Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour was a sharp look at the rise of a young African American former-Starbucks barista as he grows into wealth and achieves his version of the American dream, sacrificing parts of his identity along the way. Though I am not an own voices reviewer, this book challenged me and changed how I view Wall Street and the achievability of the American Dream for minority groups. I highly recommend this book to all readers, regardless of genre, because of its eye opening magic and powerful writing.

I’m so conflicted about this book. Let me be clear, it’s well written and not at all boring. It’s just, a little too derivative of “Sorry To Bother You” and then becomes incongruous at the end. I’m going to say that fans of dark comedy will enjoy the book nonetheless.

Please excuse me while I continue to shout my praises for this book from the mountain tops ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I genuinely do not know where to start with Black Buck. This book is SO timely. While I want to say Black Buck should be a required read for high schoolers or college students, I think some of it's weight (i.e., the reality of the interworkings of the corporate world) may be lost on people who haven't had that experience.

The book is so well-written. While it is written as a memoir, it is a fictional novel but SO FREAKIN' believable. The book had a lot of depth and touched on many different, yet interwoven, parts of Darren's, AKA Buck, life and evoked a lot of emotions from me. I was sucked into the novel pretty quickly and absolutely could not put it down. My only regret is not reading it as soon as I was approved on Netgalley. I need someone to option this book for a movie ASAP.

Black Buck is satirical and very relatable to any POC who's had to put up with corporate BS. #sorrynotsorry I already know I'll be thinking about this book for a very long time and already cannot wait to read it. I absolutely cannot wait to read whatever else Mateo Askaripour puts out next.

#sameteamsamedream

Three and a half stars for Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour. This satire was an interesting read - at times, I really thought it hit its mark, and at other times, I wasn’t quite sure of the point it was making. It’s immensely readable, and some of the more overt gags landed, including a recurring bit where the white characters compare the protagonist, a young Black man, to every famous Black man they have seen. The sales messages interspersed throughout the novel are poignant at times, but the story itself didn’t always click with me. I’m interested to read more from Askaripour in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Black Buck was super entertaining and not like a lot of what I normally read. While the story was out there, the characters felt real. Really enjoyed!

Following the character arc of Darren is certainly an interesting, winding ride. This subtle satire took me along on Buck's journey from behind the counter of Starbucks to his penthouse overlooking Central Park, with quite a few stops in between. I felt almost maternal towards him - even though at times I abhorred his choices and behavior, I wanted so badly to see him succeed. This reflective commentary on life, race, and drive will stick with me.

*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Thoroughly impressed with this debut novel. Absolutely necessary in today’s world, Askaripour has carved out his own little literary niche with “Black Buck.” Reminiscent, at times, of Vonnegut, it still managed to possess a satirical tone completely of it’s own. I loved the arc of Buck’s transformation and the unique way in which Mateo spun these “manual for life” lessons into a character study. This shapeshifting quality lends itself to both readers looking for sentiment, or satire. The, at once, slow-burn pace flawlessly unfolds into a 400-page absurdist parody, with Buck center stage, hilariously yet heart-wrenchingly attempting to get a grip on his identity in a world not entirely welcoming to him. Fresh, and edgy, Black Buck is one of my most thought-provoking books of the month, and I am eager to see what this author challenges me with next.

Darren was the valedictorian of his high school graduating class but he hasn’t been able to move beyond a job working in Starbucks. He still lives with his mother in their home in Bed-Stuy and hangs out with his friends.

One day Rhett Daniels, the CEO of Sumwun, comes into Starbucks and orders his regular takeout coffee. Darren goes out of his way to sell him on an entirely different cup of coffee than his usual. Rhett enjoys the new taste, appreciates Darren’s boldness, and offers Darren an opportunity to join his firm in a sales position.

Once Darren accepts, he must endure a wretched week of training before he is accepted as the only Black member of the company and he consequently emerges with the name of Buck. Buck becomes an outstanding member of the sales team. However, as he changes from being Darren to being called Buck he becomes ruthless and loses the best part of himself. His friends and family no longer recognize him and so he decides to move on without them.

