Harlem Shuffle

Colson Whitehead is probably one of the most talented writers of my generation. And I've really enjoyed several of his other books (“The Underground Railroad,” “The Nickel Boys,” “Zone One,” and “The Intuitionist”). After hearing a few long-form interviews with the author on both this book and the recent sequel, I was really excited to pick up “Harlem Shuffle.”

Yet, I just can't get into the book. I can only assume this is to do with my ever-encroaching need for bifocals or other daily distractions.

Try as I might, I could not make it very far into my print version. So, after about 4 attempts, switched to the audiobook version on Libby. Despite an excellent narrator (Dion Graham), I found myself just as bored as when reading the print book. So, after about getting through 1/3 of the story, I decided to suspend both avenues of approach.