Whoreson
Whoreson by Donald Goines is a reissue published by Kensington on July 1, 2007, featuring 320 pages in English. This novel presents a raw and unfiltered narrative that explores the life of Whoreson Jones, the son of a black prostitute and an unknown white man. As he navigates his tumultuous upbringing, the story delves into the harsh realities of street life and the influences that shape his identity, including the guidance of his neighborhood matriarch and the lessons learned from seasoned figures in his environment.
Readers will find a portrayal of urban life that is both gritty and revealing, focusing on themes of survival and the complexities of masculinity within a challenging social context. The narrative follows Whoreson’s transformation from a child to a ruthless pimp, capturing the essence of his struggles and the impact of his mother’s legacy. With its roots in African American and urban literature, this book offers insight into the dynamics of crime and the street culture that informs Whoreson’s journey.
Official synopsis Publisher
From one of the most revolutionary writers of the 20th century, the uncensored and gritty novel that inspired today’s street lit and hip hop culture.
“After my ninth birthday I began to really understand the meaning of my name. I began to understand just what my mother was doing for a living. There was nothing I could do about it, but even had I been able to, I wouldn’t have changed it.”
Whoreson Jones is the son of a beautiful black prostitute and an unknown white john. As a child, he’s looked after by his neighborhood’s imposing matriarch, Big Mama, while his mother works. At age twelve, his street education begins when a man named Fast Black schools him in trickology. By thirteen, Whoreson’s a cardsharp. By sixteen, his childhood abruptly ends, and he is a full-fledged pimp, cold-blooded and ruthless, battling to understand and live up to his mother’s words, “First be a man, then be a pimp.”
“All those [other black] writers, no matter how well they dealt with black experience, appealed largely to an educated, middle-class, largely white readership. They brought news of one place to the residents of another. Goines’ novels, on the other hand, are written from ground zero. They are almost unbearable. It is not the educated voice of a writer who has, so to speak, risen above his background. It is the voice of the ghetto itself.” —Michael Covino, The Village Voice
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