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The Street
The Street | Ann Petry
47 posts | 40 read | 60 to read
THE STREET tells the poignant, often heartbreaking story of Lutie Johnson, a young black woman, and her spirited struggle to raise her son amid the violence, poverty, and racial dissonance of Harlem in the late 1940s. Originally published in 1946 and hailed by critics as a masterwork, The Street was Ann Petry's first novel, a beloved bestseller with more than a million copies in print. Its haunting tale still resonates today.
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papermna
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

✨ 5 stars #1. “A book with a title that ends in A, T, or Y”📕#ATYin52books #aroundtheyearin52books #audiobookstagram This should be required reading

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ManyWordsLater
The Street | Ann Petry
Pickpick

Just finished this. I‘m speechless, angry and devastated.

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ManyWordsLater
The Street | Ann Petry
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wideeyedreader
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

First in-person book club read! This is a book I‘d never heard of before, but I‘m glad I read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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AmyK1
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

I read this for our first book club meeting. Discussion is this evening.
Lutie is a young, poor black woman who is trying to raise her son, Bub, on her own & keep him safe from the influence of the Street they live on. Everyone in Lutie and Bub‘s life fails them and they have no chance even though Lutie tries to do the right things. This story will rip your heart out, stomp on it, then drag it through the mud 😢

mabell What a sweet napper ❤️🐶 2y
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BekaReid
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

Well-written with multiple POV narratives, this is a heartbreaking story about race, women, and poverty that reaches beyond the 1940's setting. I found the ending abrupt but well suited for the book. I definitely need to read more by Ann Petry now.

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BekaReid
The Street | Ann Petry
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Started reading this book, and Ann Petry's writing just brings the scene to life so clearly.

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Lesliereads
The Street | Ann Petry
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Finally! I finally read this masterwork - first published in 1946! I love the scenic, emotional, and social detail that Ann Petry poured into telling Lutie‘s Johnson‘s story. In the introduction [to my 2020 edition] Tayari Jones notes that Petry was “a pioneer of the literary thriller, a genre popularized by her contemporary Patricia Highsmith.” Now I want to read more Petry, and try Highsmith for the first time!❤️❤️

Lindy Thanks for reminding me about this novel. I really enjoyed it a number of years ago, listening to an audiobook edition that included sound effects. 3y
merelybookish I listened to it earlier this year. I thought it was excellent! 3y
Lesliereads @Lindy @merelybookish I have been so slow to explore audiobooks! Learning that this one has sound effects intrigues me. I keep threatening to listen to audiobooks while knitting or crocheting - maybe I‘ll start with this one!☝🏾 3y
EvieBee I own the kindle edition and have not read but now…I seriously need a physical copy on my shelf. Lovely review. 🤗♥️ 3y
Lindy @Lesliereads Crafting and listening to a book you‘ve already read is a good idea; your focus can shift to your pattern when necessary without worrying about losing details of the story. I think the edition I listened to was with narrator Shayna Small, but I‘m not sure. Foley art (sound effects) is rare in audiobooks these days; it was more common in radio dramas. 3y
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merelybookish
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

Young single mother Lootie Johnson is forced to move into a cramped apartment on a poor street in Harlem (one of many) with her son Bub. Lootie wants to create a better life for her and her son, but is blocked at every turn. It's a beautiful, rich, heart-wrenching novel that exposes the endless, daily cruelties and terrible choices Blacks in America are forced to endure. Written in 1946, it deserves to be seen as an American classic!

DivineDiana Great review. Stacked. 3y
merelybookish @DivineDiana Thank you! Definitely worth a read! 3y
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merelybookish
The Street | Ann Petry
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Current audiobook. Written in 1946 but still relevant.

LeahBergen I‘ve heard such good things about this one. 4y
Cathythoughts This sounds great ! What a cover too. Stacked 4y
merelybookish @LeahBergen I'd never heard of it before this year but maybe it's finally getting the attention it deserves! 4y
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merelybookish @Cathythoughts I took pic from this article about how the cover has evolved over time. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/5-covers-that-show-how-ann-petrys-the-street-w... 4y
HardcoverHearts I absolutely adore this book. It‘s remarkable! 4y
merelybookish @HardcoverHearts Yes. And quite disturbing. I'm not far but getting things from the super's perspective. 🤢 4y
HardcoverHearts Visceral, right?! This one will leave a mark.. 4y
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Moray_Reads
The Street | Ann Petry
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The fact that this book was published in 1948 is remarkable. It's a powerful story that lays bare the reality of poverty, racism and misogyny #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4y
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Moray_Reads
The Street | Ann Petry
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ChaoticMissAdventures
The Street | Ann Petry
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I was not expecting that ending.

