Reviews with content warning for Slavery - The Sellout

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The Sellout by Paul Beatty

9 reviews

bobo_smrad's review against another edition

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challenging funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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sophtank's review against another edition

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funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am halfway through the year and feel confident that this will be my best book of the year. Beatty is funny as hell, although he is very raunchy. This was my train read for the past few weeks and at points I definitely felt self conscious about what I was reading around others. The main character was very enlightening and the entire book is a reflection of the black experience, especially around the entertainment industry. As a young white woman it helped me look into the media I consume and how it portrays black people. I appreciated the author's note in the back about the graduate manuscript that helped him develop the book, and hope to read that soon as well. I don't want to spoil anything, but seriously. I love this book.

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paperknotbooks's review against another edition

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dark funny 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

4.0

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The Sellout also uses satire as a tool to explore racial issues. The plot centres on a Supreme Court case involving a Black man reintroducing segregation and slavery. It’s full of sharp witty one liners, many of which will have you laughing. But only because it is better than crying. And because Beatty is so skilled at parody and hilarious mockery. really enjoyed the message but tired of the relentlessness of style by the end.

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thecolourblue's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny reflective medium-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

3.75

Wow. Yikes. This book. Hmm. This book is funny, both in the sense that it is in places genuinely hilarious and in the sense that it makes you feel weird as f-ck. Nothing is sacred in Beatty's writing, and yet his satire is as cutting and effective as any sincere thoughtpiece could dream of being.

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abbie_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced

All the adjectives you’ve already seen used to describe Paul Beatty’s The Sellout are 100% accurate. Caustic, witty, fierce, brutal, biting, scathing, they and more all hold true to this novel. It’s one of those books where I can’t really say I ‘enjoyed’ it, but I’m glad I read it and it’s definitely unforgettable.

It’s a scathing (I’m sorry okay, I have a limited repertoire of adjectives) critique of the supposedly ‘post-racial’ America, a satire which rings uncomfortably close to home in many cases. There are so many blistering quotes in The Sellout which cause you to stop and think, thinking that this is not satire but just an accurate portrayal of America today. For instance ‘she should’ve known that while 250 poor colored kids getting inferior educations will never be front-page news, the denial of even one white student access to a decent education would create a media shit-storm.’

I mentioned in a Story when I started reading that Beatty’s mind works faster than the average reader’s, and he refuses to slow down for anyone. So if you’re planning on reading this, buckle up, strap in, just hold on tight as you rocket your way through Beatty’s firecracker prose. I did think the first half had more momentum than the second. It’s also full to the brim with American pop culture references, which for a non-American interrupts the flow somewhat as I had to keep Googling things.

This seems to be a love or loathe book and I’m not sure where I fall - just sitting in a corner trying to recover from the force of Beatty’s mind and prose, probably.

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angharad's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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nora__reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A satirical story about race and gentrification set in a mostly fictional city in LA.

Beatty is so witty and dry, it’s kind of feels like he wrote this book mostly to show that with a tiny bit of plot thrown in.

An incisive story about American attitudes to race in a ‘post-racial’ world.

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nbrockbank's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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