Black Buck
- Downloads：5790
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-01-08 04:19:01
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Mateo Askaripour
- ISBN：9780358380887
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
★ 10/05/2020
Askaripour eviscerates corporate culture in his funny， touching debut。 Darren， a young Black man， lives with his mom in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood and manages a midtown Manhattan Starbucks。 He’s content with his life and girlfriend， Soraya， but people tell him he could do more—he was valedictorian at Bronx Science， after all。 Opportunity knocks when Darren persuades Rhett Daniels， the CEO of tech startup Sumwun and a Starbucks regular， to change his usual order。 Rhett is impressed （his response: “Did you just try to reverse close me？”） and invites Darren to an interview， which leads to a sales job before he understands what the company actually does （it’s a platform for virtual therapy sessions）。 Darren makes good money， but struggles to keep up his commitments to his family and Soraya as Rhett pulls him into heavy after-hours partying。 When an employee in China is charged with murder， Sumwun crashes， and so does Darren’s life。 In an author’s note， Askaripour suggests the book is meant to serve as a manual for aspiring Black salesmen， and the device is thrillingly sustained throughout， with lacerating asides to the reader on matters of race。 （“The key to any white person’s heart is the ability to shuck， jive， or freestyle。 But use it wisely and sparingly。”） Darren， meanwhile， is alternately said by various white characters to resemble Malcolm X， Sidney Poitier， MLK， and Dave Chappelle， while he struggles to hold onto a sense of self， which the author conveys with a potent blend of heart and dramatic irony。 Askaripour is always closing in this winning and layered bildungsroman。 （Jan。）
Reviews
Starla216
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Black Buck was a great read！ I loved reading about the wacky world of sales and the culture of a tech startup。 Some of it seemed awfully outlandish， but somehow I don't doubt that it hit pretty close to the mark。 It was really interesting to see the rise and fall of "Buck" and witness how he grew and changed over the course of the novel。 I thought the whole cast of characters was interesting and entertaining。 While there were many unlikable characters， it totally fit the story and didn't take away from my enjoyment of it。 I found myself not wanting to put the book down because I just didn't know where it was going to lead。 It definitely took some unexpected twists， which added to my overall enjoyment of the book。 One of the things I liked most about the book is that while it is fictional， it's written like a memoir and sales handbook。 The reader is given lots of sales tips （most of which actually sound like valid， helpful tips for anyone in sales）。 I loved the inventive way they were worked into the book。 Overall I found this a very enjoyable book that manages to tackle some heavier topics while still being a light read。 *Thank you to netgalley for the arc copy of this book。
Louise
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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 b 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。 。。。more
Mary G。
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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 satireGood satire is funny but rooted in truth to show the reader the absurdity of reality。 @askmateo does a gre 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 satireGood 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 structureBlack Buck is written as a guide to becoming a salesperson， with Darren narrating。 I loved Darren’s asides to the reader。Excellent cast of charactersIn 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， plotLike 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。 。。。more
Traci at The Stacks
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Solid and ambitious debut。 Really funny in parts。 Reads like a movie for sure。 Would be great on screen。 The book went on way too long but what I liked I really liked and what lagged really lagged。 Audiobook reader is great！
Melissa
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This book was so good， yet horrifying？ lt was a journey to say the least and will probably update this once I sit with it for a minute。
❀ Gabriella ❀
