Status
Available
Series
Publication
New York : W.W. Norton, c1998
Description
Three decades ago, young Socrates Fortlow murdered a man and woman in cold blood with his huge "rock-breaking hands" while in a drunken rage. 27 years of hard time in an Indiana prison followed. Now he is out, living in a cramped two-room apartment in an abandoned building in Watts, scavenging bottles and delivering groceries for a supermarket. The tough, brooding ex-con is determined to understand the violence and anarchy in the world around him--and in his own soul. A series of related stories make up this lyrical novel that explores the issues of morality, crime, poverty and racism through the eye of the most unforgettable character since Easy Rawlins.
User reviews
LibraryThing member ccayne
What a man Socrates is. Tough life but he puts it out there and tries to prevent others from going where he went - this man has a strong moral compass. Beautifully written without sensationalizing.
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
Socrates Fortlow has been out of prison for eight years after having spent the previous twenty seven incarcerated for the murder of two people and rape of one of them. This book chronicles some of his experiences in Los Angeles, mainly Watts, effectively portraying the culture and the character of
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Socrates and his interlocutors. I was impressed with the humanity evident in the protagonist's (dare I say hero?) actions and thoughts, particularly his rationality. He has developed an understanding of himself leading to a control that he did not have in his youth. The episodic nature of the novel provides for the introduction of a variety of characters and leads to several memorable scenes. They range from Socrates interaction with a young man whom he leads away from the life of crime to a touching scene at the end of the book where Socrates helps a dying man maintain some dignity as his life ebbs away. Mosley's spare writing style is very effective in this impressive read. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member michaelm42071
Here’s an unusual mystery: Walter Mosley’s Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, published in 1998. Mosley’s main character is called Socrates Fortlow, and he is not a detective like Easy Rawlins, the hero of Devil in a Blue Dress and most of Mosley’s previous books. Socrates, like his
There are fourteen chapters in the book, and although each is a stand-alone story that originally appeared separately in a magazine, there are some continuing threads, like the mystery of Socrates’s past and especially what sent him to prison. There is also the question of what will happen to a young boy Socrates is trying to rescue from the gangs of the inner city. In a way all these stories are about attempted rescues, as Socrates tries to redeem his own life and save what he can from the ruin around him. And Socrates’ rescues are not limited to people; he saves a dog late in the book, an episode that almost lands him back in jail but instead has a happy and romantic ending.
The book’s setting is a grittily realized piece of Los Angeles, Slauson and Marvane and other streets of Watts at the time of the Rodney King riots. But its scope includes Socrates’s past, stretching back to the Vietnam War, and a repeated theme is that past actions have their consequences.
Somehow the book manages to be bleak and hopeful at the same time: bleak in setting and in its overall picture of the world of south-central Los Angeles, but hopeful in the small triumphs Socrates brings about among his friends and the other people he touches.
Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned was made into an HBO movie in 1998 and Mosley has written a sequel titled Walking the Dog.
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namesake, is a moral philosopher. But he is also a double murderer who spent twenty-seven years in prison for his crimes. When he tries to show people around him the moral consequences of their actions, what their duty is, or that they need to feel guilty for wrongs done, he speaks from his own profound sense of guilt, and he usually fails to convey his own sense of rightness to others. His own life is an attempt to live in strict moral rectitude, avoiding any dishonesty or harm to others, and he doesn’t always succeed. But the attempt means that he is poor, he spends a lot of his time turning the other cheek, and nothing is very easy for him.There are fourteen chapters in the book, and although each is a stand-alone story that originally appeared separately in a magazine, there are some continuing threads, like the mystery of Socrates’s past and especially what sent him to prison. There is also the question of what will happen to a young boy Socrates is trying to rescue from the gangs of the inner city. In a way all these stories are about attempted rescues, as Socrates tries to redeem his own life and save what he can from the ruin around him. And Socrates’ rescues are not limited to people; he saves a dog late in the book, an episode that almost lands him back in jail but instead has a happy and romantic ending.
The book’s setting is a grittily realized piece of Los Angeles, Slauson and Marvane and other streets of Watts at the time of the Rodney King riots. But its scope includes Socrates’s past, stretching back to the Vietnam War, and a repeated theme is that past actions have their consequences.
Somehow the book manages to be bleak and hopeful at the same time: bleak in setting and in its overall picture of the world of south-central Los Angeles, but hopeful in the small triumphs Socrates brings about among his friends and the other people he touches.
Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned was made into an HBO movie in 1998 and Mosley has written a sequel titled Walking the Dog.
Show Less
LibraryThing member firedog
My first Walter Mosley book. It was outstanding. I'm already reading the next one in the series, Walkin' the Dog.
