STRIVERS ROW

It's Harlem during WWII, and history is unfolding around the fledgling Malcolm X and other true-life figures, including the obsessively sloppy Collyer brothers. This novel completes the trilogy that has so far given us the bestselling Dreamland and Paradise Alley. The epic ends here on an upbeat. In Penny's deep, melodic tones we hear and imagine the cacophony of riots; the sad, syrupy comfort of jazz; the mournful pipe organ of religious doubt. The address of the title--buildings constructed originally for whites, of course--is described as "perhaps the most beautiful block in the entire city." Startled? The book is crammed with surprising facts. A lively education given passionate voice. B.H.C. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 06]