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This book gave me a lot of first impressions。 At first read I felt like the demographic this book was written for wasn't for me。 I know next to nothing about start-ups， business， and business practices。 While I did find the story very interesting， I found much of it to be very abrasive， especially in its constant bullying and hazing that occurred in the work place。 Specifically， I didn't particularly enjoy the use of the r word on multiple occasions by the boss of the company。 It felt in poor ta This book gave me a lot of first impressions。 At first read I felt like the demographic this book was written for wasn't for me。 I know next to nothing about start-ups， business， and business practices。 While I did find the story very interesting， I found much of it to be very abrasive， especially in its constant bullying and hazing that occurred in the work place。 Specifically， I didn't particularly enjoy the use of the r word on multiple occasions by the boss of the company。 It felt in poor taste， even though I know the character's point was to be aggressive and merciless。I thought that the storyline itself was interesting and unique， and I enjoyed the character development， however I wasn't a big fan of Buck as the story progressed and that didn't really ever change for me as I kept reading。 Overall， I give this story 3。5 stars。 I enjoyed the writing style and plot line but some of the satire was lost on me as was the business themes and hierarchy concepts。 Thank you LibroFM for the ALC of this story， I definitely enjoyed the audio aspect of this book and think I would have been more lost if I had read the physical book instead。 。。。more
Dagmar
，
[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 bar [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 。。。more
Nandika | Booktrovertgirl
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I finished this book a couple of days， and I still don't know how I feel about it。Black Buck has been marketed as a satirist take on being a lone BIPOC in a startup。 I have been the lone POC a couple of times at the tech startups I have worked in， so I appreciated the take that Askaripour had on the whole thing。 But maybe， it was just to satirist for my personal taste。The progression of the story is very patchy， where there are a lot of unexplained or under-explained things that happen which sho I finished this book a couple of days， and I still don't know how I feel about it。Black Buck has been marketed as a satirist take on being a lone BIPOC in a startup。 I have been the lone POC a couple of times at the tech startups I have worked in， so I appreciated the take that Askaripour had on the whole thing。 But maybe， it was just to satirist for my personal taste。The progression of the story is very patchy， where there are a lot of unexplained or under-explained things that happen which should have been spelled out since this is a 400 page book。 Also， the main point on which this book is marketed， where Buck helps other POCs to get into the different jobs， took too long to reach。 I understand that the initial story of Buck landing the job had to be explained， but it still felt underdeveloped。 Buck also goes from likable to unlikable pretty fast and without any concrete reasons and the other characters feel like caricatures being put in to fill the void。Written in the form of a 'success manual'， the story does compel you to keep reading it。 There are obvious extremes introduced to evoke reactions from the readers， but some times they went too extreme。 The ending was a bit abrupt， and like the entire novel leaves you feeling that something was missing。I just realised that even after writing this long winded review， I don't if I liked this book or not。 😅 。。。more
Crystal Zavala
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OK。 Wow。 5 stars for the writing and storytelling。 5 stars for evoking ALL the emotions。 This book is an absolute ride！But I need to say that I hated all these characters。 And not in the love to hate kinda way。
Eileen
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4。5 starsSo 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 happe 4。5 starsSo 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。 。。。more
Chelsea Strong
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book through BookishFirst， so a thank you is in order to them before I get into my review。 I liked this book， but I wasn't in love with it and I didn't really like it。 I think a three star rating and the feeling of I like it is pretty accurate with my feelings for this book。 The book did make me feel a lot of different feelings， but I feel like I can't fully appreciate some of what was being said， because I'm a white female。 Now don't get me wrong， the bo I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book through BookishFirst， so a thank you is in order to them before I get into my review。 I liked this book， but I wasn't in love with it and I didn't really like it。 I think a three star rating and the feeling of I like it is pretty accurate with my feelings for this book。 The book did make me feel a lot of different feelings， but I feel like I can't fully appreciate some of what was being said， because I'm a white female。 Now don't get me wrong， the book states that "I'm an honorary black person" in the terms of the book （I would never think that in real life so please don't come at me）。 Let's do a deep dive into the book。 We meet our protagonist Darren Vender and he is a shift supervisor at Starbucks。 Darren doesn't want much out of life he wants to just spend time with his girlfriend Soraya One day a man comes into the coffee shop and Darren ends up talking him into getting a different drink。 