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tigfunk's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Being in the customer service industry there were so many things that he spoke about that I understood 100%! I loved this book until it got to the last 15-20% especially the last chapter. I hated the twist ending and wished the author did something else with the ending. And while I hated Clyde and didn't agree with what they did to him, he got off too east and didn't get what he deserved
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
david_brent's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, and Death of parent
cheye13's review
challenging
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Wayyy too boot-licky for me.
This is excellently written and maintains a strong voice throughout. The depiction of race relations did not pull punches. The story surprisingly sustained a sense of broad hope.
I wanted more of everything. I wanted it to push further in every way. I wanted a deconstruction of capitalism, I wanted a deconstruction/exploration of masculinity (esp in white vs black spaces), I wanted a deconstruction of ambition. I disagree with reviews that say the back end went off the rails - it didn't go far enough off the rails.
Ultimately, it felt like a middle class cishet black man's white collar day dream - he gets to be a jetsetter, he gets to earn big bucks, he gets a nickname, a driver, a girl - he gets to Save The World. Which is a very good and important story to tell - there's plenty of those white stories out there, and this is miles better than any of those. But pitching it as a Sorry to Bother You comp does it a disservice.
This is excellently written and maintains a strong voice throughout. The depiction of race relations did not pull punches. The story surprisingly sustained a sense of broad hope.
I wanted more of everything. I wanted it to push further in every way. I wanted a deconstruction of capitalism, I wanted a deconstruction/exploration of masculinity (esp in white vs black spaces), I wanted a deconstruction of ambition. I disagree with reviews that say the back end went off the rails - it didn't go far enough off the rails.
Ultimately, it felt like a middle class cishet black man's white collar day dream - he gets to be a jetsetter, he gets to earn big bucks, he gets a nickname, a driver, a girl - he gets to Save The World. Which is a very good and important story to tell - there's plenty of those white stories out there, and this is miles better than any of those. But pitching it as a Sorry to Bother You comp does it a disservice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Slavery, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
also: minor mention/depiction of lynching (in a photograph), moderate discussion of incarceration, discussion of drug dealing in addition to drug abuse. A brief discussion of outing somone, not followed through. The hate crime I tagged is a scene of white coworkers "pranking" the only black employee by dumping white paint over him; not sure if it qualifies as a hate crime, but it definitely felt like one in context.paigereitz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
3.5
This book was a wild ride. I almost put it down a couple times, unsure where it was going or whether I liked it. But I'm glad I stuck with it. Some of the messaging is a little heavy handed, but seems intentionally so. Interesting style and plot for sure.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Grief
janeanger's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
macykey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.75
This book was unhinged from the jump, but in the good kind of way. I will say I wasn’t a huge fan of how the women were talked about in this book, especially Soraya. And the time jumping did leave a lot to be desired, but overall I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Torture and Medical trauma
Minor: Outing
suzyvee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Cancer, Drug use, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism
3littlewordz's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
“Be careful of winning, it’s one of the most dangerous things you can ever do.”
If anything was proven in Black Buck, it was DEFINITELY this.
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. It started off pretty strong, and I liked the book's structure, with the ‘Sales tips’ sprinkled throughout. It was funny at times and definitely satirical overall. But I was slightly let down once I got about halfway through. The book was described as an excellent pick for fans between The Wolf of Wall Street and Sorry to Bother You, and I am a big fan of both. But I barely got either of those throughout it, and the main character Buck really just started to annoy me after a while. Maybe if I was in sales, some of this would translate a bit better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Death of parent
laynemandros's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Classism
keeganrb's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Torture, and Death of parent