This is incredibly well crafted and I am so glad it is finding a resurgence of interest. I want to take this book and throw it at anyone who dates utter "bootstraps". The writing is exceptional, the characters drawn vividly and real. This should be a required school reading in the US.

ChaoticMissAdventures Oh! This was my #doublespin #bookspin with @TheAromaofBooks I finished both bookspins today! Makes me feel accomplished 😃 4y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! And I'm way into the way your book matches your chair!! 4y
Thousand-Lives Your reading spot is picture perfect! Is your yellow chair from IKEA?? 😍 4y
ChaoticMissAdventures @Thousand-Lives it is IKEA! Super comfy too, and I get more compliments on it then any other (more expensive) furniture in my house. @TheAromaofBooks thanks! I love this bookspin challenge. 4y
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suvata
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

New York City, 1944 — I‘m not going to say much about this book other than the fact it is about a single black woman and her eight year old son trying to make it out of her bleak life in Harlem. That‘s just the tip of a very treacherous mountain. This story will rip at your heart and drag your soul through the mud. You have to read it to fully appreciate it. I haven‘t read anything so gut-wrenching since A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.

TrishB Great review 👍🏻 4y
suvata @TrishB Thank you 4y
Freespirit Wow Great review! I must read this 4y
suvata @Freespirit Please do, it‘s very powerful. 4y
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Bookboss
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

Lutie Johnson is an African American single mother trying to make a life for herself and her child in New York in the 1940s. This novel was published in 1946, and it vividly describes the New York of the time. Lutie‘s struggles with racism and misogyny are raw and heartbreaking. This one will stay with me for a long time. I will look for more of Ann Petry‘s work.

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ke1lbe1l
The Street | Ann Petry
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Grateful for recommendations from Litsy and Bookstagram that I don‘t think I would‘ve read otherwise. I‘ve already highlighted a dozen things and written reflections throughout. I‘m quickly attached to the main character & her son and want to see them succeed. And in that context, as I flip through Zillow or Airbnb and dream of a change of scenery, I realize how spoiled I already am for the comfort, security, and view from my own bed.

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Sace
The Street | Ann Petry
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#7Days7Books Day 3

This was an audiobook I listened to a few years ago. I don't think it gets enough buzz.

AvidReader25 This looks excellent! I just put it on my wish list at the library. 5y
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Lauren890
The Street | Ann Petry
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My local indie had a member sale yesterday and I grabbed so many amazing books. My never ending TBR just got longer 😬

#bookhaul

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CaitlinR
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

Written in 1946 Ann Petry‘s novel, THE STREET, has themes and characters that felt very current. There is a pervasive sense of dread as we follow the lives of Lutie Johnson, her son Bub, Mrs Hedges, the Super, and Min on the 116th Street in Harlem. I kept thinking: “this is not going to end well” but I surprised, and saddened, by the ending.

I read it after THE WATER DANCER, and I found them interesting bookend reads. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Tamra
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

5⭐️ A tragedy about what oppression, violence, and degradation does to the soul. Petry has amazing powers of description! It definitely seems like it could be adapted to the stage or screen, I wonder if it has been?

Jones the super of the building ...... *shiver* 🤭

TrishB Great review 👍🏻 5y
The_Real_Nani I remember reading this years ago. I feel like, in my old age, I need to go back and read some books again, because I remember enjoying them but not the details of the books! 5y
Tamra @The_Real_Nani happens to me all the time! I am rereading a favorite for the first time now in fact. 5y
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Tamra
The Street | Ann Petry
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Oh such LUSH writing! I am torn between continuing on listening to it or buying a paper copy. There is something wonderful about writing from the 40s.

batsy On my TBR! 5y
Cathythoughts Lush writing 👍🏻❤️stacked 5y
Lcsmcat I found this totally by accident and LOVED it! 5y
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Jee_HookedOnBookz
The Street | Ann Petry
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Day 1 #7Days#7Covers #CoverCrush

Had to get this book because of the cover 😅

Thank you for the tag @thebluestocking @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @veritysalter

Sorry I'm a little late in this! 🙏

I'm not sure if you've been tagged or not @Klou @Crazeedi Pls ignore if you're already playing 😊

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So pretty 💛🖤 5y
thebluestocking It‘s gorgeous!! I‘m glad you‘re playing along. 💙 5y
Crazeedi I was tagged, but I'm behind! Thanks for thinking of me!!💞 5y
Jee_HookedOnBookz @thebluestocking how are you Jessica? 5y
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MsLeah8417
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Timeless and timely #blacklit

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S3V3N
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

Long, but good. I had the audiobook.

