TY - BOOK AU - Petry,Ann AU - Petry,Ann AU - Petry,Ann AU - Griffin,Farah Jasmine TI - The street: The narrows T2 - Library of America SN - 9781598536010 PY - 2019/// CY - New York PB - The Library of America KW - African Americans KW - Fiction KW - Novels KW - lcgft N1 - The street -- The narrows -- Other writings. The great secret ; Harlem ; The novel as social criticism N2 - "The Street follows Lutie Johnson, a young, newly single mother, as she struggles to make a better life for her son, Bub. An intimate account of the aspirations and challenges of black, female, working-class life, much of it set on a single block in Harlem, the novel exposes structural inequalities in American society while telling a complex human story, as overpriced housing, lack of opportunity, sexual harassment, and racism conspire to limit Lutie's potential and to break her buoyant spirit ... The Narrows (1953) is Petry's most ambitious and accomplished novel--a multi-layered, stylistically innovative exploration of themes of race, class, sexuality, gender, and power in postwar America. Centered around an adulterous interracial affair in a small Connecticut town between the young black scholar-athlete Link Williams and white, privileged munitions heiress Camilo Sheffield, it is also a fond, incisive community portrait, full of unforgettable minor characters, unexpected humor, and a rich sense of history. Also included in the volume are three of Petry's previously uncollected essays related to the novels and a newly researched chronology of the author's life, prepared with the assistance of her daughter Elisabeth Petry"-- ER -