"Young Writer Searches for Harlem" by Dwight Garner | Published 1/25/11 | A Book Review Analysis

           In “Young Writer Searches for Harlem,” Garner weaves together a skillful essay using many rhetorical devices to analyze Harlem is Nowhere by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts.

           These rhetorical devices include diction, such as alliteration and specific diction choices. For example, Garner uses alliteration when he writes, "Watch the walking". Furthermore, Garner skillfully uses specific diction choices to better his writing. A specific diction choice that really struck me is when he says, "some of the sentences wheeze." That is not only an example of personification created through a single diction choice, but it also creates great imagery of sentences not being able to live up to readers' standards.

             In addition, Garner uses a lot of imagery in this essay, such as when he says, "sound, one you cock your head at an angle to hear," and "you climb inside her skull." This all helps the reader better understand the book because it allows us to understand that the book is not only intriguing and intimate, but it also gives us this information by creating a mental image in the reader's head, allowing such information to stick.

              Furthermore, Garner uses great syntax in his essay, such as when he says, "But that vanaishes as the book moves forward, and charting the sensorium of Harlem's ghosts becomes her primary occupation." The consistent use of passive voice, "the book moves forward," "...becomes her primary occupation", suggests that the book progressed almost without the author's will. Overall, Garner's use of rhetorical devices in his essay makes it flow easily and helps him convey his point in an easy-to-understand manner.

          The only weakness I see in Garner's essay is that its language is kind of bland. The sentence structures are not very varied and it doesn't include a lot of interesting vocab or intresting introduction/conclusion to capture and intrigue the reader.

            In analyzing Young Writer Searches for Harlem, Garner mostly uses psychoanalytic criticism. In his book review, Garner analyzed Harlem is Nowhere mostly from the author, Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts' perspective. He emphasizes the effect of the author being from Texas and having attended Harvard's effect on her life, and thus her book. It also explains how her other experiences, being the only black student in her high school English class, and the other literary works that she has researched has affected her take on Harlem, and thus her novel. The book review is mostly about how the book is simply a manifestation of Rhodes-Pitts' subconcious take on Harlem. Garner also uses formalist criticism when he criticizes Rhodes-Pitts' writing style.

            Timberg's description of Harlem is Nowhere really reminds me of A Raisin in the Sun. In both books, the author took the title from another Harlem author's work. Moreover, both books are about reaching for the American dream amist the culture and neighborhood and oppressions of Harlem.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/books/26book.html?ref=books