Clockers

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Summary: A Provocative, Chilling Portrait of Life In The Projects
Review: Ronald "Strike" Dunham, a product of the grim, gritty inner city projects, has recently been promoted to "clocker," a street corner crack dealer. He's a bright kid who dreams of cutting-out from his dead-end existence someday. At nineteen, Strike's world is all about economic survival on the streets. He runs drug crews for Rodney, his kingpin boss. Unfortunately, Strike is not able to slough off the hassles of the daily hustle. He is already a man of means with teenage employees who report to him, and more worldly cares than he can handle. He suffers from stomach ulcers and is constantly drinking vanilla Yoo-Hoos to soothe the almost constant pain. Then Rodney asks him to kill another clocker who is skimming money. He tells Strike that this hit will be the key to getting ahead in the organization.

Rocco Klein is a burnt-out, middle-aged homicide detective who drinks too much and has the home life from hell. He too dreams of a better future, while patrolling the rough New Jersey neighborhoods where drug killings are almost a daily occurrence. When yet another homicide occurs, a young man with two jobs, a clean record, and a family, confesses to shooting the street tough. Klein does not believe for a minute that twenty year-old Victor Dunham is guilty. However, he likes Victor's brother, Strike, for the job. He pressures Strike to either confess or to give up the real killer. The ulcers are about ready to perforate with the stress of Klein leaning on him, his homicidal boss threatening violence, his brother and family all on his case, and the possibility of a drug war over turf on the horizon. "Clockers" is an intense mystery and a provocative chronicle of life on the mean streets. Whodunnit and the motive is almost impossible to guess.

Richard Price paints a provocative portrait of life in inner city America like no other. "Clockers" is set in the fictional town of Dempsey, NJ, a bleak, claustrophobic ghetto where escape is almost impossible, and black-on-black crime is prevalent. He depicts the details of everyday existence for dealers, customers and cops, clearly, believably, with street language that rings true. The dialogue is vivid and gives his characters even more depth and realism. I have never met a fictional character with the pathos and poignancy of Strike, an extraordinarily complex figure who is impossible to pigeonhole.

Price uses two central protagonists, polar opposites, who are forced to interact throughout the novel. The author discussed the use of these central figures in an interview: "I wanted to create a situation where people are the products of their sides and because of a crisis are thrown into each other. And they are forced to empathize well beyond the point where they thought they would be, and then they get tripped up by what they absorb. The journey becomes the destination." "Clockers" was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. This is a superb novel which I highly recommend.

Richard Price is the author of six novels and numerous screenplays, including The Color of Money, Sea of Love, and Ransom. In 1999, he received the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
JANA

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Summary: The best book I have ever read.
Review: Takes you to another planet. Can't beat the experience. Richard Price is a GREAT writer

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Summary: Great
Review: This book is great! I really liked the movie and so my expectations for the book were high, but the book was wonderful. The character development was wonderful, you really want to see the lives of all of the people turn around and that they will have some happiness. Really great

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Summary: Absolutely stunning.
Review: This is an instant classic. His visceral, yet thoughtful and poignant portrayal of urban street life is riveting.

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Summary: Like a CNN broadcast from hell.
Review: This is one 'action/drama' that won't insult your intelligence. It is superbly crafted as well as viscerally intense. Every character is finely drawn and believable. As is so often the case, if you liked the movie, you'll love the book.

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Summary: An urban tale with heart
Review: This is quite a massive book, but still retains a pace which flows as easy as cognac on a cold winter's day. Richard Price has certainly reseacrched his world well and the result is an urban tale which manages to bring us both sides of an ambivalent world of opposites without compromising the real issues. A solid movie by Mr. Spike Lee as well.

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Summary: Very good mystery/thriller involving drug dealing.
Review: This is the first book I've read by Richard Price. I liked the story and the ending was a surprise. The details of drug-dealing and homicide investigation (the book involves both) are incredibly intricate and really add to the book's quality. The story did seem to drag on a bit though and that's why I only gave it 4 stars rather than 5. Spike Lee's movie version is very good also.

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Summary: nice body, pretty face--but no soul
Review: This was a well-written book, with lively description, well developed characters and an interesting story. So why was I bored to tears? And why, out of the thousands of books I've read in my life, did this book not spark enough interest for me to finish it? Perhaps the characters were simply not engaging enough. Maybe the story became stagnant and bogged down with too much description and detail. Can't quite put a finger on it.

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Summary: Destined to be a movie
Review: While I really enjoyed this book, everything in the book seemed to be written as if it was meant to be a film. Very heavy on conversation and visual imagery. Every chapter I read just confirmed that this was a screenplay more than a book. Still worthwhile reading, and I need to rent the video.