Long story short Rhett （The man in the coffee shop） decides that he wants to take Darren （Who gets the nickname Buck） under his wing and give him a job at his start up company。 Buck ends up turning into a horrible person and a rich jerk after six months of climbing the corporate ladder。 He ends up spiraling and decides he wants to do some good and forms a group called Happy Campers。 He wants to try and help colored men and women gain skills that will help them get jobs in the sales world。 However a man for Buck's past is not okay with this。 He wants revenge from Buck taking his place in Rhett's company and revenge he gets。 I have some real mixed opinions on Buck as a main character。 He definitely think he is flawed and that makes him extremely relatable and realistic。 A part of me feel like after he becomes a jerk that he kind of deserves what is coming to him。 Now did I think he would go to jail for drug possession， heck no- I thought it would end up being something to do with money laundering， but I will say this Buck was pretty honest when it came to money。 He just treated the people around him pretty horribly for a long period of time。 I enjoy giving out my MVP character in a story and is something I plan to do throughout 2021。 For Black Buck my MVP goes to Brian。 Man did that boy make my heart melt。 I love his growth and how he gains confidence in himself。 I was so angry when Buck made him nearly cry。 Brian is a lover and so loyal。 I was so glad to hear he had a girlfriend by the end of the book。 。。。more
Abby Waldron
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3。5 stars。 A fun read but parts of this book were so quick and far fetched that it was almost unbelievable。 I’m curious if this was a deliberate choice made by Askaripour as a nod to the tumultuous and fast paced culture of many tech startups。
Jane
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4 starsYou 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 th 4 starsYou 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。 。。。more
Katie Katieneedsabiggerbookshelf
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Darren is just doing his job at Starbucks when the Rhett， the CEO of Sumwun， offers him a chance to work with them。 After enduring a week of pure hell training， Darren’s life quickly becomes unrecognizable to those who love him。 Suddenly he is a big shot and they “just don’t understand。” When he starts to spin out of control， he finds his footing by helping other people his age of color find a well paying job in America’s workforce。 Then things really begin to spiral。I really loved this book。 It Darren is just doing his job at Starbucks when the Rhett， the CEO of Sumwun， offers him a chance to work with them。 After enduring a week of pure hell training， Darren’s life quickly becomes unrecognizable to those who love him。 Suddenly he is a big shot and they “just don’t understand。” When he starts to spin out of control， he finds his footing by helping other people his age of color find a well paying job in America’s workforce。 Then things really begin to spiral。I really loved this book。 It was a serious topic， but also used humor in the story， both of which made it a compelling read。 I loved that the book was written like a memoir， I had to go back at first to confirm that it wasn’t。 It was also interesting to read being in a sales role myself。 I have been in many roles where the workplace diversity is similar to what Buck faces， so I loved that he was working to make the environment more diverse。 I thought Buck went from barista to big shot a little too quickly， but maybe that is just me！ Overall， This is a serious book written in a humorous tone， but focuses on some very relevant and important issues today。 I highly recommend picking up this read！ 。。。more
Annarella
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An excellent story， darkly humorous and well written。It's funny， thought provoking and disturbing at the same time， a mix that makes it a page turner you cannot put down。I loved the style of writing， the storytelling， the character development and the descriptions of the tech world。A great book that I strongly recommend。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine An excellent story， darkly humorous and well written。It's funny， thought provoking and disturbing at the same time， a mix that makes it a page turner you cannot put down。I loved the style of writing， the storytelling， the character development and the descriptions of the tech world。A great book that I strongly recommend。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Michelle Pier
