United States
![Mateo Askaripour - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B089DS5KJS.jpg)
Black Buck
A New York Times Bestseller
A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize
"Askaripour closes the deal on the first page of this mesmerizing novel, executing a high wire act full of verve and dark, comic energy."
-Colson Whitehead, author of The Nickel Boys
"A hilarious, gleaming satire as radiant as its author. Askaripour has announced himself as a major talent of the school of Ralph Ellison, Paul Beatty, Fran Ross, and Ishmael Reed. Full of quick pacing, frenetic energy, absurd-yet spot on-twists and turns, and some of the funniest similes I've ever read, this novel is both balm and bomb."
-Nafissa Thompson-Spires, author of Heads of the Colored People
For fans of Sorry to Bother You and The Wolf of Wall Street-a crackling, satirical debut novel about a young man given a shot at stardom as the lone Black salesman at a mysterious, cult-like, and wildly successful startup where nothing is as it seems.
There's nothing like a Black salesman on a mission.
An unambitious twenty-two-year-old, Darren lives in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother, who wants nothing more than to see him live up to his potential as the valedictorian of Bronx Science. But Darren is content working at Starbucks in the lobby of a Midtown office building, hanging out with his girlfriend, Soraya, and eating his mother's home-cooked meals. All that changes when a chance encounter with Rhett Daniels, the silver-tongued CEO of Sumwun, NYC's hottest tech startup, results in an exclusive invitation for Darren to join an elite sales team on the thirty-sixth floor.
After enduring a "hell week" of training, Darren, the only Black person in the company, reimagines himself as "Buck," a ruthless salesman unrecognizable to his friends and family. But when things turn tragic at home and Buck feels he's hit rock bottom, he begins to hatch a plan to help young people of color infiltrate America's sales force, setting off a chain of events that forever changes the game.
Black Buck is a hilarious, razor-sharp skewering of America's workforce; it is a propulsive, crackling debut that explores ambition and race, and makes way for a necessary new vision of the American dream.
A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize
"Askaripour closes the deal on the first page of this mesmerizing novel, executing a high wire act full of verve and dark, comic energy."
-Colson Whitehead, author of The Nickel Boys
"A hilarious, gleaming satire as radiant as its author. Askaripour has announced himself as a major talent of the school of Ralph Ellison, Paul Beatty, Fran Ross, and Ishmael Reed. Full of quick pacing, frenetic energy, absurd-yet spot on-twists and turns, and some of the funniest similes I've ever read, this novel is both balm and bomb."
-Nafissa Thompson-Spires, author of Heads of the Colored People
For fans of Sorry to Bother You and The Wolf of Wall Street-a crackling, satirical debut novel about a young man given a shot at stardom as the lone Black salesman at a mysterious, cult-like, and wildly successful startup where nothing is as it seems.
There's nothing like a Black salesman on a mission.
An unambitious twenty-two-year-old, Darren lives in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother, who wants nothing more than to see him live up to his potential as the valedictorian of Bronx Science. But Darren is content working at Starbucks in the lobby of a Midtown office building, hanging out with his girlfriend, Soraya, and eating his mother's home-cooked meals. All that changes when a chance encounter with Rhett Daniels, the silver-tongued CEO of Sumwun, NYC's hottest tech startup, results in an exclusive invitation for Darren to join an elite sales team on the thirty-sixth floor.
After enduring a "hell week" of training, Darren, the only Black person in the company, reimagines himself as "Buck," a ruthless salesman unrecognizable to his friends and family. But when things turn tragic at home and Buck feels he's hit rock bottom, he begins to hatch a plan to help young people of color infiltrate America's sales force, setting off a chain of events that forever changes the game.
Black Buck is a hilarious, razor-sharp skewering of America's workforce; it is a propulsive, crackling debut that explores ambition and race, and makes way for a necessary new vision of the American dream.
