Home to Harlem

A landmark of Harlem Renaissance literature, Home to Harlem by Claude McKay is a vivid, sensual, and unflinching portrait of Black life in 1920s New York City. Winner of the 1929 Harmon Gold Award for Literature, this groundbreaking novel follows Jake Brown, a disillusioned World War I deserter who returns to Harlem in search of freedom, love, and identity amid the throbbing heartbeat of the Jazz Age.

Immersed in a world of speakeasies, cabarets, and back-alley blues, Jake’s journey captures the joy and struggle of a generation carving out its place in a rapidly changing America. McKay’s lush, lyrical prose celebrates the vitality of Black culture, while confronting racism, class tension, and the lingering wounds of war.

Through its unforgettable characters and powerful storytelling, Home to Harlem embodies the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance, the Jazz Age, and the birth of modern African-American literature. McKay’s raw honesty and poetic insight laid the foundation for authors like Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and Ralph Ellison—making this not only a classic novel, but a cultural milestone.

Perfect for readers drawn to Black history, Jazz Age fiction, social realism, and classic American novels, Home to Harlem remains one of the most authentic and electrifying works ever written about Harlem’s golden years.