Only the Strong

By Jabari Asim

"Captivating." Jane Ciabattari, NPR Book Concierge: Best Books of 2015

"Incomparable charisma and verve." The Root, Best Fiction of 2015

"Lean, mean, and moving." Kirkus Reviews, Kirkus Prize nominee

Jabari Asim’s debut novel returns readers to Gateway City, the fictional Midwestern city first explored in his acclaimed short story collection, Taste of Honey. Against a 1970s backdrop of rapid social and political change, Only the Strong portrays the challenges and rewards of love in a quintessential American community where heartbreak and violence are seldom far away.

Moved by the death of Martin Luther King Jr., Lorenzo "Guts" Tolliver decides to abandon his career as a professional leg-breaker and pursue a life of quiet moments and generous helpings of banana pudding in the company of his new, sensuous lover. His erstwhile boss, local kingpin Ananias Goode, is also thinking about slowing downbut his tempestuous affair with Dr. Artinces Noel, a prominent pediatrician, complicates his retirement plans. Meanwhile, Charlotte Divine, the doctor’s headstrong protégée, struggles with trials of her own.

With prose that's sharp, humorous, and poetic, Asim skillfully renders a compelling portrait of urban life in the wake of the last major civil-rights bill. Massive change is afoot in America, and these characters have front-row seats.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Agate Bolden
• Release date: May 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781572847521

Jabari Asim

Jabari Asim is the author of the critically acclaimed The N Word. He is editor-in-chief of The Crisis—the magazine of the NAACP—and former editor at and frequent contributor to the Washington Post, and his writing has appeared on Salon and in Essence, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He divides his time between Maryland and Illinois with his wife and five children.

Reviews for Only the Strong

[froxgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This Emerson College professor writes in the mode of Walter Mosley, but in a fictionalized of St. Louis in the late '60s-early '70s. Almost all the neighborhood folks are traumatized by their earlier lives down South and still, by Jim Crow.From Guts, the enforcer for Ananias Goode, a gangster turned legit businessman; Goode's lover, the baby saver Dr. Artinces Noel, guardian of Charlotte, pre-med student and admirer of fellow student Percy Conway; Crenshaw, an MVP on the local baseball team; and Playfair, whose car trunk holds "everything a black man or woman would want" - each and every one has their internal thoughts and motivations powerfully laid bare.There are many so strong characters and shifting points of view, making for a riveting read, and hopefully, a return to Gateway City.

[gmmartz · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Slice of life (and time) novel of St. Louis in the 70s. I grew up across the river and worked in St. Louis for a few years (actually, in the period the book is set within), so it was interesting to see familiar places and street names referenced. A little too slow-moving for me, with dialogue that didn't seem very realistic.