My PA book club read Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow. Considered a classic, this lyrical book is set in New Rochelle, NY before the First World War. For the rich, life is good. For an immigrant Jewish peddler, Tateh, it's challenging. And for Coalhouse Walker, Jr, a black ragtime pianist from Harlem - his story brings a shocking climax. (back blurb)
Doctorow weaves fictional characters with famous people of that period - Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Emma Goldman, Henry Ford. It's musical, well-paced, and the author orchestrates themes of American innocence, energy, and ambition. The writing seems old-timey and yet it works - it puts you, the reader, into the lives.
Ragtime is piano music with a syncopated melody.
Ragtime is a ragged music book of the ragged times. It's a novel about oppression, social change, and the search for stability in a rapidly evolving world (source - various reviews)
I'd say Ragtime is a very worthwhile read in this day and age as we come off a challenging July 4th and rather wild 2025 so far. Whew!
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