The Street

Written by Ann Petry

Narrated by Shayna Small

As much a historical document as it is a novel, this 1946 winner of the Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship Award is the poignant and unblinkingly honest story of Lutie Johnson, a young black woman, and her spirited struggle to live and raise her son by herself amidtheviolence, 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Release date: Feb 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470880521

Ann Petry

Ann Petry was the acclaimed author of the adult novel The Street, a groundbreaking literary work about life in Harlem, which sold over a million copies. She also wrote several books for young readers, including Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad, the story of the courageous and heroic woman who struggled and fought for her people before and during the Civil War.

Reviews for The Street

[kylekatz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

1946. A haunting story of life in Harlem. Kind of heavy handed with the idea that the street itself is evil. But an understandable portrait of how a decent human being can be driven to murder. Pretty Lutie Johnson is nearly raped by the building superintendent, constantly invited to become a whore by the building madame, and eventually hounded and bribed by the local slum lord to become his woman. (She refuses.) Meanwhile her 8-year-old son, Bub, is left too much to his own devices and Lutie worries he'll come to no good. She ends up going off and killing a man who is about to rape her and fleeing to Chicago, abandoning her son. Tragic.

[fhudnell-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book treats, with unflinching clarity, the poverty, racism and sexism that trap the young black woman Lutie Johnson. Her husband is unable to find work so she takes a job as a maid in the suburbs. This separates her from her husband and son for weeks at a time, leading to the destruction of the marriage. She and her 8 year old son Bub wind up living in the only apartment she can afford on 116th Street in Harlem. Every step Ludie takes to pull herself up is thwarted by her color, her lack of money and by men who surround her like a pack of dogs slobbering over their prey. Things do not go well for her or Bub. Whether in Harlem in the 1940s, Paris in the late 18th century (as depicted by Emile Zola in "The Gin Palace") or today, sometimes it is just not possible to escape your circumstances. This book was very sad, but quite realistic and wonderfully written. I listened to the audio book and the narrator Shayna Small was excellent, however some idiot producer decided that it would be a good idea to insert random and poorly-executed sound effects like doors slamming, dogs snoring, doorbells, trains etc. They really cheapened the experience.

[etxgardener · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is another book I never would have read if it weren't for my book group. Ann Petry wrote this book as a Houghton Mifflin Literary fellow and, apparently, when it was published sold over a million copies. It's the story of a Lutie Johnson, a young black woman in Harlem in the 1940's who is struggling to make a better life for herslef and her young son, but is thwarted t every turn by the prejudice of the day and the violence and poverty that surrounds her in her Harlem neighborhood. For every step she makes forward, she seems to make two steps back until she succombs to the fate of too many African-Americans. This is a heartbreaking story that, sadly, is still too relevant today.

[jayne_charles_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book does for the black experience in pre-civil rights America what 'The Grapes of Wrath' did for the migrants of the depression - which is to relentlessly pummel the reader with suffering and injustice page after page. Each time it seems a chink of light has appeared, it is quickly extinguished. Written with bleak eloquence, it is at times long winded (I'm still not sure what the character Min added to the story), but it is very good at immersing the reader in her characters' world and demonstrating the ways in which their hopes are frustrated. This is not a book coasting towards a happy ending: quite the opposite, though I had not anticipated how heartwrenching it was ultimately going to be.

[burritapal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book will break your heart.

[streamsong_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

1944. Harlem. Lutie is hardworking and talented. She is also trapped: poor, female, black, wanting the best as a single mother for her 9 year old son and wanting to help her alcoholic father …. Lutie struggles to make a decent life for herself and her son, but the ghetto, and the street itself fight back. No happy endings here, although it was a twist I wasn’t expecting.Beautifully written and, unfortunately, one could imagine a fairly similar scenario today, 75 years later.

[mm_jones · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Originally published in 1946, this heart breaking story of poverty and the inability to legally break away. This novel speaks to the black experience in New York, but a common story told well. Compare it to experiences Mary Lavin writes of female poverty in Ireland or Etaf Rum's immigrant version. Future selection for the "Now Read This" PBS/NYT book club, a new edition introduced by author Tayari Jones

[chrisblocker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ann Petry's The Street bears considerable resemblance to Wright's Native Son or Ellison's Invisible Man. All three tell a tale of a young black person and their struggle to achieve more. All three were written in the same era. All three are heartbreaking and haunting. I've loved all three, but each stands out for its own reason. The Street stands apart from the other two because Petry's story is so much more than a story of ethnicity; it's equally a tale about the struggles of women, and more so it's the sad plight of anyone who lives in poverty. Ellison wrote masterful scenes and Wright created a voice impossible to forget, but Petry succeeded writing a story that was immensely universal.The Street is the story of Lutie Johnson. Lutie worries about money and image, she worries about her young son and dreams about her full potential. Lutie's struggles are ones many of us face, even today. Lutie's very insightful and intelligent, but otherwise she's not much different than your average person struggling to make ends meet. Her tale is tragic not so much because of the complexion of her skin, but because of “the street” and all it entails. Petry had ample opportunity to deride capitalism and make this a political book, but unlike Wright she let the story speak for itself, let the reader decide what is right and wrong with the picture.Petry wrote wonderfully, and her characters were phenomenal. She expertly developed them, handing out unique voices to each, capturing accurate portrayals regardless of age or gender. Though this is the story of Lutie, Petry rotated through many perspectives, delving into the struggles of others while propelling the primary plot further.Unfortunately, compared to her contemporaries, Petry is largely unknown today. Both Ellison and Wright are widely taught in high schools and universities, but Petry is not. Her talents did not outweigh her male counterparts, but they certainly rivaled them. And given the more universal message of The Street, I would think it must have more appeal to instructors of young people. I anticipate a Petry renaissance in the coming years; I'd love to read more of her work.

[bcquinnsmom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A phenomenal story. "The street" itself is actually one of the novel's main characters, taking on a life of its own throughout the story. As noted on page 323 in Lutie Johnson's thoughts, referring to her Harlem ghetto neighborhood,"Streets like the one she lived on were no accident. They were the North's lynch mobs...the methods the big cities used to keep Negroes in their place." (323) Not only that, but "and while you were out working to pay the rent on this stinking, rotten place, why, the street outside played nursemaid to your kid. It became both mother and father and trained your kid for you, and it was an evil father and a vicious mother..." (407).I won't go through the plot here, because it is so eloquently summarized by others here and elsewhere on the internet, but throughout the book, the street took on a life of its own, providing the impetus for Lutie's actions. All she wanted was her little slice of the American dream for herself and her son, but the more she attempted to leave the street behind her, the more it hemmed her in. And outside the street existed factors that put and kept people in the street: unemployment, racism and distrust, economic oppression. This book is a very gritty and unapologetic look at the Harlem ghetto of the 1940s, and I think one of the most revealing scenes (meaning one that really struck me) in this novel was that in which the Harlem schoolteacher's thoughts were laid bare. You kind of have to wonder how far we've actually come from the world portrayed in this book -- the issues here are largely still relevant. The Street is not a happy, feel-good type of novel, so if that's what you want, then skip it. This book really got under my skin and I know it's one I'll think about for some time. It's also one I'd recommend to anyone, and would list under the "don't miss this book" category. The writing is most excellent; the reader can actually envision the streets filled with rubbish, the squalidness of the apartments, and can feel the total anguish that Lutie felt throughout the story. The characterizations are excellent as well.Highly recommended.