Colson Whitehead's Essential Reading Guide
Colson Whitehead, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and Time magazine's 'America's Storyteller,' has a new crime novel, 'Cool Machine,' out this week. The article offers a starter pack to his diverse oeuvre, which spans genres from zombie apocalypse to historical allegory. Key works include 'Harlem Shuffle' (2021), a crime trilogy set in 1960s Harlem; 'The Intuitionist' (1999), a noir debut about a Black elevator inspector; 'The Underground Railroad' (2016), a Pulitzer-winning neo-slave narrative; 'The Colossus of New York' (2003), urban vignettes; and 'Sag Harbor' (2009), a coming-of-age comedy. The piece also mentions upcoming books: Valeria Luiselli's 'Beginning Middle End' (July 28) and Paul Yoon's 'Etna' (August 4), plus Alex Barasch's recommendation of 'Pictures at a Revolution' about 1960s Hollywood. Rachel Cusk's 'Life of M' is noted for speculation about Natalie Portman as its subject.
Key facts
- Colson Whitehead's new crime novel 'Cool Machine' is out this week.
- Whitehead was named 'America's Storyteller' on the cover of Time magazine.
- He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner.
- His friend Jonathan Lethem compared Whitehead to Rod Serling.
- 'Harlem Shuffle' (2021) is the first of a crime trilogy set in 1960s Harlem.
- 'The Intuitionist' (1999) is his noir debut about a Black elevator inspector.
- 'The Underground Railroad' (2016) reimagines the railroad as a real subterranean network.
- Valeria Luiselli's 'Beginning Middle End' comes out July 28.
- Paul Yoon's 'Etna' publishes August 4.
- Alex Barasch recommends 'Pictures at a Revolution' about 1960s Hollywood.
- Rachel Cusk's 'Life of M' may feature Natalie Portman as its subject.
Entities
Artists
- Colson Whitehead
- Jonathan Lethem
- Rod Serling
- Ray Carney
- Valeria Luiselli
- Paul Yoon
- Alex Barasch
- Mark Harris
- Rachel Cusk
- Natalie Portman
- Ishmael Reed
- Thomas Pynchon
Institutions
- Time magazine
- The New Yorker
Locations
- New York
- Harlem
- Manhattan
- Stockholm
- São Paolo
- Sicily