Editorial Reviews
An Instant New York Times Bestseller A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick Long-listed for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize Long-listed for the Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize An Indie Next Pick Apple's Best of January Amazon's Spotlight Best Pick of the Month One of Barnes & Noble Reads "Most Anticipated for January" One of Entertainment Weekly's "Best Books to Keep You Warm this January" One of Washington Post's "10 Books to Read in January" One of NBC News' "10 of the Best Fiction Books by Black Authors in 2021" One of Fortune's "Best Books for January" One of Shondaland's "Best Five Books for January" One of Essence's "21 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2021" One of WIRED's "Picks for the 10 Books You Have to Read This Winter" One of O, the Oprah Magazine's "33 of the Best Beach Reads to Help You Escape" One of Vulture's "46 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2021" One of Elle's "55 Best Books to Read in 2021" One of Marie Claire's "29 Best New 2021 Books" One of Vanity Fair's "Books to Get You Through Winter" One of E! Online's "17 Books to Add to Your Reading List in January" One of The Root's "PageTurners: We're in for a Hell of Year" One of AV Club's "5 New Books to Read in January" One of Marie Claire's "35 Must-Read 2021 Book Releases by Black Authors" One of Cosmopolitan's "Best New Books 2021" One of the New York Post's "Best New Books to Read" One of PopSugar's "Books Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2021" One of Literary Hub's "Most Anticipated Books of the Year" One of Parade's "Best New Books to Read this Winter" One of Thrillist's "30 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2021" One of Reader's Digest's "25 Best Books by Black Authors You'll Want to Know About" One of PopSugar's "Best Books of January" One of Book Riot's "10 Propulsive 2021 Books Everyone Will Be Talking About" One of Poets & Writer's "New and Noteworthy" One of SheReads' "The Best 12 Books of Winter" One of Alma's "Favorite Books for Winter 2021" One of Book Riot's "January Book Recommendations" One of Black Business Guide's "21 Books by Black Writers to Read in 2021" One of Debutiful's "10 Debut Books You Should Read this January" One of Write o...
Readers Top Reviews
Jen
Full of verve and truth and blisteringly sharp satire. I can’t recommend highly enough. Just read it and enjoy and learn. Brilliant.
SamanthaSamanthaJ
I read mixed reviews but took a gamble and ordered the book and loved it. I really liked the readers notes. Black Buck’ is about Darren Vender, a resident of Brooklyn, who manages a Starbucks in midtown Manhattan. One day, he convinces a steely regular customer, Rhett, to try a different blend of coffee - and such is his skill and effect, Rhett convinces Darren (known as ‘Buck’) to come work for him at Sumwun, a hugely successful enterprise. Omg I love Starbucks coffee, but this had me thinking….Yes. I. Hate. Coffee. It’s black crack. Nothing more. Anyone who drinks coffee craves it, needs it, and shakes, scratches, jerks, and twerks for it every minute it’s not coursing through their collapsed veins. - Black Buck I’ll recommend this over and over again.
Georgiachae howel
I had great hopes for this book after hearing some positive buzz on it. I am sure it is this young man's fantasy, which would have been fine had he not created such a stereotype-filled cast of characters. The plot itself is erratic and largely boring, reading like a YA novel trying to shock with adult language and situations. Realizing this is a first attempt I did give him two stars.
Julie WhiteLynett
I bought this on Amazon after seeing Jenna Bush Hager promote it on the Today Show as part of her book club. I had high expectations based on her description and it was the first book she recommended that I have read. Maybe I am not her audience. As a white woman with an MBA who is married to a black entrepreneur with a law degree and with our biracial daughter just graduating from college and entering the financial services industry I thought it might be interesting. It is a simple read. Stereotyped characters and quick unrealistic rags to riches success story. I wish success to the new author and hope he spends more time on character development with his next effort.
knitnreadJulie Wh
This book was a roller coaster that made me think about white privilege, cultural appropriation, racial injustice, and the strengths and weaknesses of persuasion and rhetoric. Well written and plotted, I learned so much and am questioning so much more.
