SALT LAKE CITY, UT, July 3, 2020
Clifford Browder’s new historical novel, signed with E.L. Marker™, is the fifth title in his Metropolis series. Thoroughly researched, often from primary sources from the period, Metropolis brings the grandeur and cruelty of nineteenth-century New York alive.
This latest installment follows Junius Fox, an educated and resourceful young black man who works his way from barber’s son to managing Madame Ida’s “House of Youth,” a brownstone brothel catering to the city’s cultural elite. His mother is a healer and midwife from the mountains. His father owns a successful barbershop just off Broadway until a white-owned business opens just down the street. From a young age, Junius must navigate the prejudice and racial barriers of New York, which only intensify with the election of the notorious Mayor Wood in 1855 and come to a head during the bloody New York Draft Riots of 1863.
Browder’s sumptuous description, rich characters, and engaging narrative tell a story of paradoxes where power is held by those behind the scenes, where success is predicated on failure, and where one must sacrifice dreams to follow a dream.
All Browder’s novels begin with a question: what would it be like to be a particular character in a particular time? His characters are pickpockets, prostitutes, and hired help. They live outside the casual wealth and opulence surrounding them. They must earn what others take for granted.
Fans of Browder’s previous titles will enjoy seeing Junius again—he has appeared as a minor character before —while readers new to Metropolis will find Junius’s story a compelling entry point into the series.
Clifford Browder is a writer and retired editor. He lives in New York, high above the Magnolia Bakery of “Sex and the City” fame. He has never owned a television, a car, or a cell phone, and he barely tolerates his computer. His poetry has appeared in various literary magazines both online and in print, and his blog, No Place for Normal: New York, is about anything and everything New York.