Drawing on the European Romantics, the wit of writers like Will Rogers and O. Henry, and the philosophies of Isaiah Berlin and Albert Murray, among others, Dreamers Ascending is destined to be controversial precisely because it is, as one reviewer put it, "contrarian," but only in the sense that living an American life full of hope and joy is contrary to the existing narrative. Dreamers Ascending is a poetic homage to men who lived their fullest lives in the 20th century. This is an important book, especially now; a complex, innovative story that commands attention. It is a majestic novel, a Great American Novel, full of big questions and big answers: a philosophical examination of why we do what we do, and the people and events that influence our thoughts and actions; a novel of characters seeking to achieve their sanity and then retain it while seeking true love, and while indulging their passions in the glow of their questions, their experiences, and their accomplishments, simply getting on with it.
There is much truth in this historical, magical realist thriller, this emotional, old-fashioned, biographical anthology of love stories, for nothing is as it seems. The pace is studied, leisurely, as it pulls you into a world of compelling characters who mostly live their lives according to well-thought out philosophies that yield varying results. Theirs is a world of thoughtful, accomplished black men who are, and have been, under-represented in American letters. You will question their thoughts and actions as they make you question who and what you value in this holding cell we call life. Taking place between 1936 and 2002, it asks, if you were alive, without asking, 'Where were you? What happened?' If not, if you have not yet been haunted by the ghouls of forgotten memories, this story may be of assistance as you move away from the furry warmth of youth.
