phngtrnreads's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely grateful to have been provided this eARC by NetGalley and the publisher
Well well well, this... is a surprise for me, since I never got along well with books about business and sales. But a fiction about business and systemic racism tho...
In Black Buck, we follow Darren "Buck" Vender, a former employee in Starbucks, met by a life-changing opportunity from the CEO of an uprising start-up company in New York and a more promising position than being a master barista. Of course, nothing will be ever easy when you are an inexperienced black man working in an all-white office where people tell you they are, in no way, racist but then proceed to be as blatantly racist as possible.
A lot of things go on from this point, like, A LOT. Which is probably why I found the book really gripping. Many events, many characters, and his interactions with them come into play, and these influence greatly our main character and his decisions, with a bunch of sale lessons inserted here and there. Still, I'd have loved to the book stretched out a bit more, since some details seemed to be out of nowhere, and I don't think some other subplots have found their closures.
Besides the satire, which was so ridiculous yet realistic and thought-provoking, I don't have much to say about Askaripour's writing. But I was suggested to have an open mind and I'd also recommend other readers to try this out.
Basically, a great and fun read. 4/5 ⭐
Well well well, this... is a surprise for me, since I never got along well with books about business and sales. But a fiction about business and systemic racism tho...
In Black Buck, we follow Darren "Buck" Vender, a former employee in Starbucks, met by a life-changing opportunity from the CEO of an uprising start-up company in New York and a more promising position than being a master barista. Of course, nothing will be ever easy when you are an inexperienced black man working in an all-white office where people tell you they are, in no way, racist but then proceed to be as blatantly racist as possible.
A lot of things go on from this point, like, A LOT. Which is probably why I found the book really gripping. Many events, many characters, and his interactions with them come into play, and these influence greatly our main character and his decisions, with a bunch of sale lessons inserted here and there. Still, I'd have loved to the book stretched out a bit more, since some details seemed to be out of nowhere, and I don't think some other subplots have found their closures.
Besides the satire, which was so ridiculous yet realistic and thought-provoking
Spoiler
like holy shit, White Lives Matter? Reverse racism? That's a lot to unpack hereBasically, a great and fun read. 4/5 ⭐
bookishkellyn's review against another edition
While the author was trying to make a point, the instances of microaggressions the main character had to endure made me sick/angry in just the first 10 chapters.
kristen_eden's review against another edition
5.0
I can see how this book might be hard to like. It's a satire, written in the style of a fake self-help book. That being said, I loved it. It was sharp and funny and uncomfortable and so so fast-paced.
kmc05's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
4.0
joyyboyy's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning captured me, the middle got rocky, and nearing the end it felt a bit directionless. I loved the plot twist (hated it, but you know what I mean) and I really think the narrators voice was well portrayed throughout - the difference between being in the story and the 20/2 hindsight was a new perspective for me I enjoyed!
historyofjess's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I blame the marketing blurb a little for this book being a bit of a let down. You can't compare something to Sorry to Bother You that has nothing like that film's imagination and creative bravery. This book...it's fine. It's not particularly inventive and I didn't find that it did anything particularly new and exciting with the racial issues it took on. It's just okay.
kielywilcox's review against another edition
5.0
So original!! It’s a lot of different stories but I loved it. Very theranos meets BLM meets mystery??
ktxx22's review against another edition
3.0
I had a really hard time with this book. I enjoyed it 50% of the time. Satire, unfortunately, doesn’t always stick the landing with me, and this one in particular missed its mark. The middle of this book messed with me big time, and the beginning and ending while I enjoyed them more they also had moments of WTF energy as well. It reminded me a lot of Wolf of Wall-street and Wall-street the movies and probably because of that it really made me angry at these folks who do these things with money. I also happened to read this right when the GameStop fiasco with the stock market was at its highest so I’m sure that played into my enjoyment (or lack there of)of this book as well. Biggest plus on this book is seeing POC in these roles and further how they move forward and in that space.
abigailrbrown's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.5