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Happy Pub Day to this OUTSTANDING novel！Gang。 I stayed up way too late finishing this last night and I am absolutely FLOORED。 This book is setting the bar VERY HIGH for everything else I read this year。This was fast-paced and felt like a thriller in the sense that every chapter I was like， "ah！ wtf is gonna happen next！？"， sitting at the edge of my seat， biting my nails。 It was WILD。This is a story about Darren （buck）， a Starbucks barista who gets an opportunity to work at a tech startup in sale Happy Pub Day to this OUTSTANDING novel！Gang。 I stayed up way too late finishing this last night and I am absolutely FLOORED。 This book is setting the bar VERY HIGH for everything else I read this year。This was fast-paced and felt like a thriller in the sense that every chapter I was like， "ah！ wtf is gonna happen next！？"， sitting at the edge of my seat， biting my nails。 It was WILD。This is a story about Darren （buck）， a Starbucks barista who gets an opportunity to work at a tech startup in sales。 And he is VERY good at his job。What follows is a satirical look at systemic racism， privilege， and corporate greed。The writing was smart， sharp， and witty （as all us New Yorkers are ::insert hair flip emoji::）。 It's powerful， it's heartbreaking， it's - it's amazing ok？ I don't know what else to say！Grab your copy and go read it already so we can discuss it more！Thanks NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin for the advanced copy！ 。。。more
Deepika （deepinabook）
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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 work experience。 The book is so well-written。 While it is written as a memoir， it is a fictional 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 work 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 （the main character 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 BIPOC who's had to put up with corporate BS。 #sorrynotsorry I can also see why some people may be critical of Black Buck or think it's "not funny，" but rest assured that every BIPOC has had these experiences in the workplace and found the humor in how brutally honest Mateo Askaripour was when portraying the BIPOC workplace experience。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 。。。more
Jess
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Review to come。
Erin
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ARC from NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in exchange for an honest reviewI was extremely excited to read this book。 I have been very interested in supporting Black authors and this book just really caught my attention。 I can’t say that I loved every part of it。 I am not a sales person and the ruthlessness of the company and the head people involved made me so uncomfortable， but I am pretty sure that was the point。 I believed you were supposed to feel conflicted about Rhett。 Making excuse ARC from NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in exchange for an honest reviewI was extremely excited to read this book。 I have been very interested in supporting Black authors and this book just really caught my attention。 I can’t say that I loved every part of it。 I am not a sales person and the ruthlessness of the company and the head people involved made me so uncomfortable， but I am pretty sure that was the point。 I believed you were supposed to feel conflicted about Rhett。 Making excuses for the micro-aggressions that came out of his mouth and Clyde was a jerk from start to finish。。。 no spoiler there。 I loved the arc of Darren （Buck）。 Even though he frustrated you with decisions that were made， he was a good person deep down and it was great that you got to really see him。 I highly recommend this book。 The writing style is great！ Any book that talks to the reader， that can use second person correctly， makes me so happy as an English teacher！ But aside from that it really brings to light what Blacks in corporate America have to deal with。 The constant feeling of being “less than”。 You couldn’t help but see similarities in the Proud Boys and BLM。 As much as it is a satirical novel， the realism and seriousness of the topics addressed in this book make is a must read for 2021！ 。。。more
Alisha
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Black Buck follows the story of Darren Vender， an unambitious twenty-two-year-old， Darren lives in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother。 He’s happy with his Mom， his long term girlfriend， Soraya， his best friend Jason， and Mr。 Rawlings， the man who’s lived on the first floor of his house since before he was born。 Darren is even content with just being a shift manager at Starbucks。 But his Mom wants nothing more than for Darren to live up to his potential。 So when Rhett Daniels， the CEO of Sumwu Black Buck follows the story of Darren Vender， an unambitious twenty-two-year-old， Darren lives in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother。 He’s happy with his Mom， his long term girlfriend， Soraya， his best friend Jason， and Mr。 Rawlings， the man who’s lived on the first floor of his house since before he was born。 Darren is even content with just being a shift manager at Starbucks。 But his Mom wants nothing more than for Darren to live up to his potential。 So when Rhett Daniels， the CEO of Sumwun， New York’s newest tech startup， invites Darren to join the elite team on the thirty-sixth floor， Darren agrees。Quickly finding out he’s the only Black person in the company and after enduring a “hell week” of training， Darren gets the new name “Buck”， and turns himself into an impressive salesman who becomes unrecognizable to his friends and family。 