LibraryThing member rapago
Having read a later book with the same character first, I wanted to go back to the beginning. This book introduces Socrates Fortlow. What an incredible character. With hands strong enough to break rocks, he is still gentle enough to run to the aid of an injured dog. Socrates is an ex-con who is
This is a gritty, urban tale that shines light on a lifestyle and places that most of us, comfortable in our urban existence, won't go to.
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trying to live right despite the heavy burden of guilt he places upon himself. He is a picture of a man who has paid his debt to society, but not necessarily to himself. This is a gritty, urban tale that shines light on a lifestyle and places that most of us, comfortable in our urban existence, won't go to.
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LibraryThing member Meredy
After reading this book, I feel as if I knew the character of Socrates Fortlow better than some of my own friends and relatives. Mosley's seemingly simple, straightforward prose is powerfully evocative and multilayered, leaving much to reflect on. The sense that this is an honest expression of
These separate but intimately linked narratives depict a man putting all he's got into living right after having lived very wrong. Their clear-eyed disclosure of the ordinary and the sublime in a man's everyday struggle to preserve and fulfill his humanity inevitably holds a mirror up to the reader. As the very best stories will do, I felt that this book changed something in me.
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authentic experience is pervasive even though that experience is so unlike my own that I have almost no points of commonality with which to validate it.These separate but intimately linked narratives depict a man putting all he's got into living right after having lived very wrong. Their clear-eyed disclosure of the ordinary and the sublime in a man's everyday struggle to preserve and fulfill his humanity inevitably holds a mirror up to the reader. As the very best stories will do, I felt that this book changed something in me.
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LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd
This selection is hard to categorize---it isn't really a novel, but it isn't exactly a collection of short stories either. Whatever we call it, it works. Socrates Fortlow is a man who lives with violence and poverty, yet he finds life not only harsh, but beautiful as well. After serving 27 years in
June 2012
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prison for a double murder, he has paid his debt to society, but hasn't let himself off the moral hook. His sense of right and wrong direct everything he does, and while some acts might fall outside the Law, Socrates has a keener definition of those terms than most inhabitants of his neighborhood--Watts in the 1990's. He is a man to be feared and respected, most especially when he is struggling to find a way to respect himself.June 2012
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LibraryThing member lewilliams
Socrates Fortlow is a black flawed ex-con trying to make his way in a white man's world in the 1980's Watts neighborhood of LA in 14 short stories that read like a novel.
LibraryThing member antao
I've always tried to shy away from Walter Mosley. I'm not sure why. I've always thought I wouldn't read anything worthwhile and different from the rest of the pack. This time I've decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did.
Mosley fully captures the rhythms of people's lifes in South Central LA,
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resulting in a haunting look at a life bounded by lust, violence, fear, and a ruthlessly unsentimental moral vision.I was also impressed with Mosley's efforts to bring philosophy back. The book is also full of moral dilemmas.
In spite of the bleak vision Socrates' character ultimately offers, he represents a vital moral wisdom. His role far surpasses the expectations for an ex-convict or anyone with his childhood background.
After finishing the book, I got the feeling John Ford could have directed it, changing the western landscape for the urban jungle, but using instead a gun-slinging mythology of street justice.
While this is a collection of short stories, it's not a straightforward anthology. Each of these stories builds on the events of the previous story, and certainly reads as well as any constructed novel. Socrates (aka Socco) is a fascinating character, and it's revealing to see the directions that his wounded pride takes him.
This was a very unpredictable and satisfying read, with moments where it got really sad and touching.
NB: Walkin' the Dog", the follow-up, is already on my TBR list... When my reading stack whittles down a bit, I'll read it."
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LibraryThing member rsalley76
Definitely one of the best books I have read this year. This was a true page turner that I never wanted to put down! I would wake up in the morning, yearning to pick it back up and see what Socrates was up to today. The main character is relatable, especially to those times (mid 90s Watts/South
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Central). Without giving anything away, I will say that this book is about regret and redemption and finding your way when the way seems lost. I am already more than a 1/3 of the way through the 2nd in the series. I can't WAIT to see what happens next! Show Less
LibraryThing member msf59
Socrates Fortlow, is an ex-con, who had spent nearly 30 years in prison for murder. Working on his eighth year of freedom, he is still struggling to make ends meet and to keep his volatile temper in check. Living in a tiny run-down apartment in Watts, he is surviving by collecting aluminum cans.
Told in a series of vignettes, we follow Socrates, as he tries to pull himself forward, while doling out useful life advice, to those around him.
This is the first in another series, for Mosley and I thought it was very well done and Socrates is a great character to follow.
**It was also excellent on audio, with the late Paul Winfield narrating.
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Told in a series of vignettes, we follow Socrates, as he tries to pull himself forward, while doling out useful life advice, to those around him.
This is the first in another series, for Mosley and I thought it was very well done and Socrates is a great character to follow.
**It was also excellent on audio, with the late Paul Winfield narrating.
Show Less
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 1998)
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (Fiction — 1998)