--- product_id: 10973115 title: "Cotton Comes to Harlem" brand: "chester himes" price: "€ 31.54" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.es/products/10973115-cotton-comes-to-harlem store_origin: ES region: Spain --- # Cotton Comes to Harlem **Brand:** chester himes **Price:** € 31.54 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Cotton Comes to Harlem by chester himes - **How much does it cost?** € 31.54 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.es](https://www.desertcart.es/products/10973115-cotton-comes-to-harlem) ## Best For - chester himes enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted chester himes brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Cotton Comes to Harlem ## Images ![Cotton Comes to Harlem - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51EbDueQTML.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Noir in Harlem *by A***I on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 14, 2023* One of my favorite authors, well worth the read, and will hook you for the entire series. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ What a Cast of Characters *by S***N on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 10, 2022* I've not finished the book yet because life got in the way, but it is a fun read with a crazy cast of characters. As a published author I'm super critical of other's works, this one? I would highly recommend if you want a view into the underbelly of Harlem back in the 60s. A great read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ... set in Harlem in the 1960s and features Himes' favorite protagonists, "Coffin Ed" Johnson and "Gravedigger" Jones *by K***R on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 31, 2015* This top notch piece of hardboiled fiction is set in Harlem in the 1960s and features Himes' favorite protagonists, "Coffin Ed" Johnson and "Gravedigger" Jones. Coffin Ed and Gravedigger are tough, driven, black cops trying to work a case in which a con man named "Reverend" Deke O'Malley,who had been conning desperate Harlem residents by selling them spots in a phony baloney "back to Africa" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-to-Africa_movement ) settlement.O'Malley collected 84 large at a big rally he held for his swindle, but before he could take the money and blow town several other heavily armed men crashed his party and ran off with the cash. In the course of their daring escape/high speed shootout a bale of cotton, of all things, falls out of their truck. Gravedigger and Coffin Ed spend the rest of the book hunting the men, the cotton they dropped (which has somehow disappeared in Harlem), and Deke O'Malley himself.I read this book because Walter Moseley wrote a scene in Little Green in which some of *his* characters discuss Himes' significance as a crime writer. The book certainly did not disappoint.CCTH is, first and foremost, a lovely piece of hardboiled fiction. Although the characters, white and black, are aware of the kind of world they're living in, it definitely is not social commentary disguised as crime fiction. Himes also doesn't shy away from social issues. I mean, the plot of the book, after all, is that some hardworking black people who are so fed up with their hopeless lives that they think moving to Africa and raising goats is preferable to one more day in NYC, give their money to a black con man who is then himself robbed by a number of heavily armed white dudes.Himes (who got his start as a writer while doing time for jewel theft) was also obviously a sharp social observer. Issues the book does touch on (deftly, precisely) include: Institutional racism (black cops with a white boss who likes them but has white bosses of his own), light skinned vs dark skinned black characters and their varying levels of status and privilege/North vs South issues/the very notion of King Cotton itself/Southern antebellum nostalgia.Himes has a fine, sharp, lapidary writing style and the book gets very weird before you even realize just how odd things are getting. Similarly, the way the book *does* comment on society is subtle and seamless. In my case, it didn't really hit me until I had put the book down to go use the bathroom and then as I was absorbing what I had just read I thought "Ah. Christ. That *is* messed up." --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.es/products/10973115-cotton-comes-to-harlem](https://www.desertcart.es/products/10973115-cotton-comes-to-harlem) --- *Product available on Desertcart Spain* *Store origin: ES* *Last updated: 2026-05-23*