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A review by johnnyb1954
I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett
4.0
Where Everett’s novel “James” takes the enslaved Jim through a twisted version of Huckleberry Finn, this novel takes Not Sidney Poirtier through a twisted version of various Sidney Poirtier films, accompanied, appropriately, by not Ted Turner, whose TBS station likely owns all those movies and not Percival Everett, a professor of nonsense.
The first line of the book, “I am the ill-starred fruit of a hysterical pregnancy” lets you know that this will take some work to find the meaning of the story and what the author is saying. A hysterical pregnancy is a false pregnancy, so does Not Sidney exist? The book is a search for identity, among other things I suppose, or maybe it isn’t. The professor of nonsense lets you know that the book doesn’t really make sense. Maybe.
It’s satirical and funny, although not laugh out loud funny for me - but it was for many people, so I assume I’m wrong about that too.
One of the best things in the book was when Not Sidney’s mother told him that news was becoming all entertainment - everything is entertainment now. It’s only gotten worse since this book was written. Everything his mother teaches him in chapter one is accurate and depressing.
I was torn as to how many stars to give , 3 or 4
The first line of the book, “I am the ill-starred fruit of a hysterical pregnancy” lets you know that this will take some work to find the meaning of the story and what the author is saying. A hysterical pregnancy is a false pregnancy, so does Not Sidney exist? The book is a search for identity, among other things I suppose, or maybe it isn’t. The professor of nonsense lets you know that the book doesn’t really make sense. Maybe.
It’s satirical and funny, although not laugh out loud funny for me - but it was for many people, so I assume I’m wrong about that too.
One of the best things in the book was when Not Sidney’s mother told him that news was becoming all entertainment - everything is entertainment now. It’s only gotten worse since this book was written. Everything his mother teaches him in chapter one is accurate and depressing.
I was torn as to how many stars to give , 3 or 4