You read that right. Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour is uncomfortable and relevant and I LOVED this book! I’ve been noodling on this book for about two weeks. There is so. much. to discuss and I’m no pro, so let’s just dive in!
Quite the Catch!
How did I come upon this book even before the ratings were exploding on Amazon? The cover caught my eye in the Book Page magazine I grab at our library. Super fun imagery, right?!
Then, I saw that Black Buck was going to be the next Read with Jenna book club selection. And I think she’s a delight. So, chalk up another reason to get the book.
Then, the author. I mean, tell me he’s not adorable. I dare you.
Factor in that I used to work in corporate America and reading books centered around office antics is still kinda fun for me. Grade A nerd here.
So in the cart it went, and I’m so very glad I grabbed it and read it quickly thereafter. Do the same. You’ll thank me.
Set Me Up
Darren Vander doesn’t have his eyes set on the stars. He’s happy to have his shift supervisor role at Starbucks to help pay the bills for the home he shares with his mom. He’s got a sweet girlfriend. What else could a guy want, right?!
In a way out-of-character moment for Darren, he speaks up and makes a case for a Starbucks customer one afternoon. This moment proves to set everything else in motion. Darren is offered an opportunity doing (cut-throat) inside sales for an online therapy company by the owner, Rhett.
Darren’s circle convinces him that he’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking the opportunity.
And things get very interesting. Fast.
Say What?
Darren becomes ‘Buck’ at this new company. Everyone gets a nickname (his is from Starbucks, get it?). There is hazing, but only for Buck. There is a ‘hell week’ for newbies like him, but it’s particularly bad for Buck. Buck looks around and notices that he’s the only Black person in the company. Things aren’t adding up.
Meanwhile, things within Buck’s circle are shifting. Or, they would say, that Buck is changing. And not all change is good.
Part Sales Manual
What’s extra incredible about this book is that it is narrated by Buck and has sales tips sprinkled throughout. If you didn’t know any better, you’d SWEAR you’re reading an instruction manual for a new sales job. But way more fun. Promise.
For example:
“Reader: one of the most important keys to success is focus. Never let anything or anyone throw you off track, especially people who seem to be born with it all.”
Uncomfortable
Ok. There are no two ways around it. This book will make you squirm.
It’s uncomfortable to read the n-word in text. It’s used a lot.
It’s uncomfortable to follow along as Buck is manipulated when it works for others.
It’s uncomfortable how accurate so many of Buck’s observations are about white people in a corporate culture (popped collars, Sperrys, how coworkers use the word ‘brother’ to Buck only, etc.).
And to be totally transparent, it’s uncomfortable to follow along so many people around Buck, including his mom, struggle financially. Sure, it’s a fictional satire, but it’s happening everywhere and has for centuries. My head isn’t in the sand on that. It’s just hard to read these words. My heart hurt for opportunities that Buck’s circle wouldn’t get or be able to take advantage of. It makes me a better, wiser, more educated person to read what I don’t know, what I haven’t lived. But gaaaaahd, does my heart hurt.
Important to read? For SURE. For me, it’s insanely important to read things that push me, that challenge my history, that re-educate the revisionist history curriculum from my school days, to learn about other people and their backgrounds.
Relevant
This book was another eye-opener for me (a white person) to get a glimpse of what it’s like to be the one who looks different. Who has to prove he’s got a seat at the table.
A quote from the book that I’ve read over and over again:
“…that I realized it was freedom that had motivated me from the very beginning. Not money, power, the need to prove myself, or even to make Ma proud, but the freedom to breathe where I want, when I want, how I want, and with whom I want in my beautiful brown skin.”
HEAVY, right? And profound. And eloquent.
This novel asks the questions we can all relate to. Does money change us? How should you feel when you’re offered an opportunity to advance yourself but those around you haven’t been offered the same opportunity? Can you make sense of being wronged when it worked out for you in the end?
Big questions!
How this author marries together one man’s struggle with identity, systemic racism, office politics AND has some of the funniest lines, it’s a legit wonder. But gahhhhd, it’s an incredible book!