whitmc's review
5.0
Out of this world writing. Sometimes it took me 5 minutes to read one sentence because there was so much packed into the sentences. It took me a month to read this book; I had to keep putting it down for more mindless summer reads (summer + pregnancy brain makes for slow reading of real books). It's funny, but not in the laugh-out-loud comical way, but in the "OMG that's so true, oh crap, that's depressing" satire kind of way. Beatty does what he is doing very well.
The description is a bit off--the sweeping reforms spoken of in the jacket are not exactly sweeping, nor reforms, really just an acceptance of what already is.
The description is a bit off--the sweeping reforms spoken of in the jacket are not exactly sweeping, nor reforms, really just an acceptance of what already is.
nerdyrev's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book up because it was on the NY Times best of 2015. I am glad I did because I found this book absolutely hysterical in its ironic and biting humor.
If I didn't know who the author was and just picked this book up blind, I would have declared this the most racist piece of work that I have ever read, even beyond Huck Finn! A black man who raises watermelon (and other fruits), who's best friend is the other black child on the Little Rascals and happens to love racism, who restarts his town re-segregates schools, and puts up give up seats to white customers signs on his buses. This is a twisted story, but knowing the entire time it was written not only for the shock, but for the irony, it was a funny, funny book. I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of the stuff.
It becomes disjointed in places and doesn't have the easiest flow, but it is worth the read, but only if you can handle a lot of "n-words" thrown about, deep racism, and can take a joke. If not, it isn't for you. It was for me.
If I didn't know who the author was and just picked this book up blind, I would have declared this the most racist piece of work that I have ever read, even beyond Huck Finn! A black man who raises watermelon (and other fruits), who's best friend is the other black child on the Little Rascals and happens to love racism, who restarts his town re-segregates schools, and puts up give up seats to white customers signs on his buses. This is a twisted story, but knowing the entire time it was written not only for the shock, but for the irony, it was a funny, funny book. I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of the stuff.
It becomes disjointed in places and doesn't have the easiest flow, but it is worth the read, but only if you can handle a lot of "n-words" thrown about, deep racism, and can take a joke. If not, it isn't for you. It was for me.
kilkilshah's review
2.0
This is supposed to be a satire but I guess I'm not smart enough to fully understand it. It has a few funny parts but on the whole I feel like the author tries to be shocking for the sake of being shocking. I wasn't able to parse through the absurdity to figure out what the main message was supposed to be. Personally I don't find this kind of humor that funny.
laviskrg's review against another edition
5.0
This book is definitely not for everyone and by this, I don't just mean the faux intellectuals who spend their adult years reading about epic highschool angst and romances. I mean it really takes a certain amount of social knowledge, of historical interest, of curiosity and maturity to appreciate this splendid and utterly relevant social satire. It takes time to understand a lot of the references and it takes a minimum of interest in the status and recent history of black people in America.
And although it is a satire and it is written in a humorous, light-hearted way, I found myself more close to tears than laughter because it is just that real and poignant.
The characters are developed in a way which would be deemed insufficient in a lesser story, but this book should not be read as a story, but as a social experiment based in reality. It is speculative and illustrative and thus, the characters are perfectly designed.
The action as it is does fizzle out in the end and I will admit I did want an epic middle finger to America but I think the ending and the final paragraphs named "Closure" are in fact, a better choice considering the general style.
Recommend to open-minded, curious people who can read behind the genre and who have an honest respect and interest for the non-white social situation of today. So basically, few will truly enjoy this, but it should be taught in schools.
And although it is a satire and it is written in a humorous, light-hearted way, I found myself more close to tears than laughter because it is just that real and poignant.
The characters are developed in a way which would be deemed insufficient in a lesser story, but this book should not be read as a story, but as a social experiment based in reality. It is speculative and illustrative and thus, the characters are perfectly designed.
The action as it is does fizzle out in the end and I will admit I did want an epic middle finger to America but I think the ending and the final paragraphs named "Closure" are in fact, a better choice considering the general style.
Recommend to open-minded, curious people who can read behind the genre and who have an honest respect and interest for the non-white social situation of today. So basically, few will truly enjoy this, but it should be taught in schools.
amyteiwes's review against another edition
2.0
Struggled through this one. Some beautifully written passages, but don't think I got it overall unfortunately.
lukija's review
4.0
Mitä ihmettä mä just luin?? Tämä oli ensimmäinen reaktioni suljettuani kirjan kannen. Rohkea, häpeilemätön ja omaperäinen ote rotukysymyksiin yhdysvaltaisessa kontekstissa. Päähenkilö on musta farmari länsirannikolta, joka on kasvanut isänsä sosiaalipsykologisten kokeilujen tuloksena ja päätyy taistelemaan kotipaikkansa oikeudesta pysyä kartalla (siis ihan konkreettisesti), tukee sosiaalista segregaatiota asuinalueensa koulutusjärjestelmässä ja päätyy omistamaan mustan orjan, minkä vuoksi joutuu syytetyksi korkeimmassa oikeusasteessa. Nyrjähtänyt olo lukukokemuksessa saattoi tulla päähenkilön inhimillisyydestä (ei stereotyyppinen maanomistaja-julmuri). Huumori piilee tarinan, kielen ja henkilögallerian absurdeissa piirteissä.
mdo2017's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
lngoo's review
challenging
funny
informative
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? It's complicated
4.25
Took a little bit for me to get into it, but I’m glad I stuck with it, it’s an extraordinary book