Too much of a good thing

You know how when you are a little too enthusiastic about putting sprinkles on sugar cookies, your mother usually says something like, "Remember, there can be too much of a good thing"?

That's what I feel like telling Ishmael Reed.

It isn't that I don't like his book, because I think I do. I mean, it is very weird different and unusual (notice the Reed style lack of commas) but I'm finding it creative and engaging as well.

It's just all his unexplained allusions. There are just WAY too many.

Tonight alone I have three full notebook pages of things I looked up, and I didn't write paragraphs about each one! I just wrote something like, "Black Herman=stage magician (Benjamin Rucker). Sold patent medicine early. Harlem=home base. Buried alive a lot."I googled 32 people phases songs places and religions. And I still feel like I'm missing stuff.

It's like Reed is just POURING allusions out of his mind onto the page instead of sprinkling them lightly around to add hints of extra sweetness. I'm a little overwhelmed, 42 pages in and I already have over six pages of reference information, information that is essential to understanding his meaning.

Maybe it is just me, but I feel like Reed needs a little help remember the common adage about too much of a good thing!