But after a tragic event back home， Buck feels like he hit rock bottom and he begins to make plans to help young people of color make their way into the sales force and it forever changes the game。This is Mateo Askaripour’s debut novel and what a talent he is！ He definitely takes you on a journey that is wild and crazy。 This book deals with a lot， the narrator， Buck， puts it all out on the table for the readers to read and experience: racism， gentrification， white privilege， classism， etc。The story is told with small “notes” from Buck， who is talking to you from a later time。 The little notes really make the novel unique and sometimes even funny。 There are many characters and many events that keep the story going and growing。 You know it’s all somehow going to blow up， because there are so many ways it could， but how it does is the shock。This book was not what I expected at all and for that I am glad。 I will for sure be keeping Mateo Askaripour on my radar for anything he releases in the future。*Thank you Bookishfirst and HMH Publishing for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Ron Charles
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A month ago， I’d never heard of Mateo Askaripour。 Today I would buy anything from him。This young debut author apparently polished his patter as director of sales at a tech start-up。 Now he’s bounced off that success to produce an irresistible comic novel about the tenacity of racism in corporate America。 “Black Buck，” which marks the launch of an effervescent new career， is alternately sly and sweet， a work of cultural criticism that laments and celebrates the power of money。In a tradition stret A month ago， I’d never heard of Mateo Askaripour。 Today I would buy anything from him。This young debut author apparently polished his patter as director of sales at a tech start-up。 Now he’s bounced off that success to produce an irresistible comic novel about the tenacity of racism in corporate America。 “Black Buck，” which marks the launch of an effervescent new career， is alternately sly and sweet， a work of cultural criticism that laments and celebrates the power of money。In a tradition stretching back to Ben Franklin， Askaripour positions this Bildungsroman as a self-help manual， but the book is cast with a distinct hue。 Darren， the narrator， tells us， “I am a black man on a mission。 No， I am a black salesman on a mission。” Writing from his penthouse overlooking Central Park， Darren wants only to give other Black people the tools they need to fulfill their dreams。 The introduction is as American as Dale Carnegie， and the story that follows is periodically interrupted by habits of highly effective people who would make Stephen Covey proud:Reader: Watch closely and take notes。 Sales isn’t about talent， it’s about overcoming obstacles， beginning with yourself。Depending on the light， the magical sheen of Askaripour’s prose can make those bits of homespun advice look wholly sincere or wickedly parodic。 “Every day is deals day” for Darren， an ambitious Black man always working in two registers — playing along and the long game。But when the story begins， Darren is。 。 。 。To read the rest of this review， go to The Washington Post:https://www。washingtonpost。com/entert。。。 。。。more
Ben
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Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for an ARC of this title。I'm pretty sure I was the wrong audience for this book - business books might be my least favorite genre to read， and this book occasionally decides to play with the style of business book where A Noted Business Leader Tells You Their Story and Passes Along Some Tips， though I might have liked it more if it actually committed to that instead of just throwing in a "TIP: " section every so often to remind you that's where t Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for an ARC of this title。I'm pretty sure I was the wrong audience for this book - business books might be my least favorite genre to read， and this book occasionally decides to play with the style of business book where A Noted Business Leader Tells You Their Story and Passes Along Some Tips， though I might have liked it more if it actually committed to that instead of just throwing in a "TIP: " section every so often to remind you that's where the voice it's using is coming from。The two movies being thrown out in the description of this book are _Sorry to Bother You_ and _The Wolf of Wall Street_。 I only paid attention to that first descriptor， which may have been another reason it wasn't for me。 I kept waiting for the over-the-top elements to lead to something weird， sinister， and tablecloth-pulling in terms of plot， and it never came。 If this was a dubstep song， I got stuck waiting for the drop。 The character is a black man who starts as low man on the totem pole， and there's some social satire elements that are trying to make a point like _Sorry to Bother You_， but that's about it， and the satire is either too over the top or not over the top enough to be satisfying。If I had known this was more _Wolf of Wall Street_ or in the style of a business memoir， I might not have picked this up， but it might be your thing if either of those sells you on this。 。。。more