A tragic event brings him to a low point in his life before he chances upon a way to help himself and other young people of color. He teaches them how to be self confident while he instructs them on the basics of sales. These young people are then armed with the skills and knowledge to obtain jobs. Unfortunately, his efforts initiate a chain of events that prove to be disastrous not only for him but for many others.

This book is many things. It is first of all a satire on the business world and the members of its sales forces. The world of the news media also gets a poke of satire from the author. While the text is of a satirical bent, the author occasionally intersperses the fictional text with authentic and valuable advice both on how to be a good salesperson as well as a productive member of society.

This debut explores the issues of racism and social injustice in a very unique and thought provoking format. While the exaggeration in some of the scenes and circumstances may seem absurd, it serves to reinforce the author’s objectives.

My one word of caution is that the book contains language, violence and sex that could be offensive to some readers. I was entertained, intrigued, and invested in Buck’s story even though I was at first skeptical about reading the book. The lessons that Buck learns and the advice that the author inserts are additional valuable takeaways from the book. Approach this book with an open mind and it will not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the egalley of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'll start off by saying that this book is pretty absurd. It's billed as satire, and the plot is over-the-top. But I still really enjoyed it! It was unlike anything else I've read before. I've never seen Wolf of Wall Street, but I got similar vibes from this book. The obvious difference is that this book deals with issues of race and privilege head-on. Parts of it are funny, parts of it are sad, and parts of it will make you really angry. I recommend it if you're looking for something different to spice up your reading routine!

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Black Buck Book Review
Black Buck Book Review
January 18, 2021 milelongtbr 2 Comments


What to say about Black Buck?

I read this book a few weeks ago and I’ve been sitting on my thoughts before writing a review.

It was obvious immediately that I LOVED the book, but there is simply so much to unpack with this book amidst a cast of rich characters and a rollercoaster of a plot.

Summary:
At 22 years old Darren is working at an NYC Starbucks. Formerly the Valedictorian of his prestigious high school he’s now lacking ambition and direction and is happy hanging with his girlfriend in the upstairs apartment of his mother’s home.

After impressing a CEO customer by selling him a coffee other than his usual order, he gives Darren an opportunity to join the sales team at his startup. Darren hesitantly accepts – and takes us along on his journey of being hazed at the company for his first week’s initiation, his experience of being the only Black salesperson in the company, and all the ways making this jump impact his life.



It’s a wild ride, to say the least as Darren, or “Buck,” goes from barista to salesman to advocate for other people of color wanting to get ahead in business. But what is the cost of his advancement? Will he lose sight of the values he held and the people he loves?

In Black Buck, readers who get something out of this book are urged to buy a copy for a friend.

Is debut author Mateo Askaripour having his salesman narrator tell us this as a clever ploy to sell more books?

Maybe, but it’s worth the read so I want to give you the chance to read and see for yourself exactly what the story is about.

Keep reading for details on how to get your own copy of Black Buck!

Analysis:
If there’s one thing I love in a book it’s juxtapositions, and Black Buck hit the nail on the head in this regard.

The book is largely about everyday life and yet takes us on a number of twists and turns of fate that are anything but mundane.



There are moments that will make you laugh out loud and ones that feel like a punch of the gut- bringing you through every range of emotion. I love books that do this and do it well, and the scope of this story certainly makes this possible,

There’s satire on corporate America alongside social commentary about gentrification, class, and privilege.

Additionally, all the characters in this book are so vibrant. From Darren's’ girlfriend Soraya to his mother and coworkers everyone is well-developed and could easily have a book of their own.

“Buck” especially is complex, honest, and raw and I love the way Askaripour used the narration style- and even the occasional breaking of the fifth wall. While risky, it absolutely works in this case and I’m glad he made this choice in style.

The writing was excellent and the story was extremely fast-paced, making this a compelling read.

