Official Review: Bronzeville by M J Draper

[Timothy Rucinski]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Bronzeville" by M J Draper.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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M. J. Draper’s Bronzeville has all the earmarks of a remarkable novel. The author presents a captivating story, a magnificent array of characters, and a splendid setting. Unfortunately, the lack of an editor's eye makes the novel so much of a hot mess that it's hard to read at times.

Bronzeville is a neighborhood in Chicago to which people of color migrated during the first part of the twentieth century. Seeking to escape the rigors of the cotton fields and Jim Crow laws of the gulf states, black men and women arrived in Chicago by the trainload seeking employment at the stockyards, the candy companies, and hoping for a better way of life.

Draper has created some memorable characters that grace the pages of Bronzeville. There are no wasted characters; everyone on the page plays a significant role in the story's framework, even when, as a reader, you aren't sure where a character's worth will come into play. The dialogue is rich and rhythmic, significantly unique in vocabulary and cadence for each character. There is very little profanity.

Scipio Pennybaker is the local crime lord in Bronzeville, a black man content to earn his keep by fostering gambling and importing illegal alcohol. He is no saint and can be as violent as anyone, but he protects the enclave of Bronzeville under his watchful eye. He also refuses to enter into the drug trade, leaving that line of business to others. Like his father, "He knew right from wrong and though he stood for the right he often used wrong to make it right and no one faulted him for it."

Stonewall Madison, Scipio’s cousin, is a detective who assists Scipio with maintaining his power while genuinely doing excellent police work, specifically by focusing on a recent spout of murders in Bronzeville. There are many other characters, each drawn beautifully on the page. Lizzie Lee, the despondent wife of a ne’er-do-well, is the mother to two young daughters and takes matters into her own hands to support them while remaining faithful to her marriage vows. Joseph Alfretti is the criminal head from the North Side determined to cut into Scipio’s empire by recruiting young black men fresh off the trains to do his dirty work. Scipio’s henchmen, Pee Wee and Switch, are perfect sidekicks. And old-timers Theo and Winston, each harboring a deep, dark secret from the past, share a mutual pathos that is disclosed at the conclusion.

In addition to Lizzie Lee, several strong-willed, dynamic women rise against adversity in Bronzeville, including Stonewall’s wealthy mother Olivia, who passes as white. The three Hairston sisters run the area's most productive house of ill repute. Young Cha-Cha overcomes adversity and discovers her self-worth. Blanche, the owner, and operator of a local beauty salon, regularly offers advice to her friend and benefactor, Scipio.

Draper creates a milieu that is rich and easy to imagine. I had the same feeling reading Bronzeville that I had reading Doctorow’s Ragtime and Alan V. Hewat’s Lady’s Time. Draper does for Chicago what these writers did for New York and New Orleans. Although nothing explicit, there are sexual situations in the book, some instances of rape and violence, yet nothing that most readers haven't come across before.

Now for the bad news. The Kindle edition of the book appears not to have been proofread at all, let alone professionally edited. I do not exaggerate by revealing that there are well over one hundred punctuation errors, spelling, missing words, and repeated sentences in the same paragraph. At times I had to put the book down because I couldn’t understand what I was reading. I felt sad knowing that I would be writing this review and having to reward a low rating because it is simply a total mess.

I truly loved everything about the story, characters, time, and place. But I disliked and was severely disappointed in the presentation. This book needs to be edited professionally and repackaged because the story is just exceptional. What a movie it would make! Readers of American history and anyone interested in the African-American migration to Chicago would enjoy this story.

Regrettably, I give Draper’s Bronzeville a rating of 2 out of 4 stars for the reasons stated above. If there were just a few typos, then I would provide a higher rating. But the lack of editorial discipline in this book is horrible. I hope and pray that the author revamps this terrific book and finds an audience that will appreciate the story as much as I enjoyed it.

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Bronzeville
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[Chigo Nwagboso]

I love it when the characters are well developed, thereby making the book and interesting read. Great review.

[Hazel Arnaiz]

I agree. The story, with such a fascinating mix of characters, could develop into a promising movie. It is indeed unfortunate that it was poorly edited. Thank you for the impartial review.

[Timothy Rucinski]

I agree. The story, with such a fascinating mix of characters, could develop into a promising movie. It is indeed unfortunate that it was poorly edited. Thank you for the impartial review.

Thanks very much. And I hope that the author has the book professionally edited because - and I don't say this often - I'd gladly read it again.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

Thank you for your feedback! It seems a very interesting book, too bad you had to drop 2 stars due to the poor editing. But the good news is that can be fixed

[Kate Park]

This book is a great example that editing is so important! A great book is not a great book without great editing. Luckily, editing a book is much easier than changing the plot of a book. I enjoyed reading your detailed review that shed light on what I believe would be an interesting read.

[Timothy Rucinski]

This book is a great example that editing is so important! A great book is not a great book without great editing. Luckily, editing a book is much easier than changing the plot of a book. I enjoyed reading your detailed review that shed light on what I believe would be an interesting read.

It's all about the editing. This book has such a great story to tell, and I hope and pray the author makes the changes asap.