MyBookList Logo

 

 

Tambourines to Glory


<p>For every bustling jazz joint that opened in Korean War–era Harlem, a new church seemed to spring up. <i>Tambourines to Glory</i> introduces you to an unlikely team behind a church whose rock was the curb at 126th and Lenox.</p> <p>Essie Belle Johnson and Laura Reed live in adjoining tenement flats, adrift on public relief. Essie wants to somehow earn enough money to reunite with her daughter and provide her with a nice home; Laura loves young men, mink coats, and fine Scotch. On a day of inspiration, the friends decide to use a thrift-store tambourine and a layaway Bible to start a church.</p> <p>Their sidewalk services are a hit: Laura’s a natural street performer who loves the limelight, while Essie is a charismatic singer with a quiet spirituality. Before long they move to a thousand-seat theatre called the Tambourine Temple. The two women are joined in their ministering by Birdie Lee, the little-old-lady trap drummer who can work the congregation to a feverish pitch, and Deacon Crow-For-Day, an impassioned confessor.</p> <p>But then Laura falls for Buddy, a scam artist who suggests selling to the faithful lucky numbers from Scripture and bottles of tap water as “Holy Water from the Jordan.” Even with a Cadillac and piles of money from Laura, Buddy won’t stay faithful, igniting a crime of passion and betrayal.</p> <p>Harlem Moon Classics is proud to reintroduce readers of all generations to this sparkling gem from the canon of Langston Hughes.</p>

Author(s): Langston Hughes  

ISBN 10: 0767923278
ISBN 13: 9780767923279
Pages: 176
Format: Paperback
Publication: September 2006
Edition: Reprint
Find this book on Amazon

Related YouTube Videos (add a video)

Add the YouTube URL below and submit:

To add a YouTube video, please copy the video's URL on YouTube and submit by clicking "Add".
The URL should look something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXQdBuuanI8
How to copy the videos URL from YouTube

No video yet, want to add one?

Related Articles (add an article)

Add an article URL below and submit:

To add an article, please paste the article's URL and submit by clicking "Add".
Below is an example of a valid URL:
How to copy and paste a webpage URL

No article found, do you know any related to this book?

Other books by Langston Hughes

1. A pictorial history of Blackamericans Applicable (1973)
2. African American History Four Centuries of Black Life Paperback (1990)
3. Autobiography: I Wonder as I Wander (The Collected Works of Langston Hughes), Vol. 14 Hardcover (February 2003)
4. Autobiography: The Big Sea (The Collected Works of Langston Hughes), Vol. 13 Hardcover (September 2002)
5. Best of Simple Hardcover (June 2013)
6. Best Short Stories by Black Writers, 1899 to 1967: The Classic Anthology Paperback (February 1969)
7. Black Misery (January 2001)
8. Black Nativity Paperback (1992/12/01 )
9. Carol of the brown king Hardcover (1998/10/01)
10. Dream Keeper and Other Poems Prebound (1996)
11. Essays on Art, Race, Politics, and World Affairs (The Collected Works of Langston Hughes), Vol. 9 Hardcover (May 2002)
12. Famous Negro Heroes of America (1958/02/01)
13. Famous Negro Music Makers Hardcover (1955)
14. Fight for Freedom Hardcover (May 2011)
15. Fight for Freedom Paperback (October 2011)
16. Fight for Freedom and Other Writings on Civil Rights (The Collected Works of Langston Hughes), Vol. 10 Hardcover (September 2001)
17. Five Plays Paperback (January 1963)
18. Good Morning, Revolution Uncollected Writings of Social Protest Paperback (1981/02/01)
19. Gospel Plays, Operas, and Later Dramatic Works (The Collected Works of Langston Hughes), Vol. 6 Hardcover (June 2003)
20. I Wonder As I Wander Hardcover (1974/06/01)

Report an error with this book