Full of satiric symbolism, Black Buck is the story of a young man's journey from working at Starbucks to a start-up tech company with the allure of money and belonging. While much of the novel was.clever, I found it formulaic and, at times, simple in plot. I never liked.The main character. I didn't understand nor believe his quick transformation. The book.would be a good one to discuss as there are endless examples of racism and stereotypes and revenge and economic injustice and media and so much more. It was miss for me but am.glad I.read it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Mateo Askaripour for this electronic copy. I'm grateful.

Black Buck may have been my first read of 2021, but I’m pretty positive that it will also be one of my favorite books of the year. It’s THAT GOOD.

Black Buck is the story of Darren, a young twenty-something Starbucks barista in NYC, who is thrust into the chaotic, high-stakes world of tech start-up sales after selling the CEO of tech darling Sumwun on a better Starbucks order.

But Darren finds more than just opportunity at Sumwun… as the only Black employee he endures hazing, tokenization, and racist coworkers who want to take him down. The question becomes - can Darren’s meteoric rise be stopped? And what will he have to give up in order to achieve success?

This book is such a fun ride and that is largely in part thanks to the author’s incredible talent as a storyteller. Askaripour’s writing is propulsive and exciting and so freaking smart. It feels like he’s always one step ahead, and you just can’t wait to see what twists and punchlines he has in store for us.

In a way, this story almost feels like non-fiction, partially because of the use of second person narration and constant fourth-wall breaks… but also because Darren feels like such a real person and his voice is so genuine.

I listened to much of this book on audio and Zeno Robinson’s narration was absolutely spectacular. Robinson’s voice is so bright and dynamic, and he brought Darren’s energy and charisma to life in such an authentic way - they were a perfect match. If you’re an audiobook listener, this is one you absolutely have to check out.

To me, Black Buck type of book that breaks the boundaries of the literary fiction genre and appeals to a huge audience - it is exciting, youthful, plot and character driven, and so timely - if this book doesn’t become a tv mini-series or a movie, I will be shocked.

I loved this so much and I can’t wait to recommend it to literally everyone I know.

CW/TW - racism, racist slurs, ableist slurs, drug use, physical violence, family loss

I read this book in one day. It definitely held my interest but I'm not sure how I feel about the book. I feel like I got to have a small peek into what it is like to live as a black person in a white world (the company where he worked) but I'm not sure I agree with how he handled it. But I have nothing to compare it with from my own life.

Before reading the first word of Black Buck, close your eyes, breath deeply, then recite this definition to yourself:

Satire = The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

For if you don’t keep that definition in mind, this novel will be weighed down by its ridiculousness. The main character, Buck (so nicknamed because he worked at Starbucks), actually tells the reader repeatedly that his story is unbelievable. His story being that of a young black man who is plucked from his job making mochaccinos and thrust into the world of high-stakes sales at a New York tech startup.

The entire book is written from Buck’s first person perspective, including the Author’s Note at the beginning. There he writes, “I am a black salesman on a mission. And the point of this book - which I am writing from my penthouse overlooking Central Park - is to help other black men and women on a mission to sell their visions all the way to the top.” He’s not lying - the book is even written like a sales manual with specific tips on selling highlighted in bold for his readers.

And what if you’re not black, like this particular reader? He writes, “If you’re not black but have this book in your hands, I want you to think of yourself as an honorary black person.” If you can do that, and continue to bear in mind this is SATIRE, Black Buck is a heck of a fun read. Otherwise the plot and characters will seem too over the top and unrealistic. You need to set aside your “why’s” and “how’s” entirely. You’ll also need to excuse a lot of cringe-worthy analogies like, “colder than Jeffrey Dahmer’s freezer,” “drier than a nun’s vagina,” and “sharper than Michael Jackson’s nose.” (Groan.)

All things considered, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this debut is the January 2021 Read With Jenna book club selection. Devotees of her recommendations are in for a little something different, and I hope they’ll keep their minds open to the lessons Buck is trying to sell.

My thanks to Mateo Askaripour and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to review an advance copy via NetGalley.

