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• Great read

  A very honest, well written book. The fact that I grew up in (Chester, Pa.) during the same time period as the author and am very familiar with the places and many of the people he is writing about no doubt heightened my interest and appreciation for this book. I read it when first released and am currently reading it again and enjoying it even more. Kudos to Mr. Staples.

• Five Stars

  The book was in the condition as stated and was a very interesting book to read

• Sin City on the Delaware

  I read Parallel Time because of the Chester, PA background. I was interested in the black-point-of-view. Having come from Chester roughly around the same time, I was curious about Brent's experiences. He lived there during the latter years of decline -- `60s and `70s. Founded by William Penn, Chester's reign of white lasted for centuries. With Ukrainians, Italians, Polish, Germans, Irish, and Jews driving the machine, Chester flourished against a backdrop of manufacturing and heavy industry. After the Second World War; What Chester Makes Makes Chester gave way to social emigration, crooked politics, and economic shifts to a city predominantly populated by blacks, gangs, and drugs. Brent's life is the flip side of what many white Chesterites refer to as their "golden memories" like: Christmas time at Stotters, parades down Edgemont Avenue, hot dogs from John's Doggie Shop, hoagies from La Spada's, the Great Leopard Skating Rink, lunch at Whelan's, Brandywine Ice Cream, Rez, Chester High, St. James dances, Riverview Beach... Brent's memories consist of friend's who've died of drugs, beatings, poverty, a dysfunctional family, constant fear, fair weather friends, a city morphing into a toxic wasteland, and the faint promise of a future through a collegiate educational system slowly enrolling blacks into their hallowed white halls. The most interesting parts of his book were indeed Chester -- observations, memories, and characters. I also enjoyed his college experiences in Widener College and Swarthmore College during the latter part of the `60s -- the turbulent uprisings. When Brent left for Chicago to pursue his PHD the story seemed to drag. I found myself getting a bit board. His encounter with the pursuit of Saul Bellow was anti-climatic. I noticed anytime he went back to Chester his story seemed to have more timbre and depth. If you're interested about the black experience in Chester, PA during the waning years of a city enmeshed in history, ethnicity, sociological and economic transition, Brent Staple's has captured the spirit and flavor of the time. There is a lot of relevance here. His story reminds us there are two sides to a coin.

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