Book Review: "The Colossus of New York" by Colson Whitehead

Colson Whitehead, as we all know, is an amazing award-winning author. He’s the guy who wrote “The Underground Railroad”, which was fantastic. In this book titled “The Colossus of New York”, Colson Whitehead takes the reader on a walk into the past, present and future of New York with all of its old buildings, its newer ones, its strange people, its parks and its individualities. It’s one of those books that makes you feel like you are right there with the author in Central Park.

Written with direct address to the reader, this book seems more like an instruction manual on being a New Yorker at first, but later turns into an appreciation for a city that has changed so much over the years. I’m writing this from London and every time I return, it has changed. My hometown changes often. Things are built and pulled down all the time - more so in New York than anywhere else I think. I don’t think anyone would read it if I wrote a book about the changing state of Birmingham, England (laughs). But New York is, in fact, a colossus. It is a monolith of power and wealth and, in its own right it is a status symbol. Colson Whitehead’s writing alludes to all of these things and then, ultimately brings you back down to parks, libraries, things where people with great wealth and status don’t seem to exist. I find that quite humbling for a place like that. It can make the state feel real.

The writing can get a little bit too direct at times. The overuse of ‘you’ can feel almost intimidating and take away from some of the relaxation from disconnecting with the outside world that reading brings. I would say that reading this in small chunks instead of, as I usually do, in one sitting, is probably the best way to do this. The chapters are split into different places and things that New York is possibly more famous for - the first chapter is probably the most iconic as it takes you on a walk around New York as it is and as it was. There’s things that don’t exist anymore like the Twin Towers and the Pan Am Building, there’s things that still exist like The Statue of Liberty and Central Park. There’s icons of New York like the yellow taxis. There’s personalities and times in recent history that have changed the landscape and its people.

One thing I would say is a slight let-down of this book is that it seems to glamorise New York in a way that I find a little cliché. Every time you open it you feel like Frank Sinatra is going to start singing the “Theme from New York” or something like that. At times it can feel like the writer is just ‘going on about it’ if you know what I mean. The glamorisation of somewhere or someone is something that I don’t really look for when I’m looking to read a nonfiction novel. I mean who would we all be if Truman Capote decided to write “In Cold Blood” in the same style as "Answered Prayers”? Monsters - that’s who we would be. I feel like if the ‘New York is the best’ language was cut down a little, I could have spent more time reading and enjoying the book instead of rolling my eyes at the ‘mine is better than yours’ style.

I understand that it is supposed to be an appreciation but you can appreciate something without going overboard. It is an early piece of writing of his and it is possible that we must forgive him for not yet honing his craft in order to make a piece as good as “The Underground Railroad” yet. But it is a prime example of the early writing of a writer not being as good as their current works - nowadays that is rarely seen as publishers no longer like to take risks unless the author has an established social media presence. Therefore, there is little room for growth. It is a definite killer of the literary industry. But, we still have examples of great writing - Colson Whitehead is a great writer. However, this is not a great piece of writing.