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S3V3N
The Street | Ann Petry
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I just realized that I met my goal! I edited it and added 20 more. Summer reading has been good to me.

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megnews
The Street | Ann Petry
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Ann Petry became the first African American female author to sell a million copies with her novel The Street, a story of coming of age in 1940s Harlem. I want to read this soon.

#WheretheStreetsHaveNoName #WanderingJune

BarbaraBB Sounds interesting! 5y
batsy It's also on my to-read and I'm excited to hear that Virago will be publishing it next year as well https://twitter.com/ViragoBooks/status/1138757234979213312?s=19 5y
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Angitron
The Street | Ann Petry
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Bailedbailed

I read according to my mood, and this one isn‘t quite hitting the spot for me right now. I may return to it eventually when the mood strikes, but for now... bailing!

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strandbookstore
The Street | Ann Petry
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Shameless plug: Get our #TheBookHookUp quarterly subscription box because it‘s awesome and about to sell out! 9 genres to choose from, signed books + exclusive goodies, starting as low as $37.50. Find out more: http://www.strandbooks.com/strand-subscriptions (Pictured: Timeless Classics box).

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shawnmooney
The Street | Ann Petry
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Lindy I learned recently that formaldehyde was once used quite extensively in food preservation; 6y
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JLaurenceCohen
The Street | Ann Petry

Petry is not as well known today as Richard Wright, but The Street is just as good as Native Son as a work of African American social realism. It follows Lutie Johnson as she tries to make a life for her son.

Lcsmcat I would argue that this is better than Invisible Man And should be part of the cannon. I discovered it by accident at the library, otherwise I‘d not have heard of it. 6y
JLaurenceCohen @Lcsmcat I love Invisible Man, too, but Petry is definitely underrated 6y
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Lcsmcat
The Street | Ann Petry
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There were men who thought Lutie Johnson was the #angelofharlem, but she just wanted to raise her son in peace. #winterwonderland @TrishB @Cinfhen

Cinfhen I‘m feeling anxious from your little blurb 😞feeling something sinister 🥺 6y
TrishB Loving the cover 💕 6y
Lcsmcat @Cinfhen It‘s not exactly a happy-ever-after book, but it‘s so well written and so important! 6y
batsy I really want to read this. Love the vintage cover. 6y
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Sace
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

Finished this while running errands. Even though it was published in the 40s it's still relevant today, which is sad. Everyone should read this. Personally I'd love to see it taught in schools.

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TheBookstorePodcast
The Street | Ann Petry
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Here‘s a tip from our bookselling days: you know how certain types of covers get dirty looking? Use just a tiny, tiny bit of Goo Gone on a paper towel or cloth, rub gently on the cover and it comes right off! Good as new!
I learned of this title from a very passionate comment on a news article. It sounds like an incredible and criminally under appreciated novel. It‘s about a young mother raising her son in 1940‘s Harlem. Have you read it?

Richryan52 Are either of you by any chance Sherlock Holmes fans? 6y
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Amie
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

This book is so good, but it is devastating and without hope.

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Lcsmcat
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

OMG! How did I not know about this book! I think it‘s better than Invisible Man, and it addresses misogyny and poverty, and racism without offering any easy answers. Please read this book! The audiobook is excellently narrated so read it or listen to it.

Lcsmcat The ending is devastating, so be prepared. 7y
Tamra Ohhhhh, thank you! I love Litsy for this reason! 7y
Lcsmcat @Tamra Me too! It‘s due to @RestlessFickleBookHoarder that I became aware of this book. 7y
Sace @Lcsmcat I wish I could remember where I heard about this book! 7y
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Lcsmcat
The Street | Ann Petry
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I started listening to this on my commute this morning, thanks to @RestlessFickleBookHoarder ‘s recommendation. The narrator is excellent and so far the story has drawn me in. I love the MC‘s inner monologues!

cocomass I thought this classic was so good! Hope you enjoy 😊 7y
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Sace
The Street | Ann Petry
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LOVING THIS!

