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piperlee's review
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Grief, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Torture and Kidnapping
abbie_reads_books's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Racial slurs
emilyreads123's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Torture, Racial slurs, and Hate crime
nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Because I didn't know this until I listened to an interview with author Mateo Askaripour (on The Stacks Podcast with Traci Thomas*), I want to start my review with an acknowledgement of the title of this book. Black Buck comes from a derogatory term used during the post-Reconstruction era in the United States to refer to a caricature of Black men who didn't abide by white authority and were excessively violent, sexual, and unintelligent. Askaripour plays with these false, horrific stereotypes throughout his novel, and I'm glad to be able to reflect on the storytelling with this understanding in mind. It hammers home Askaripour's intention to write this book for Black audiences (i.e., not me) without explaining all the inside jokes and information, and as I write my review, I am feeling extra conscious of the relationship between reader and writer.
The book begins with an "Author's Note," written from the perspective of the protagonist, who assures his readers that this book will tell the story of how to change your life through sales, referencing Black figures, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Oprah, who, perhaps to our surprise, are "salespeople," selling ideas that allowed them to succeed in a world that tends to push Black people down. Writing from a penthouse suite, the "author" assures us that this memoir/guidebook will be the key to succeeding, not only in sales, but also in life.
The rest of the book is the "author's" reflection on how he got here, writing this book with so much knowledge and confidence as a Black man living in the lap of luxury. We rewind by about a year to meet Darren Vender, a twenty-two year old Black man living in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother and working as a manager at a midtown Starbucks. Darren graduated from Bronx Science as the valedictorian but elected not to go to college, waiting for the elusive "right time" and happily spending time with his girlfriend, Soraya, his best friend, Jason, and the rest of his neighborhood.
When, one day, Darren decides to recommend a new drink to a regular customer, this entire routine flips upside down. Rhett Daniels, CEO of Sumwun, is impressed by Darren's ability to change his mind and invites him for an interview. Thrown into an office full of white people, Darren is frustrated, skeptical, and overwhelmed, irritated by every instance of an employee telling him he looks like a famous Black man or calling him "brother." Eventually, though, Darren agrees to take the job, suffering through "Hell Week," joining his new colleagues out at a bar, and neglecting all the people he loves at home.
This is where the book started to lose me. I loved Darren, who hated coffee but loved and supported his baristas at Starbucks and who spent time with his mother and long-time girlfriend without any hesitation or shame. The Darren who transformed into Buck was exaggerated and infuriating. The utter disregard for the people he loved, even as they struggled, was so frustrating to read, and I couldn't sympathize with or root for Buck at all. With all this frustration, I felt that this second section of the book really dragged, and by the time we reached the dramatic climax in the third third of the book, I had a hard time embracing the more satirical, absurdist plot points (though, I must admit, I was surprised and excited by all the plot twists at the end. If you like twisty books, this one is worth holding out for.)
I listened to this on audio, and, honestly, the narration was perfect. I think I would have struggled so much more to enjoy the book if I had read it on paper, missing the funny moments and the satire and the depth of darkness that infused Askaripour's writing. Zeno Robinson did a phenomenal job of bringing life and voice to the page, and he read with a levity that seemed to match Buck's mindset even in the face of absolute horror and tragedy.
*Link to The Stacks interview: https://thestackspodcast.com/2021/02/17/ep-151-mateo-askaripour/
The book begins with an "Author's Note," written from the perspective of the protagonist, who assures his readers that this book will tell the story of how to change your life through sales, referencing Black figures, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Oprah, who, perhaps to our surprise, are "salespeople," selling ideas that allowed them to succeed in a world that tends to push Black people down. Writing from a penthouse suite, the "author" assures us that this memoir/guidebook will be the key to succeeding, not only in sales, but also in life.
The rest of the book is the "author's" reflection on how he got here, writing this book with so much knowledge and confidence as a Black man living in the lap of luxury. We rewind by about a year to meet Darren Vender, a twenty-two year old Black man living in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother and working as a manager at a midtown Starbucks. Darren graduated from Bronx Science as the valedictorian but elected not to go to college, waiting for the elusive "right time" and happily spending time with his girlfriend, Soraya, his best friend, Jason, and the rest of his neighborhood.
When, one day, Darren decides to recommend a new drink to a regular customer, this entire routine flips upside down. Rhett Daniels, CEO of Sumwun, is impressed by Darren's ability to change his mind and invites him for an interview. Thrown into an office full of white people, Darren is frustrated, skeptical, and overwhelmed, irritated by every instance of an employee telling him he looks like a famous Black man or calling him "brother." Eventually, though, Darren agrees to take the job, suffering through "Hell Week," joining his new colleagues out at a bar, and neglecting all the people he loves at home.
