The Talking Drum: A Novel About Systemic Racism in Urban Redevelopment

Publicist Laura Marie asked me to join the blog tour for The Talking Drum, the debut novel of Lisa Braxton.  The blog tour post is on Flying High Reviews.  I accepted the free review copy that Laura Marie supplied because I was interested in the issues involving race, class, immigration and urban culture conflict that Braxton raises.  The reason why I'm writing two different reviews is because Flying High Reviews is my blog for strong female protagonists. So my review there focuses on the female protagonist.   This one will deal with The Talking Drum's themes.

                               
                        

This novel called my attention to urban redevelopment.  The entire concept has always been about displacing people who are marginalized.   In The Talking Drum, the fictional city of Bellville, Massachusetts wanted to demolish the homes and businesses of a neighborhood primarily populated by African immigrants.  No, not white wealthy African immigrants.  Let's get real.  Urban redevelopment has never been aimed at them.   Cities usually want to eradicate neighborhoods where poor persons of color live, and I've discovered that the persons of color don't even have to be poor to be the targets of urban redevelopment schemes.  This is another manifestation of systemic racism.

Urban redevelopment didn't begin in the 20th century. When I researched the history of urban redevelopment in the United States in preparation for this review, I discovered that it had happened in 19th century New York.  A neighborhood of African American middle class property owners was leveled to create Central Park in Manhattan.  Don't believe me? OK, here are some links for you.  The Creation of Central Park and here's a Wikipedia article about that neighborhood-- Seneca Village . Are you saying yikes yet?  I was when I uncovered this outrageous expropriation.  How much is the land where Central Park sits currently worth?

Now I would like to talk about a couple of Senegalese characters in Braxton's book. 

Senegalese immigrant Mustapha Mendy owned a building in Petite Africa.  His highly successful restaurant was on the ground floor.  He was also continually mobilizing people against the destruction of Petite Africa.  It wasn't just about losing his investment.  Petite Africa was his community.

I felt that Mustapha's nephew Omar was in some ways the heart of  The Talking Drum.  He was totally devoted to drumming. Slaveholders in the U.S. feared the power of drumming so much that it was widely outlawed.  They knew that the drum is foundational to African identity. Omar's dream was an institute of drumming for teaching drumming to both children and adults. Yet Omar faced prejudice as an immigrant which discouraged him, and sometimes caused him to behave self-destructively.  His talent and love of his instrument did not prevent him from being flawed.  I think that Omar was the character in this book who was portrayed with the most depth.

I consider The Talking Drum an original and thought provoking novel.  For me, it's a strong candidate for best indie novel published in 2020.