Lcsmcat Good to know. It keeps popping up on my library audiobook site. If the narrator is good maybe I‘ll add it to my queue. 7y
Settings Fantastic book. 5 stars. 7y
Sace @Lcsmcat it's a fabulous audiobook. Love the narrator and there are sound effects here and there. Not overbearing ones, but they really put you in the scene. 7y
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Sace @anoplph0ra agreed! 7y
Lcsmcat Good to know! I‘ll check it out when I finish the Hilary Mantel book I‘m listening to now. 7y
Amie I'm reading this now too and it's amazing! I started it on audio but had technical difficulties and switched to print. Both formats are good. I'm just disappointed that I had never even heard of this book until recently. 7y
Sace @Lcsmcat I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. 7y
Sace @amie I KNOW! Why isn't it more well known? 7y
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Amie
The Street | Ann Petry
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My latest order from Thriftbooks arrived today 📚

All the spine stickers came off without any damage or sticky residue!

batsy Really enjoyed Fingerpost & the Christmas anthology! And The Street is on my TBR :) 7y
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Amie
The Street | Ann Petry
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I was enjoying this audiobook while baking earlier, and then it suddenly stopped playing. The audiobook I downloaded before this one wouldn't play at all. I don't know what the exclamation point means. I sent an email to Libby support.

No audiobook to listen to 😭😭😭

merelybookish Ugh! Can you download on another platform? 7y
Amie @merelybookish not until Monday (no wifi until then) but I do have this book in print plus I'm reading 4 other books too, so I'll probably be ok 😁 7y
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Amie
The Street | Ann Petry
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Starting this audiobook

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prowlix
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

This is one of those classic I wish had been taught in my high school. Lutie is trying to raise her 8 yo son in Harlem in the 1940s. She is hardworking and smart but has relentless obstacles in front of her everyday. So many of the micro aggressions and overt racism in this book still resonate today. She gives so much backstory for each of these characters that it's hard not to feel for even the unlikable. Recommend if you liked Native Son. 5⭐️

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prowlix
The Street | Ann Petry
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Because they [white people] sensed that a black man had to roar past them, had for a brief moment to feel equal, feel superior; had to take reckless chances going around curves, passing on hills, so that they would be better able to face a world that took pains to make them feel that they didn't belong, that they were inferior.

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prowlix
The Street | Ann Petry
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The satisfaction she felt was from the quiet way he had listened to her, giving her all his attention. No one had ever done that before. 💔

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prowlix
The Street | Ann Petry
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All a mother's fears for her child circa 1946. I don't think that much has changed.

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prowlix
The Street | Ann Petry
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This has been on my tbr for over a year and I think I'm finally ready to start it! The story of a young black woman trying to raise her son in 1940s Harlem and seems to be a forgotten classic. The blurb from Gloria Naylor calls it "painfully honest and wrenching novel.... a standing ovation is due for this American classic."

batsy I want to read this too! 7y
prowlix @AudreyMorris I will have to look for that! I feel like The Street seems to have cult following but I had never heard of it until last year 7y
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BrownGirlReading
The Street | Ann Petry
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Just finally started The Street! Buddy reading it and I'm sure the discussion is going to be great. #readsoullit

Donna_sBookMinute I'm glad to learn there's a buddy read because I've been wanting to read this for quite some time. Where do I sign up for it? When I signed up for the "Bedrock Faith" buddy read in February, I never got a response. Goodreads, right? 8y
BrownGirlReading @Donna_sBookMinute Bedrock Faith was different. It was a readalong. A buddy read is just informal with a few people. I'll be doing another readalong in the month of June though. 8y
Donna_sBookMinute Okay. Thanks. Enjoy your read. 8y
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rachellayown Ooh, enjoy! I read it years and years ago and have wanted to reread it. 8y
BrownGirlReading @rachellayown Thank you! The writing is fantastic! 8y
BrownGirlReading @Donna_sBookMinute Thank you! You too! 8y
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GoneFishing
The Street | Ann Petry

And while you were out working to pay the rent on this stinking, rotten place, why, the street outside played nursemaid to your kid. The street did more than that. It became both mother and father and trained your kid for you, and it was an evil father and a vicious mother, and, of course, you helped the street along by talking to him about money.