Sherwood Smith
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Darren is a good kid who loves his family and friends， and tries to be a decent part of his community。 Then he’s given an “opportunity” at an agency， where， being the only kid of color， he’s hazed horribly。 As a result he starts passing on the crap he’s taken， and his character takes a turn for the worse。 At that point he， and the other characters， become caricatures as the book levels its sarcasm artillery at the corporate world—becoming a completely different sort of book than it seemed at the Darren is a good kid who loves his family and friends， and tries to be a decent part of his community。 Then he’s given an “opportunity” at an agency， where， being the only kid of color， he’s hazed horribly。 As a result he starts passing on the crap he’s taken， and his character takes a turn for the worse。 At that point he， and the other characters， become caricatures as the book levels its sarcasm artillery at the corporate world—becoming a completely different sort of book than it seemed at the start。It felt as if the author tried to get in all the dire Messages he’s felt piling up， and thereby lost control of the narrative。 While I sympathize with， and agree with， the injustices， I was left thinking that an essay might have been far more effective than a novel that becomes a polemic。On the other tentacle， even though my impression was that this particular book was a hot mess， the heat is what makes the author someone to watch。Copy provided by NetGalley 。。。more
Susan
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Oh my gosh this book made me so uncomfortable on so many levels！ For a good portion of it I was waiting for someone from HR to come grab the book out of my hands。 Whew！ Why？ Well， because the Mr。 Askaripour holds nothing back when he writes about racism in the workplace。 It was a total HR nightmare。 No matter how much you want to say this is satire， it is exactly what happens， though hopefully not all at the same time！ Of course， despite the strong non-fiction vibe of the introduction， this book Oh my gosh this book made me so uncomfortable on so many levels！ For a good portion of it I was waiting for someone from HR to come grab the book out of my hands。 Whew！ Why？ Well， because the Mr。 Askaripour holds nothing back when he writes about racism in the workplace。 It was a total HR nightmare。 No matter how much you want to say this is satire， it is exactly what happens， though hopefully not all at the same time！ Of course， despite the strong non-fiction vibe of the introduction， this book is fiction。 Right？ And we can laugh at the ridiculous situation that Buck is placed in and pretend it isn't anything close to what happens in the real business world。 Right？ And we can cheer when Buck takes a stand and feel like we are on the side of good。 Right？ Through is dark， dry humor， Mr。 Askaripour shines a light on many of the issues still rampant through corporate America。 He doesn't let anyone off the hook， but instead hooks them with his powerful story telling and irresistible characters。Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a copy of the book。 This review is my own opinion。 。。。more
Annissa Joy Armstrong
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Thank for to HMH and Netgalley for an early copy of this book。Brilliant debut novel that I did not want to end！！So many issues are tackled in this book。。。secrets， familiar， neighborhood relationships， race， amibitiin and greed。 Darren goes to work at a start up company as the only black person there。 He is good at what he does and loses his way in life with many poor decision sound。He wants to start over but is it too late？？
Melanie Sligh
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I’ve been on this corner long enough to see tens of thousands of transactions go down。 And what I learned is that either you sellin’ somebody on yes or they sellin’ you on no。 No matter what happens， some ** gon’ be walkin’ away worse off than the other **， so you gotta figure out how tha’s never you， you feel me？” Yallllllllll。 Y’all did NOT prepare me for this book。 AT。 ALL。 First， get this on audio。 It’s amazing。 Zeno Robinson delivered this book to its true potential。 🤯 Let me try to get thr I’ve been on this corner long enough to see tens of thousands of transactions go down。 And what I learned is that either you sellin’ somebody on yes or they sellin’ you on no。 No matter what happens， some ** gon’ be walkin’ away worse off than the other **， so you gotta figure out how tha’s never you， you feel me？” Yallllllllll。 Y’all did NOT prepare me for this book。 AT。 ALL。 First， get this on audio。 It’s amazing。 Zeno Robinson delivered this book to its true potential。 🤯 Let me try to get through this review without gushing。 Y’all watch Wolf of Wallstreet and just think， “Damn， y’all are wild！” Or， “You’re in a cult， call your dad”。 