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now_booking's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
3.5
This book really takes you on a journey. A journey and a half indeed and in a really short time. This debut is part sales handbook, part self-help treatise, part contemporary exploration of race in Corporate America, part cautionary tale, all sly but astute humor.
The premise is that Darren (known as Buck after his glow up) is a young, unambitious man from Bed-Stuy, NY, who lives at home with his mom and is perfectly happy with his job as a barista and occasionally hooking up with his girlfriend in his childldhood bedroom, despite having been an academic highflyer in high school. One day, he gets the chance of a lifetime to join a prestigious tech start up where he gets a baptism of fire into the harsh world of corporate America as a young, black man and learns some difficult life and professional lessons on the way.
I really enjoyed this book. Quite alright it’s not my usual cup of tea but from the blurb, I was fascinated by a book that simultaneously promised sales skill building, self-help and humorous fiction. I’m far enough in my career now to know that all of us in the workforce, no matter our fields, are selling something even if we’re not technically “in sales.” I had to pick this up and I wasn’t disappointed. This book dragged my emotions from pillar to post here, there and yonder, but it was also filled with a lot of useful tips (about sales and about being a professional in an environment that wasn’t intended “for you” and about succeeding in life) that I think would apply to anyone whatever field they’re in. I’m very impressed with this debut novel and the story that the author tells of success and failure and change and equal opportunity through it. I’ve never read anything quite in this style before. It’s one of those that you read wondering whether it’s truth or fiction and are halfway to googling to find out if it’s a true story. This has some humour to it but it’s definitely more sartorial than laugh out loud, and more than humour, I’d celebrate it for being a fast-paced breezy read with a truly deep, visceral emotional punch. You read this knowing that the author and the character had been through or truly understood the experience of microagressions and outright racism, the push and pull of wanting to be more than your past, wanting to be better than you were raised, but again not wanting to alienate your people and culture and those who “knew you when.” It’s a story about recognizing your humanity and making devastating mistakes, but also making amends and knowing you can always go home.
The feelings that this book stirs as I’ve said, we’re all over the place. I was angry and upset, I was relieved and happy, I was sad, I was judgmental, the twists and turns of Buck’s (Darren’s) experience had me questioning a lot of things about contemporary American society and even Black American society and male friendships and family dynamics. This book made me consider what success really is and how much change and growth in a person is desirable and when does it get toxic- what should we leave behind and move on from as we reach for success and what do we forgive and how far do we go for old family and friends? The ending was a bit of a surprise and I wasn’t in love with it, but I think reading the last page, I can grudgingly admit it fit in well with the book and I’m glad I read this. I highly recommend this- it’s good and would be great for discussion in a book club because there are so many bits of this to discuss and analyze. I think this would be a perfect bridge book for someone who doesn’t read a lot of fiction but likes self-help.
Many thanks to the publishers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with a complimentary copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The premise is that Darren (known as Buck after his glow up) is a young, unambitious man from Bed-Stuy, NY, who lives at home with his mom and is perfectly happy with his job as a barista and occasionally hooking up with his girlfriend in his childldhood bedroom, despite having been an academic highflyer in high school. One day, he gets the chance of a lifetime to join a prestigious tech start up where he gets a baptism of fire into the harsh world of corporate America as a young, black man and learns some difficult life and professional lessons on the way.
I really enjoyed this book. Quite alright it’s not my usual cup of tea but from the blurb, I was fascinated by a book that simultaneously promised sales skill building, self-help and humorous fiction. I’m far enough in my career now to know that all of us in the workforce, no matter our fields, are selling something even if we’re not technically “in sales.” I had to pick this up and I wasn’t disappointed. This book dragged my emotions from pillar to post here, there and yonder, but it was also filled with a lot of useful tips (about sales and about being a professional in an environment that wasn’t intended “for you” and about succeeding in life) that I think would apply to anyone whatever field they’re in. I’m very impressed with this debut novel and the story that the author tells of success and failure and change and equal opportunity through it. I’ve never read anything quite in this style before. It’s one of those that you read wondering whether it’s truth or fiction and are halfway to googling to find out if it’s a true story. This has some humour to it but it’s definitely more sartorial than laugh out loud, and more than humour, I’d celebrate it for being a fast-paced breezy read with a truly deep, visceral emotional punch. You read this knowing that the author and the character had been through or truly understood the experience of microagressions and outright racism, the push and pull of wanting to be more than your past, wanting to be better than you were raised, but again not wanting to alienate your people and culture and those who “knew you when.” It’s a story about recognizing your humanity and making devastating mistakes, but also making amends and knowing you can always go home.
The feelings that this book stirs as I’ve said, we’re all over the place. I was angry and upset, I was relieved and happy, I was sad, I was judgmental, the twists and turns of Buck’s (Darren’s) experience had me questioning a lot of things about contemporary American society and even Black American society and male friendships and family dynamics. This book made me consider what success really is and how much change and growth in a person is desirable and when does it get toxic- what should we leave behind and move on from as we reach for success and what do we forgive and how far do we go for old family and friends? The ending was a bit of a surprise and I wasn’t in love with it, but I think reading the last page, I can grudgingly admit it fit in well with the book and I’m glad I read this. I highly recommend this- it’s good and would be great for discussion in a book club because there are so many bits of this to discuss and analyze. I think this would be a perfect bridge book for someone who doesn’t read a lot of fiction but likes self-help.
Many thanks to the publishers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with a complimentary copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Terminal illness
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