Emperor of Ocean Park

Stephen L. Carter

Quite a unique and fascinating novel and I highly recommend it. The author is a Black law professor at Yale. This is a murder mystery, sociological commentary, and human interest story unlike any I have ever read or heard of. One of the things that makes it unique is that the narrator, a law professor, his dead father, once nominated to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, and his lawyer wife, now in the running for a judgeship on the US Court of Appeals all come from the upper crust of the Eastern Seaboard Black community.

The book has an intricate plot, fascinating characters and is written from a perspective unlike any other book I have ever read. The writer has opened up a whole new understanding to people like me who never thought about what it was like to Black and Aristocratic both intellectually and socio-economically. It is a joy to read. I am surprised it did not gain greater popularity. Perhaps the fact that it is 600 pages long and at times very detailed and intellectual prevented it from being a runaway best seller. In any event I rate it very highly and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Review by Len Oppenheim