Very good book. We watch Darren go from working at Starbucks to moving up when a customer offers him a job. He takes it to please others and the wild ride begins. And what a ride it is. Variety of topics are touched on and in the pages of this book we may see people we know. Well written. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

The author captured what happens when someone finds sudden success in sales. The personality of the main character, Darren, changed from a sweet guy to a sleazy salesman. Along with that, the author was able to capture the racism experience by many black young men when each of his customers said that Darren, aka Buck, reminded them of a different black celebrity. This was extremely well written. I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future.

I was really looking forward to reading this book but somehow it fell a bit flat for me. There were some very funny moments and there were some very disturbing moments along the way, but the main character left me cold after the first part of the book. I liked Darren, aka Buck, a lot at the beginning of his story, but eventually I disliked how he behaved, especially in the middle section of the book, although he does try to rehabilitate himself and make amends. One really serious misstep comes back to haunt him by the end of the book. The author touches on a lot of important current issues, focused on the status of blacks in corporate America, especially in tech startups, and in society in general. I loved some of the side characters, such as Buck’s mom, Mr. Rawlings and another neighborhood elder, Wally Cat. Buck is the narrator of the story and he makes a lot of pop culture references, which may go over the heads of a lot of readers. One that made me laugh was a reference to a “headache the size of Kanye’s ego.” This is an author to watch, even though this book wasn’t a favorite for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

'Black Buck' is one of the smartest books I've read in the past few months. From the story to the characters, there is just so much that pulls you in. It is the kind of book that hooks you from the first page and it was a quick read for me as I didn't want to put it down.

The dark humour is extremely well done but never takes away from the big issues such as greed and rampant racism in the workplace. Very fast-paced, extremely well-written and a brilliant lead character in Darren, 'Black Buck' is definitely a book that should be added to your TBR lists ASAP.

BLACK BUCK
By Mateo Askaripour @askmateo

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - @simplytroy - #BookedBySimplyTroy

This is simply a MUST for you to get this fantastic book to start off your 2021. It crackles with a fresh electricity that will make you feel alive. ⚡️✨⚡️ 📚 🔥 💥 💫

I’ve been singing the praises of this awesome book since @netgalley was kind enough to give me an advance copy to read. No joke the first 3 pages had me ready to go along on the mission - Buck’s mission - as the sole black employee at Sumwun, a NYC tech startup, after he’s handpicked by the CEO after their chance encounter at the building lobby’s @starbucks to join their sales ranks.

Darren’s (aka Buck) story will captivate you, enthrall you, piss you off, make you laugh, think deeply about race relations in the workplace and about family bonds and personal self-growth.

I love Buck because he’s a character that will stay with me forever. I’ll think about his well-being long after I’ve read this story. He’s not a perfect person and there are choices I wish he hadn’t made, but it’s real. You feel the weight of his emotions. We all make decisions in life that everyone won’t always agree with, but you still love them. Buck’s voice will stay in your head.

The book is also interspersed with amazing sales and life tips throughout that struck a cord with me as I read. It acts like an inspirational and wise sales manual within the overall story.

I read this book 📖 from #netgalley on my new @amazonkindle and then also listened to chapters on @librofm and without a doubt this audiobook is absolute 🔥 and the narrator @childish_gamzeno is dynamite 🧨 He can read any audiobook in the future for me. 🎧 📖 Then I also had to buy my own physical copy of the book from my @bookofthemonth club because I needed this on my bookshelves forever.

I can’t wait to read more from Mateo in the future. His voice in writing is bold and I’ll buy whatever he’s selling in the future. Congratulations to Mateo and @hmhbooks for this art.

Ring Ring IYKYK ☎️

Now go out and buy it everyone!! It’s out today!! January 5, 2021 Pub Date!

Oh and @readwithjenna also just announced it as her January pick today too so what are you waiting for and start ordering!!

Happy Reading Y’all!
#BookedBySimplyTroy 😉

#blackbuck #netgalleygoals #librofm #bookofthemonth #readwithjenna #mateoaskaripour #jennahagerbush
#guyswhoread #blacklivesmatter

This debut novel was incredible!!!!! I was drawn in right from the beginning and did not want this book to be over.

