FLIGHT TO CANADA

Rating:
Summary: Not a representative piece of literature; not funny either
Review: Ah poor Ishmael Reed! Doubly overlooked because he's a truly literate African-American writer AND more so because he's a postmodernist.

This outrageously wonderful book manages to dissect and skewer both America's past and present with an off-beat sense of purpose. Merely my second foray into Reed's body of work, he's rapidly climbing up my All Time Favourite Author list. I suppose this won't appeal to everyone in the John Grishman/E. Lyn Harris/Harry Potter set, but Flight to Canada does what great art should - challenge the beholder.

Reed tackles everything from the Civil War, Lincoln, Harriet Beecher Stowe, the grand ol' south, the nature of slavery and slaves and demands the reader to push aside common held beliefs and take a fresh look at this much-studied (and much-rehashed) juncture of American History.

Bottom line - a hip and funny read that'll make you think. What more d'ya need?

Rating:
Summary: Interesting in theory but a miserable read
Review: I get it, I get it: there's not historical truth about slavery because the records are made by the hegemony and the oral records are unverifiable (myth). So Reed makes the whole thing obviously anachonistic to show the greater Truth.

But it's just boring and tasteless. The plot boils down to about 3 pages worth of material. The rest is just absurd. But not in a good way.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting in theory but a miserable read
Review: I get it, I get it: there's not historical truth about slavery because the records are made by the hegemony and the oral records are unverifiable (myth). So Reed makes the whole thing obviously anachonistic to show the greater Truth.

But it's just boring and tasteless. The plot boils down to about 3 pages worth of material. The rest is just absurd. But not in a good way.

Rating:
Summary: Not a representative piece of literature; not funny either
Review: It seems this book is quite the rage for modern American literature classes in universities today. I actually read it for American Literature to 1865 (it was assigned in tandem with Uncle Tom's Cabin), and it is currently on the reading list for the modern course. And I really can't understand why. The previous reviewer wrote that Mr. Reed was "doubly overlooked because he's a truly literate African-American writer AND more so because he's a postmodernist." I would disagree. He's overlooked (I hadn't heard of him before my English class) because, quite simply, he cannot write. Was this supposed to be humorous? I don't think I cracked a smile. Moreover--and here the other reviewer was close--his postmodernism just doesn't fly, because contrary to their opinions, there IS objective truth, as recent events have clearly demonstrated. Mr. Reed is fond of blurring the lines, quite explicitly, between fact and fiction. If all that's the case, who's to say the neo-Marxism of which Mr. Reed seems to be so fond is not merely fiction? Not an enjoyable read at all, especially not VERY poorly written scenes dealing with sexuality. This is certainly not a book I would have read unless assigned (and writing the paper for it was most assuredly like pulling teeth), and I don't feel it has a place on university reading lists, for it is representative of neither American literature nor of good writing. We need to go back to the basics when authors questioned the order of things without denying Truth itself.

Rating:
Summary: brilliant original work i love ishmael reed
Review: this work is one of the most brilliant books i have ever read. I have read kafka, dostoyevsky, hesse and dick among others. This book is playfully original and comical at the same time. Ishmael
Reed has taught me more about the civil war that anyone else has.
the blurring of fact and fiction was not confusing at all. The characters were alive and believable. I thought his depiction of the period was right on in a comical way. this is a book all african americans who appreciate literature should read. what a writer. I love raven quickskill!!![.]

Rating:
Summary: brilliant original work i love ishmael reed
Review: this work is one of the most brilliant books i have ever read. I have read kafka, dostoyevsky, hesse and dick among others. This book is playfully original and comical at the same time. Ishmael
Reed has taught me more about the civil war that anyone else has.
the blurring of fact and fiction was not confusing at all. The characters were alive and believable. I thought his depiction of the period was right on in a comical way. this is a book all african americans who appreciate literature should read. what a writer. I love raven quickskill!!![.]