Standing at the Scratch Line : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: He's the ace of spades and he ain't been played yet.
Review: upon first reading guy william's masterwork, it stood out as a historical novel, then it shifted into a young black male's coming of age tale in an america, during a time when blacks were expected to " know their place," kowtow to white people and sacrifice their dignity and humanity just to survive

king tremain is a black action figure, no batteries needed; he's not an intellectual; he has few social graces; he finds his manhood by killing, and his identity is shaped by the violent acts he commits. he also manages to develop a compassionate side. this is evident early in the novel when he injures "sampson" who tried to attack him and renders him a mute. but king nurses sampson back to health and makes him his closest ally

king lives by a code of honor that is admirable. he doesnt do anything malevolent to white or black people, that they wouldnt do to him. he is successful at beating racists at their own game. through out the story, johnson explodes many stereotypes about blacks being ignorant, lazy, and unwilling to fight, and places king and several black men and women in situations, which they are ready prove their worth as human beings, often risking their lives to hang onto what's their's. a scene from the book shows the black townspeople of bodie wells, oklahoma confronted by big daddy and his band of marauders, smacks of the film " rosewood," a movie about a black town in florida in the 1920's that stood up to a white mob

but instead of the confrontation escalating into a bloodbath, both sides manage to settle their disputes, avoiding a slaughter.

there are a lot of grey areas in this book. its not simply about "good blacks" versus "evil whites;" johnson shows many different kinds of black and white people: in a scene which king is being held and tortured by sherrif mack, the black porter who serves the sherrif is named clarence thomas( obviously a jibe at the supreme court justice !)and is a uncle tom negro who thinks blacks should tow the line; a black female resteraunt owner sacrifces hereself to protect her business and family, and loses her life fighting the KKK ; king has contempt for most whites, but captain mack, and ira, the new york lawyer, are his closest white friends, which he counts on to watch his back.

beware! this is not a book for the squeamish! johnson lays on the violence heavy and often. the fight scene between king and another soldier in a barracks surrounded by a mob of blacks, apes ellison's " invisible man." this book has a higher body count than a steven segal movie. (i loved the way guy gave props to the black troops who fought in world war 1. there were many black troops who paid the cost that will never be recognized.) if you are "politically correct," you may be outraged by the hatred whites express toward blacks and vice versa.

spike lee once said "blacks were incapable of being racist, they could only be prejudiced." i disagree. some blacks are extremely racist, but their hatred of whites can be justified, because of the hate and injustice they have suffered at the hands of whites. if the situation was reversed and if whites had to live like blacks, they would kill themselves in a week. it's too bad more books like standing at the scratch line don't come down the pike, because they would go a long way in getting blacks and whites to finally deal with the race problem. every character is dickensian: they play a purpose,and aren't merely "bit players." besides, king, serena, impressed me most of all, because she didn't come off as just another " wifey " character; she was a warrior who did more than just stood beside king, she helped him fight his battles( screw xena !) and even sacrificed herself for him

i'm not going to go into too much detail about the book, i don't want to give away the plot, but i will say this, guy's writing talent definately has maya's dna all over it, and that is a good thing! this is an epic that will be welcomed into the black literary canon along with native son and the invisble man. in an age which some black kids could recite tupac's lyrics before they name could name 10 countries in africa,it is refreshing to discover a book that not only educates, but also entertains as well as force you to look at race beyond the "us versus them" paradigm. i'm going to give copies of this book to my closest black friend and my closest friend. black and white people need to read this.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, A Hero
Review: I can't say enough about this book. King Tremain overcame all my fears. I am so tired of reading books about african americans that never win. It seems we are always the ones that end up at the end of a rope or hiding in the bushes. King Tremain stood up for his beliefs and made himself heard. There was no guessing where you stood with him. He always made himself clear. I was disappointed with his wife. I understood her need for stability and position, but I can't imagine turning my back on a man that provides such strength, support and love for his family.