Darren is working at a Starbucks when he meets the head of a start up company. Darren suggests a different drink than what you as ordered and the man is so impressed by his sales pitch that he offers him a job. They start calling him Buck and his whole life changes. He is good at what he does but he loses all of his friends along the way.

He finally sees that he needs to change his life but is it too late??

My one complaint would be excessive use of the F word .

Thank you for the early copy!!!

Darren is a manager at Starbucks when he meets Rhett, CEO of an ambitious new startup. Rhett sees something special in Darren and invites him to join the sales team. Christened as Buck due to his Starbucks affiliation, Darren becomes a ruthless salesman dedicated to getting ahead at any cost. And he succeeds - until he finds himself forced to reinvent yet again.

Why I loved it:
On-point satire
Good satire is funny but rooted in truth to show the reader the absurdity of reality. @askmateo does a great job skewering startup culture and its discriminatory nature - the world presented here was true to what I’ve read in books like #UncannyValley, #Disrupted, #SuperPumped, and #BillionDollarLoser.

Engaging structure
Black Buck is written as a guide to becoming a salesperson, with Darren narrating. I loved Darren’s asides to the reader.

Excellent cast of characters
In addition to Darren, we have CEO Rhett, sales head Clyde (you’ll love to hate him!), best friend Jason, and girlfriend Soraya. Each character was well drawn and supported Darren’s story.

Plot, plot, plot
Like the startup world, this story moves fast - buckle up for a bumpy ride! I read this book in one sitting because I had to know where Darren would end up.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book should be assigned reading for all business students, and tech start up staff.

The satire is razor sharp, and this book will make you uncomfortable at times. Which is exactly why you need to read it. It would make an amazing tv mini-series, as all the commentary leaps of the page along with the character descriptions.

[Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC in return for sharing my honest assessment of this book]

Addressing the topic up front - yes, "Black Buck" is specifically about race. The name alone makes a statement, since it has a dark history rooted in the U.S.'s treatment of Black men. Black Buck is - on its surface - a quick read, but there are messages that are intended to be sticky, make us think, and perhaps shine a light on our own behavior. Darren, a young Black barista living in Brooklyn, lands himself in a very Glengarry Glenn Ross job situation. There are some larger than life 'symbolic' characters, but rather than annoy, they play the role of the Greek Chorus, highlighting messages to which we should pay attention.

While I'm not going to give away the story line, the take away is that this is a small but mighty tale that forces us to look at our conscious and subconscious preconceptions about race and racism - both in the workplace and in our general lives. RECOMMEND

4.5 stars

So I read this after reading a book about satire and how it has been used throughout history in film and books and what I read was very academic and definitely lost me at times, although I appreciated what the author was trying to do. This book showed me how satire can be used to lead people to a better understand of how racism, classism, privilege, and microaggressions occur on a daily basis. Buck is a mostly likable character and while some of the things that he talks about that happened require you to suspend your disbelief, the way it was written made me double-check to see that this was truly fiction, lol. We follow Buck through his highs and lows and cheer when he does good and slap our forehead when he makes stupid choices. His spiral down into being what his family and friends did recognize seemed to happen way too quickly, but as the book moves from one major part of his career to the next, it skips the time in between, making his spiral seem even quicker. But this story was very well-crafted and I loved the insertions of sales advice that the author put after a certain passage to basically summarize the important point having to do with being a great salesman. Does this story have a happy ending? I feel like any story having to do with a black man trying to better himself in this country would have a hard time having a truly happy ending, especially in today's climate. Yet, I hope this is a book that will end up being assigned in college classrooms to be discussed because there is definitely a lot to unpack in this book. As a heads-up, there is some sex, casual drug use, and violence that occurs in this book, so while some older teens could handle it, parents should read this and decide when their kids are old enough to read it. Overall, this was a very good read and as much as I don't often get satire, I really enjoyed this one.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

I love this book. It starts off slowly, setting the scene and giving the reader a glimpse into Darren's safe, predictable life working as a shift manager at Starbucks and spending time with his mother and girlfriend. One day he gets recruited to be a salesperson in an elite, cut-throat start-up company, and that’s when the pace of the book takes off and doesn’t slow down until the end. Darren is the only African American person in the company, and his supervisor nicknames him "Buck". The running "joke" throughout the book is that various colleagues tell him he looks like one or another African American actor. Buck is taken under the wing of the company CEO and once he begins work, the two become close.