That’s Black Buck， but， funnier， and with a head on approach of racism in the workplace。 Plus， a dash of real life and how people actually have lives and struggles outside of work。 On the surface， it’s a basic starting manual on the dos and donts of trying to make it in corporate America。 On the deeper side， It’s like a starting manual of what it’s like being Black in corporate America。 How boardrooms may only have one Black person in the room， how racist pranks are degrading AF and not for “just playing”。 I love how Black Buck is formatted。 It’s different and unique way of writing and y’all， it works。 Black Buck is not just about trying to achieve this “American Dream”， but literally trying to survive in a world that’s designed to make sure you never survive。 It’s about staying true to yourself and your community while still trying to assimilate into the whitewashed corporate culture。 This book took so many twists and turns I did not expect。 You loved Buck， you hated Buck， you booed Buck， you cheered for Buck。 I loved how the book wrapped up every loose end in the end。 This was not at all the journey I expected I was going to go on， but I am oh so glad I did。 Thank you so much @Libro。FM， Houghton Mifflin Harcourt， Blackstone Publishing， & @NetGalley for the gifted copy。 Black Buck is out tomorrow （01/05/2021） and is a book that deserves all the praise。 TW: use of the “r” word， whitewashing （like literally。。 white washed）， cancer， illegal drug use， assault， racism 。。。more
Phương
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Extremely grateful to have been provided this eARC by NetGalley and the publisherWell 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 wil Extremely grateful to have been provided this eARC by NetGalley and the publisherWell 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（view spoiler）[like holy shit， White Lives Matter？ Reverse racism？ That's a lot to unpack here （hide spoiler）]， 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 ⭐ 。。。more
Troy Williams | Booked by Simply Troy
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BLACK BUCKBy Mateo Askaripour @askmateo 📚 🔥 💥 💫 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟- #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 BLACK BUCKBy Mateo Askaripour @askmateo 📚 🔥 💥 💫 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟- #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。 His 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。 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 ☎️ Oh and @readwithjenna also just announced it as her January pick too so what are you waiting for and start ordering！！#BookedBySimplyTroy 😉 。#netgalleygoals #librofm #bookofthemonth #readwithjenna #mateoaskaripour #jennahagerbush #blackbuck #guyswhoread #blacklivesmatter 。。。more
Jessica Kimbel
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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 succ 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！ 。。。more
Breysreviews
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I don’t know what I was expecting from Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour， but it wasn’t what the book ended up being， in the best way。 4。75/5 stars （bumped to a 5 on all review websites）This novel is a satirical humor， built around the world of minorities in sales positions。 We start off with Darren （Buck） getting a job of a start-up therapy sales company and going through hell week。 We are taken through “hell week”， through tragedy， loss， and success。 Bucks changes and character arc throughout thi I don’t know what I was expecting from Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour， but it wasn’t what the book ended up being， in the best way。 4。75/5 stars （bumped to a 5 on all review websites）This novel is a satirical humor， built around the world of minorities in sales positions。 We start off with Darren （Buck） getting a job of a start-up therapy sales company and going through hell week。 We are taken through “hell week”， through tragedy， loss， and success。 Bucks changes and character arc throughout this story was absolutely incredible and made him one of my all time favorite characters。This novel is written in both a how-to and novel format， small peaks of hits and tips popped in。 Those are were I saw most of the funny moments。 The humor in this book is mostly satirical and so it is extreme irony。 I don’t read a lot of satire， so I may not be the best judge， but I really enjoyed the setup and the way it was written。 From the beginning to the end of this novel， we are taken through a lot of emotions。 It is very realistic and very described in a way that makes you feel like you’re going through those emotions on this wild ride。 There were moments where I was screaming at the main character， cussing them out and cheering Buck on。 And the revenge story。。。 did not see that coming， but oh my god did it add so much to the ending！This book comes out today， and I highly suggest checking it out。 Thanks so much to the publisher for my gifted copy！ 。。。more
Mrs。 Varela
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