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book and read with some caution for a while, but it overcame all of my doubts. It's hard to believe this is a first novel and I can't wait to read his next. I recommend it to all my reading friends.

Rating:
Summary: Standing at the Scratch Line
Review: This book made me cry three or four times. I have NEVER read a book that has done that. I cheered for the one-legged man. Yet, another hero in this book. I happened to read the Count of Monte Cristo right after reading Guy Johnson's book. They are very similar. Has anyone else noted the similarities? I have been recommending Standing to all my friends. I look forward to more from Guy Johnson.

Rating:
Summary: best seller in the making
Review: This book is a book that to me, showed what blacks back then were thinking and wanted to do but just did not have the guts to do,and that is to stand up and be counted as a man and demand respect.

Rating:
Summary: We finally have a Black Hero
Review: This book will have you sitting on the edge of yourchair,biting your finger nails while anticipating reading the next page. I can't recall thoughly enjoying another book like this one. King Tremain is what we African Americans have been waiting for! We finally get some "Get Back". In the form of King Tremain Who shows his way of "dealing with a racist army,The Mob,the K.K.Clan and other injustices. He is a hero for those in need of help.

King also is very intelligent and builds his own Dynasty.

This book is a "Page Turner!"

I told all of my friends to buy it and "make Guy Johnson some money."

I can't wait for the sequel!

Rating:
Summary: the super negro
Review: guy johnson takes you into the world of a black man who is not afraid of anything not even death. the book inspired me to be brave when facing anything, from racism to death. everyone should read this book especially black people. GUY JOHNSON ONE LOVE.

Rating:
Summary: Black Rambo arrives!
Review: If I were black, especially a black male, this book would probably be my all time favorite. Even though I'm white male, I still enjoyed it. Like his protagonist, the author doesn't pull any punches. He even gets in a couple of jabs at Clarence Thomas and Booker T. Washington by naming submissive blacks in the story after them. I've read several of the other reviews and agree with the comments about jeeps and the Red Ball Express being anachronisms (to put it politely), and I also found the easy availability of hand grenades and automatic weapons for the hero's use a bit too convenient. It would certainly make for a good movie, though, with all the explosions and mayhem. While the book isn't for the weak-kneed, I appreciated that the author minimized (usually) the use of foul language and did not resort to gratuitous sexual details to spice up the story. He didn't need to. I recommend the book.

Rating:
Summary: An action packed, warm, real account of life lived by a MAN!
Review: Great book! I read it to my husband! Please include a Character Index in the next printing! At the Scratch Line will make at least three movies! I see my Dad and my father-in-law in King Tremaine. I can hardly wait to see a film version - would you consider Spike Lee? Hope to see you, Guy, in Detroit, soon! Ami D.

Rating:
Summary: A good read, but a couple of minor criticisms
Review: I really enjoyed this book, and read through it quickly. It was great to see a strong, Black protagonist, who was willing and able to stand up to racism and brutality. I thought however, that King Tremain's showing up at many critical points in the book, repeatedly saving vulnerable people, or repeatedly destroying his enemies, was a bit too convenient. After a certain amount of reading, one could assume King was going to come out on top or show up at a critical moment. It would make for a great movie certainly.

I also wished the author, Mr. Johnson, or his editors, had been more careful with historical references, as there are a number of historical mistakes in the book. Some examples: there were no jeeps in WW 1, the Red Ball Express was also WW 2. The hand held machine guns mentioned so often as being used by King and his enemies immediately after WW 1 would have been nearly impossible to have as John Thompson's submachine gun was brand new and not widely distributed until later in the 1920's.

All in all, Standing at the Scratch Line is worth reading and is a good writing debut for the author. For those put off by violence, beware this book has a very high body count. It does however offers a slight break from the relentless violence at the end of the book. I look forward to a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe this is his first fiction attempt!
Review: Read it and know that you'll be just like me, waiting for the sequel! This really good historical fiction.