Flipping Boxcars
A Novel
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · September 10, 2024
The first novel from one of the original Kings of Comedy, Cedric “The Entertainer,” an engaging and entertaining crime caper that is a valentine to close-knit black families and tightly woven communities struggling to get by during the Depression and World War II.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A fast-paced crime caper pairs a gambler’s nerve with affection for close-knit families and community.
- Themes
- Family and community ties, Financial insecurity, Gambling and risk
- Pacing
- Fast
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like RightDion Graham, Walter Mosley49% matchShares Black Mystery
All Blood Runs RedTom Clavin, Phil Keith47% match
Like the First TimeFrancis Ray48% match
Gray DawnWalter Mosley49% matchShares Black Mystery
Down the River Unto the SeaWalter Mosley, Dion Graham50% matchShares Black Mystery
The Coyotes of CarthageSteven Wright48% match
The Best ManJanuary LaVoy, Jakobi Diem48% match
The Talented RibkinsLadee Hubbard49% match
For younger readers: Professor Renoir's Collection of Oddities, Curiosities, and Delights, A Song for the Road, Who Was Babe Ruth?
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
The first novel from one of the original Kings of Comedy, Cedric “The Entertainer,” an engaging and entertaining crime caper that is a valentine to close-knit black families and tightly woven communities struggling to get by during the Depression and World War II. Babe is a charismatic and widely loved man, a gambler with a gift for gab that often gets him out of tricky situations. He’s also a dreamer, something he shares with his patient and loving wife, Rosie.
Continue reading
They both yearn for financial stability and see the land they own as insurance for future generations. But when Babe and a few comrades enlist in a scheme that improbably falls apart, he endangers the little security the family has. On the verge of losing everything, what’s a family man to do? If you’re a gambler like Babe, you double down and risk it all for one big score—this time, a plan involving railroad boxcars. Will Babe succeed? Will Rosie continue to support her husband? Are the Feds on to his make-or-break scheme? Flipping Boxcars is Cedric “The Entertainer” at his most engaging best—a charming, fast-paced novel that pays homage to his beloved grandfather and a generation past, anchored by rich, multi-dimensional characters and oozing with irresistible charm.
Warmth and Risk
A fast-paced crime caper pairs a gambler’s nerve with affection for close-knit families and community.
Come here for
- A Depression- and wartime-era story with charm and family feeling
- A charismatic dreamer whose risky schemes keep the pages moving
Expect
- Lively pacing and richly drawn characters
- A valentine to close-knit Black families and tightly woven communities
Where it sits
| Black Historical Fiction | 74% |
|---|---|
| World War II & Holocaust | 28% |
| Black Mystery | 20% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Historical Fiction
- World War II & Holocaust
- Horror
- Mystery
Show all 7 publisher categories
- Historical Mystery
- Crime Fiction
- Historical Thrillers
- Authors
- Cedric The Entertainer
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- September 10, 2024
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Family and community ties · Financial insecurity · Gambling and risk
- Reading lane
- Historical Fiction