hands of the Nazis was less well documented.
I was fascinated by this discovery and set about writing a story that would illuminate this hidden verity. But for many years, the story seemed out of my reach as I struggled to find a connection with the characters.
Luckily for me, early attempts at creating the story coincided with my ongoing personal genealogy research. For some twenty years I've been consumed with investigating my paternal line; specifically my grandfather, Harold McFadden, who was entirely absent from my father's life, thus a mystery to both of us.
When I decided to model Harlan Elliott after my grandfather, all that I had been struggling with came to an end. It was as if I had found the golden key; suddenly the foreign became familiar and the novel unfurled as naturally as a flower in spring.
--Bernice L. McFadden
This book grabbed me from the first character and pulled me in as I expected since I have read every book Ms. McFadden has written. In fact, to write this review I had to take a moment to gather myself after I finished reading it.
The first part of the story we meet Harlan’s parents and how he grew up. His mother Emma Robinson, the daughter of a preacher and his father Sam Elliot meet and marry as folks of the early 1900’s often did, go on to create a life for themselves making choices that would forever impact young Harlan.
The second part is the meat of the story and where we get a history lesson about the horrors men suffered at the hands of Nazi thugs. To learn how Harlan ended up in Germany we must first read about the Harlem Renaissance jazz scene, and the picture Ms. McFadden paints put the reader smack dab in the middle of it and I loved it. We meet Leo Benjamin Rubenstein aka Lizard, learn about his background and how he came to hang out in Harlem and become a fascinating character.
There are other wonderful characters in the story like Lucille Nelson, Emma’s best friend and a songbird whose presence in the story is beautiful and I would have loved to have had her as a friend.
And then there was the war. The period 1940’s. After receiving a life changing opportunity to cross the waters to play in Paris, the Harlem World band, members Harlan, Lizard, Bruno Franklin, Ivy Reid and Lincoln Watson would make the journey that would change them forever.
Before reading this book, I’m pretty sure I didn’t give much thought about black folks being caught up so to speak in Hitler’s madness. But thinking about it because black people are all over the Diaspora, of course, they were, and it makes sense after reading this story. Ms. McFadden describes the events of that period in such a way that more than a few times I was in tears reading this emotional story.
Like I said, I’ve read every book Ms. McFadden has written and this book is exceptional. It is a great read well worth your time, and I recommend to anyone. This will also make an excellent book club read as there is much to discuss regarding genealogy, the 1900’s, the Holocaust and more. I know after reading this, I will read the book Ms. McFadden references Germany’s Black Holocaust 1890-1945, sometime in the future.
Reviewed by: Linda
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