Whoreson (novel)

Whoreson is a novel by Donald Goines that has been rumoured to be at least partly autobiographical. Goines wrote the novel while incarcerated and sought input from his fellow inmates, who urged him to submit the work to Holloway House.^[1] It is Goines's first written work and was written before Dopefiend but was published in 1972, after Dopefiend was released.^[1]

Plot

The novel tells the story of a man born to a prostitute. His mother names him Whoreson at birth and tries to teach him how to be a pimp. Whoreson tries to build a stable of women, but finds his women taken in by another pimp. He is, for a short time, imprisoned as he is found guilty of pandering, though he has never actually taken any money from the woman he was convicted of pandering. After his release from prison, Whoreson cons money out of a woman and puts together a phony wedding to convince her that the two are married. Eventually a childhood sweetheart who has become a successful singer agrees to marry Whoreson, but before they can enjoy their love Whoreson finds himself double-crossed by one of his former prostitutes and is sentence to a jail term of several years.

References

1. Goode, Greg (1984). "From Dopefiend to Kenyatta's Last Hit: The Angry Black Crime Novels of Donald Goines". MELUS 11 (3): 41–48. doi:10.2307/467132. Retrieved 18 December 2014.