Black Buck was unlike anything I'd ever read before: part self-help book, part memoir, it tells the story of a young Black man who went from working at Starbucks to becoming a big shot salesman at a startup tech company. Not, of course, without making some sacrifices and learning a few hard lessons along the way.⁠
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But Black Buck isn't a "how I made it" kind of story - it's a satire and, albeit inspired by the author's real-life experiences, a work of fiction about the very real issues surrounding race and ambition in the workplace. While characters and situations were meant to be exaggerated for comical purposes, I had no trouble at all imagining the nonchalant, cringe-worthy racist behavior, the cult-like mentality and the out-of-touchness that's usually typical of white people and their startup businesses. Racism has many forms in this book, from flat-out insults and aggressions to complete disregard of the character's opinion, or the comments about how he looks like different famous black people.⁠
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Black Buck wasn't a perfect book, but it was a necessary book and one I'm glad to have read this year. Darren's life was a rollercoaster and overall, this was a dark, funny, very entertaining story I read in pretty much one sitting.

3.5 I keep changing my mind on how to rate this one. The novel is dripping with satire, and its portrayal of racist corporate America is horrifying and enlightening and needs to be told. The author does a great job of shining a light on his experiences in a format that will get a lot of people thinking and learning about what really goes on in tech companies and corporations everywhere.
My problem with the book came in the latter half when the novel went from satirical to farce and seemed to lose the plot so to speak. That shouldn't keep others from reading this because it is only one persons opinion and I think the message is very important. By the looks of things this book is getting high praise in many important publications so I hope it does get a wide readership.

I enjoyed this book and can definitely appreciate the unique perspective. As someone who's spent most of my career working in sales for tech companies/startups, I may have been the wrong audience? I think it can be hard to read a fictional story about something so close to your life, so for those reasons this just wasn't a favorite of mine.

This book was super unique. It is similar to Wolf of Wall Street or Industry on HBO. The premise is a young black man getting a job for a face-paced sales start-up, and he gets sucked in by his newfound love of money and power and screws over his loved ones and those who have always been there for him before he was powerful. There's also a focus on racial stereotypes and micro/macro aggressions in the business world.

I enjoyed the start/middle, but towards the end with the different "gangs" of sales people, I felt it was getting a little farfetched, but it still held my interest to the end!

I loved this humor and the fun lightheartedness of this book. Got me out of a bad book slump that I was in. I think people are gonna love this one, I know I did

3.5/5

I have some mixed feelings about this book. The first quarter of the book didn’t really appeal to me and I almost put the book down. The satire was a bit over the top and the workplace abuse was too much to handle (later in the book, this all made more sense). Once I got to the second half of the book, the plot took an unexpected turn and I was hooked. As things got more and more interesting, I couldn’t put the book down! Then in the last part, things got a little bit too over the top for my likings again. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and recommend it.

Also, I really loved Soraya. It’s so rare to see Arab representation in books so that was great!

Why did it take me 9 days to finish a fast paced book? I don’t know. Mark this one as part inspirational and part fantasy and all a journey. Darren aka Buck goes from Starbucks lead to sales guru with everyone wanting to be like him to learn. I didn’t like all the characters and sometimes I didn’t like Buck. I believe he grew and learned and in the end did share his smarts.
I pushed through for many reasons but this book didn’t wow me.

I really appreciate being able to read an author's first piece of published work -- their debut often feels personal and is an exciting time in their lives. That's no different from Mateo Askaipour's work, this debut novel felt deeply personal and seemingly important for many to read.

Personally, I gave it 3 stars and i'll explain why. First we'll start with the positives. I really enjoyed Mateo's writing and it did not feel like a debut novel. The writing was easy to follow (especially for literary fiction) and actually quite hilarious in parts. I felt that the beginnign 3rd was very strong and captivated my attention, urging me to continue for more.

On the flip side, I wasn't completely sold by the plot as it continued to get a little more far-fetched as it went on. I felt that the characters who worked at the corporation (Rhett & Clyde) were excruciatingly painful to listen to (which may have been the point) but they just continually rubbed me the wrong way.

I'd say this is an important read for the underlying message but it will not be for everyone. However, I am excited to check out more work from this author!

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

Oh what can I say about this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat a lot of times and I just couldn’t predict anything. This book is great and I highly recommend it. Be careful what you do when you go after success. Always remember who you are and the people who should mean the most to you. This rose to success can be a struggle but when you make good decisions it can be done however when your ego gets in the way, watch out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a solid read for me. Gave me pause at times. I did feel that the last quarter was a little Disconnected from the first part of the book but really enjoyed it