After a tragedy occurs both at work and home, the wheels start to fall off Buck's life. He starts to quickly spiral downward until a chance encounter causes him to focus on giving back to his community by secretly training other eager African American people to succeed in sales like he did. As more of his trainees begin entering the work force, a past enemy arises to challenge his efforts.

I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in one sitting. The writing is sharp and Buck's character arc is wonderful to read. My only criticism is that the last few chapters seemed to really veer out into left field and the reader is asked to suspend disbelief to accept these events. I didn't care for this part of the book, but others may have a different opinion.

Overall, this is a fun book to read and I recommend you pick up a copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Black Buck delivered! A satirical story about greed, ambition and racism. The ultimate how-to guide on how to fix the game and rise to the top.

I've never been more amped to read a book than I was after reading the intro. I love that Buck is telling this story to the reader. It makes reading this book feel more personal and at times even conversational. TBH, sometimes I was Brenda (from Scary Movie) while reading this one. If you like satirical novels, Black Buck is a must-read! So, what are you waiting for?

A strong debut novel that brought me back to my younger years when I was in sales. Was not at all a fan of the derogatory language or use of the "R" word. The premise of a young man from a competitive high school who has a strong lack of motivation until a chance meeting at his job is the premise of an incredible story.

I really liked this book! It wasn't a story I'd usually pick up, but from the first chapter, I was hooked by the writing and voice. An almost disturbing story about startups, ambition, and choosing your priorities.

Do you subscribe to any book boxes? I only subscribe to @bookofthemonth, because it’s a great value and I don’t need a lot of bookish extras (just give me the books!) I have a link to sign up in my bio, and full transparency, I get a free book if you use it 😅😍🤩 and you get a discount and your own referral code 🥳

My BOTM picks are here! I know everybody seems to have picked up @janeharperauthor’s The Survivors but has anyone else picked Mateo Askaripour’s Black Buck? I have a netgalley arc of it and 💯 needed a copy for my shelf. To boot, it’s Black Buck’s pub day and it was chosen for Read with Jenna’s Today Show Book Club Pick ☕️

#botmreferral #botm #bookofthemonth #bookofthemonthclub #bookbox #booksubscriptionbox #booksubscription #booksandcoffee #coffeeandbooks #coffeeandcurrentlyreading #booksandbeans #blackbuck #netgalley #thesurvivors #janeharper #bookish #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookmail #bookmailisthebestmail #bookhaul #januarybooks #bookstafam #bookcommunity #bookstagramcommunity #booksta #readingbooks #bookreader #instabooks #instabookstagram

Darren Vender is happily managing his shift at Starbucks after graduating as valedictorian of his class at one of New York’s most prestigious science and math high schools, while living with his mother, and dating his high school sweetheart. In walks Rhett Daniels, CEO of Sumwum, a thriving tech start-up floors above Darren at 3 Park Avenue. Darren sells Rhett on a different coffee than his norm and Rhett offers him a job. Nicknamed “Buck” during rigorous Hell Week training, he struggles to succeed, but finally makes the cut and starts as a SDR, sales desk representative. With Rhett as his mentor, Buck nails a deal to save the company when it looks like all is lost catapulting him to fame and riches. Along the way, he forgets who he was and steps on others to get there. Can Buck apologize and get back the love of the only people who truly knew and cared for him?

I can see clearly why this was compared to the Wolf of Wall Street and I agree there are similarities, but in my opinion, Black Buck was richer, meatier, and more developed. The intriguing, in-depth characters kept the story moving and my interest throughout the book. Over the course of the novel, I loved, hated, pitied, and felt many other emotions for Buck. Inspiring and educational read for the new year!