The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr

It's 1929. Baxter is a pullman porter saving money to go to dental school. Tired and overworked, he does yet another typical train route. Typical until the train gets stranded in the mountains. While this train is stranded, Baxter must continue working, and while one works, one cannot sleep.

A piece of historical fiction told in a third person narrative, we follow the perspective of Baxter. We follow him as the racist microaggressions, overt disrespect, and the fear of being caught with a homoerotic postcard weigh on his mind. One slip and he's fired. And this is all while the sleep deprivation worsens. With all the complaints, secrets, and fears weaving in and out his ears, it's no wonder that the hallucinations begin...

The story does a wonderful job showing the intersectionality of his Black and queer identities during a time period in which both are still faced with prejudice and dehumanization. This is all done through the experiences of being a pullman porter. 

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of historical fiction. Mayr frequently references real life events and customs from the time, and there are a few pictures and diagrams (there's even a works cited page in the back). The narrative voice can be blunt, almost robotic at times, but this is rather a reflection of Baxter's scientific mind. 

Please check out this book if you are interested! I'd be happy to hear your thoughts. Up for days, hungry, and hallucinating: how do you think you would react if a passenger still had the audacity to call you "George"?

- Leo H