The Given Day

I just finished a great novel by Dennis Lehanne, "The Given Day". Mr. Lehanne is not known for fluffy stories since his other writing include "Mystic River" and "Shutter Island". Those were made into movies and I hear that this 2008 novel will soon join them on the big screen.

This, like most of his books, is based in Boston, but I was drawn to it because one of the main characters comes to Boston from Tulsa in 1919. The chapters concerning Tulsa's black community are rich in the description of the Greenwood district and "Black Wall Street". And, as far as I can tell was spot on concerning the city, the oil boom, and living conditions.

The book centers of a family of Boston policemen and the ordeals dealing with immigration, terrorists, racial inequality and class warfare in Boston. As I read it I realized that all the issues of 1919 are still alive today. It is a great but intense story. Luther, a black man from Tulsa, joins the family (as a House Boy) and the two stories intermingle. This is a rough read but a good read.

The story that intertwines the larger one is Babe Ruth. The book begins with the 1918 World Series between Boston and Chicago White Sox and their train breaking down. Babe (a Red Sox player) and others from both teams play a black team that includes Luther while the train is being repaired. Babe appears through out the book and as the story ends Babe is traded to the Yankees. This side story is masterfully mixed into the action.

Other real people include a young J. Edgar Hoover and Calvin Coolidge , as the Governor. The novel covers the Police strike, WWI, Prohibition and more.

This is a thought provoking work, superbly written. A **** star book

2012 book #6