This is where the book started to lose me. I loved Darren, who hated coffee but loved and supported his baristas at Starbucks and who spent time with his mother and long-time girlfriend without any hesitation or shame. The Darren who transformed into Buck was exaggerated and infuriating. The utter disregard for the people he loved, even as they struggled, was so frustrating to read, and I couldn't sympathize with or root for Buck at all. With all this frustration, I felt that this second section of the book really dragged, and by the time we reached the dramatic climax in the third third of the book, I had a hard time embracing the more satirical, absurdist plot points (though, I must admit, I was surprised and excited by all the plot twists at the end. If you like twisty books, this one is worth holding out for.)
I listened to this on audio, and, honestly, the narration was perfect. I think I would have struggled so much more to enjoy the book if I had read it on paper, missing the funny moments and the satire and the depth of darkness that infused Askaripour's writing. Zeno Robinson did a phenomenal job of bringing life and voice to the page, and he read with a levity that seemed to match Buck's mindset even in the face of absolute horror and tragedy.
*Link to The Stacks interview: https://thestackspodcast.com/2021/02/17/ep-151-mateo-askaripour/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Toxic relationship
maggz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug use
Minor: Death of parent, Police brutality, and Cancer
icedlavenderlatte's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Black Buck follows a Black salesman named Darren who climbs the ranks of a white led start up company in NYC. I'm not even going to attempt to further summarize because there's soooooo much that happens here, so if you plan to read this be prepared for a wild ride. After hearing the author talk about this book, I was really excited for a satirical novel that tackles topics of racism, start up culture, climbing the ladder, etc. and I'd heard from several that the audiobook was the way to go because it was so well done. So I'm just going to jump right into my issues:
- There's a loooooot of yelling in the audiobook. Yes, the narrator does a great job, but I grew tired of this quickly. This was the first issue I had with the book and I was able to look past it initially.
- Using a character with coprolalia Tourette syndrome,who later is magically cured of this by meditation , as comedic relief, and then later a character with a stutter for the same purpose. I'm just not sure what the intention was here.
- Excessive use of the word "retarded" in the first 25% of the book made me cringe. Again, not sure the purpose of this.
- Very lazy metaphorical language throughout the entire book that by the end of it I was just constantly rolling my eyes. There's an AIDS in Africa joke and just so many other played out phrases I couldn't even keep track
- Dialogue was so extremely juvenile and I think this was exemplified by how trope-y and stereotypical the characters were made to be.
- The plot is such a mess that by the end I forgot thathe had a whole ass mom that died and I couldn't even wrap my head around how Darren got to his position besides two acts of luck .
I loved the idea of the Happy Campers. A network of BIPOC business professionals that infiltrate these white start ups from the inside out. I feel like there was so much potential here if this would have been the main focus. Instead I think the author's idea of satire was just to make the plot as absolutely ridiculous as possible.
- There's a loooooot of yelling in the audiobook. Yes, the narrator does a great job, but I grew tired of this quickly. This was the first issue I had with the book and I was able to look past it initially.
- Using a character with coprolalia Tourette syndrome,
- Excessive use of the word "retarded" in the first 25% of the book made me cringe. Again, not sure the purpose of this.
- Very lazy metaphorical language throughout the entire book that by the end of it I was just constantly rolling my eyes. There's an AIDS in Africa joke and just so many other played out phrases I couldn't even keep track
- Dialogue was so extremely juvenile and I think this was exemplified by how trope-y and stereotypical the characters were made to be.
- The plot is such a mess that by the end I forgot that
I loved the idea of the Happy Campers. A network of BIPOC business professionals that infiltrate these white start ups from the inside out. I feel like there was so much potential here if this would have been the main focus. Instead I think the author's idea of satire was just to make the plot as absolutely ridiculous as possible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Ableism, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use and Death of parent
jbraith's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to Libro FM and the publisher for an ALC of this book!
Wow! This book blew me away.
Darren is a natural born salesman, but he's been working at Starbucks for years. After "selling" a drink order to the manager of a successful start up company, he is whisked away into the cult-like business and becomes integral to its success- and ultimate failure.
As the only Black person working for this company, this satirical novel really shows the ridiculous amount of microgressions that any Black person who succeeds in our society faces. I loved how funny and real it was in the face of these.
Then this book took an...unexpected turn. I was seriously blindsided by it, but...I loved it.
A satire about businesses and sales is definitely NOT the type of book I would usually pick up, but I loved every minute of this one, and I'm so glad I did.
The audio was also phenomenal, and if that's your thing, I definitely recommend you pick up a copy!
Wow! This book blew me away.
Darren is a natural born salesman, but he's been working at Starbucks for years. After "selling" a drink order to the manager of a successful start up company, he is whisked away into the cult-like business and becomes integral to its success- and ultimate failure.
As the only Black person working for this company, this satirical novel really shows the ridiculous amount of microgressions that any Black person who succeeds in our society faces. I loved how funny and real it was in the face of these.
Then this book took an...unexpected turn. I was seriously blindsided by it, but...I loved it.
A satire about businesses and sales is definitely NOT the type of book I would usually pick up, but I loved every minute of this one, and I'm so glad I did.
The audio was also phenomenal, and if that's your thing, I definitely recommend you pick up a copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Cancer
naturemamareads's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Sexism, Racism, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, and Murder
books_and_mags's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism