REVIEW: Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

 

This was the first Whitehead novel I read, but it's the fourth that he had published.  School is out and 15 year old Benji spends the summer of 1985 in Sag Harbor, a hamlet in the Hamptons, for the entire summer with his brother, Reggie. This novel chronicles the summer months of 1985. Benji and Reggie essentially escape their all white prep school in Manhattan for the SANS part of Sag Harbor. 

This is not really a coming of age novel, but more of an identity growth novel.  What does it mean, to Benji, to be black and wealthy in the mid-80's? What does it mean to go to the Hamptons? He is often seemingly torn by the white culture and his identity as a Black Man.  He finds himself encountering aspects of Black History - WEB Dubois and other aspects - finding that he does not know all about them and being afraid to ask for fear of not Black enough or proud enough of his Black heritage. The Black kids that work with Benji at the local ice cream shop debate whether Martine (their boss, who is from the Dominican) is Black or White or something else. 

I loved reading about the experiences that Benji had growing up in the same places that I did and I found myself laughing at a few of the things that the boys did - one of which involved a BB gun and nearly shooting ones eyes out.  Well worth the read!