Harlem Godfather: The Rap on My Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson - Brossura

Johnson, Mayme; Miller, Karen E Quinones

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0967602831 ISBN 13: 9780967602837

Casa editrice: Oshun Publishing Company, Incorporated, 2008

Riassunto

First and only biography of the legendary Harlem gangster, Bumpy Johnson. Johnson was the subject of the movie "Hoodlum," and was also depicted in the movies "Cotton Club," and "American Gangster"

Su questo libro

L'autore

Mayme Hatcher Johnson was born near Durham, North Carolina in 1914. She moved to Harlem in 1938, and worked first as a cleaning woman, then as a hostess for Hagars Barbecue, a restaurant owned by singer Ethel Waters. In April 1948 Mayme met the already infamous Harlem gangster, Bumpy Johnson, and the two married just six months later. Together they raised Ruthie, Mayme s daughter from a previous relationship; and Elease, Bumpy s daughter from a prior relationship. Mayme was married to Bumpy a total of 20 years, and while Bumpy was incarcerated for 10 of those years, the two had a very close relationship, and he shared with her many secrets of his past that he refused to discuss with other people. After Bumpy died in 1968, Mayme remained in Harlem in the apartment they had shared in the Lenox Terrace until 2003, when she moved to Philadelphia. Mayme's favorite pastimes include reading newspapers such as The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Amsterdam News, and watching news programs in order to keep up with current events. She also admits to being a big fan of the show, Judge Judy. Though she has been in Philadelphia for four years, Mayme still stays in close contact with her friends in Harlem, as well as her older brother (95), and her younger sister (90), both of whom still live in North Carolina. She attributes her and her siblings longevity to good genes. To learn more about Mayme, and to her speak on tape, visit the Harlem Godfather website. Karen E. Quinones Miller is the author of Essence Magazine Bestsellers, Satin Doll, I'm Telling, Using What You Got, Ida B.,(which was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award Outstanding Literary Fiction), and Satin Nights. Born and raised in Harlem (she first met Bumpy Johnson when she was eight years old), Miller is also a former staff writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer, a former correspondent for People Magazine, and has written for a series of other magazines, including Don Diva, and The Source. Miller's sixth novel, Passin' - about a young light-skinned African-American woman who decides to pass for white in 2007 New York City is being published by Warner Books in Feb. 2008.

Dalla seconda/terza di copertina

Al Capone may have ruled Chicago. Lucky Luciano may have run most of New York City. But from the 1930s to the late 1960s, when it came to Harlem, the undisputed king of the underworld was Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson. He was called an old-fashioned gentleman. He was called a pimp. A philanthropist and a thief. A scholar and a thug. A man who admonished children to stay in school, and a man who some say introduced heroin into Harlem. Bumpy was a man whose contradictions are still the root of many an argument in Harlem. But there is one thing on which both his supporters and detractors agree in his lifetime, Bumpy was the man in Harlem. If you wanted to do anything in Harlem, anything at all, you'd better stop and see Bumpy because he ran the place. Want to open a number spot on the Avenue? Go see Bumpy. Thinking about converting your brownstone into a speakeasy? Check with Bumpy first. The police knew it they came to him to negotiate peace between young street gangs. The politicians knew it they counted on him to deliver votes on Election Day. Even the Italian and Jewish syndicate knew it, although they had to find out the hard way. Harlem Godfather: The Rap On My Husband, Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson is the first complete biography of a man who for years was Harlem s best kept, and most cherished secret. The book is written by Bumpy's widow, Mayme Johnson, and details not only his criminal life and relationships, but also his close relationships with Harlem luminaries like Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Joe Lewis, Sidney Poitier, Bill Bojangles Robinson, and Sugar Ray Robinson to name a few. This book also details Bumpy's relationship Harlem dopedealer with Frank Lucas, who has called himself Bumpy's right-hand man, but was -- according to Mrs. Johnson -- little more than a flunky.

Dettagli dell?edizione

• Editore: Oshun Publishing Company, Incorporated
• Data di pubblicazione: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0967602831
• ISBN 13: 9780967602837
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Lingua: Inglese
• Numero di pagine: 244