Fiction

Hell of a Book

Hell of a Book

  • Downloads：5514
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-29 08:30:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jason Mott
  • ISBN：059333096X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Joefel ，

（Review Coming Soon！）

Priscila Patatas ，

This ARC was offered in exchange of an honest and impartial review:•5*Pros: As said in the title and in nearly every page， this is a hell of a book。 In truth， not as much of a book as a whole experience， an event you almost have to dress up for and mark your calendars。 It is a must-read， but it does take preparation going into it。 Beautiful， truly exquisite narrative and description style。 Saying that it portrays the experience of being Black in America is an oversimplification， but it does enco This ARC was offered in exchange of an honest and impartial review:•5*Pros: As said in the title and in nearly every page， this is a hell of a book。 In truth， not as much of a book as a whole experience， an event you almost have to dress up for and mark your calendars。 It is a must-read， but it does take preparation going into it。 Beautiful， truly exquisite narrative and description style。 Saying that it portrays the experience of being Black in America is an oversimplification， but it does encompass most of it in a heartbreakingly raw way。。Cons: Remarks of colorism and anti-Asian microaggressions that the story could do without。。Trigger warning: Death， violence， racism， mental illness and depression， substance abuse， police brutality。 。。。more

Michelle ，

This book。 It’s hard to describe this book except to say……it’s a hell of a book。 I won this as a Goodreads Giveaway and didn’t know what to expect。 The writing style is unique but captivating。 The characters are meaningful and you feel a real connection to them。 And then there is deeper， underlying meaning that leaves you really thinking out the culture in our country。 Another book that has quickly become one of my favorites this year。

Paula Ackley ，

Hell of a Book touches on several heavy subjects-racism， police violence， death， sexism。 Mr。 Mott presents the story through an author with a mental illness that is hidden from everyone but the reader。 If this presentation is where the satire lies and what makes the book funny I find it insulting and offensive。 As someone who has dealt with a mental illness for over 25 years I find nothing funny about the way this story is presented and any satire was lost on me。 If there was anything else that Hell of a Book touches on several heavy subjects-racism， police violence， death， sexism。 Mr。 Mott presents the story through an author with a mental illness that is hidden from everyone but the reader。 If this presentation is where the satire lies and what makes the book funny I find it insulting and offensive。 As someone who has dealt with a mental illness for over 25 years I find nothing funny about the way this story is presented and any satire was lost on me。 If there was anything else that was funny or satirical I didn't see it。 。。。more

Erin ，

It is honestly one hell of a book。 It pulled me in very quickly。 An amazing story。

Bonnie ，

Powerful and heartbreaking read。 This book packs so much in regards to making it out there and dealing with racism。 It is a "hell of a book。" Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC。 Powerful and heartbreaking read。 This book packs so much in regards to making it out there and dealing with racism。 It is a "hell of a book。" Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC。 。。。more

Michelle ，

“Hell of a book” is actually just as it’s title proclaims-a hell of a book。 It is one of the best books I have enjoyed and I read constantly。 The moment I finished the heart warming first chapter I knew I was in for a treat。 The book is about family love， race， and growing up black in America。 The author uses the stories of an author and two young boys to tell the story。 How he tells their stories is unique and in my opinion genius。 I want to keep this spoiler free so I will not divulge more abo “Hell of a book” is actually just as it’s title proclaims-a hell of a book。 It is one of the best books I have enjoyed and I read constantly。 The moment I finished the heart warming first chapter I knew I was in for a treat。 The book is about family love， race， and growing up black in America。 The author uses the stories of an author and two young boys to tell the story。 How he tells their stories is unique and in my opinion genius。 I want to keep this spoiler free so I will not divulge more about the characters。 I will tell you while the first chapter warmed my heart there is also heart breaking moments as well。 I really encourage everyone to read “Hell of a Book”。 It is a work of art。 I received this book in a gracious giveaway on Goodreads by Dutton Books。 。。。more

Linda ，

Uniquely written， this reads as a very personal and painful account of racism and police brutality/fear in the US today。 The author clearly shows how the history of racist actions and attitudes have affected the very soul of Black America。 This is an important story and timely read。Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin House/Trapeze for the ARC to read and review。

Jessikah Chautin ，

Five stars is not enough for this incredible book。 I read this one in a matter of hours。

Siobhan ，

Hell of a Book is a novel about， well， it's a novel about an author on a book tour for his new book， which everyone agrees is a hell of a book， but he's not quite sure what it's about or if all the people are real。 Only he can see The Kid， a Black boy who might be the one recently shot by the police， or might not be， but as the interviews pile up and he sees The Kid more and more， maybe he'll have to work out just which stories are being told。This is a difficult book to talk about without giving Hell of a Book is a novel about， well， it's a novel about an author on a book tour for his new book， which everyone agrees is a hell of a book， but he's not quite sure what it's about or if all the people are real。 Only he can see The Kid， a Black boy who might be the one recently shot by the police， or might not be， but as the interviews pile up and he sees The Kid more and more， maybe he'll have to work out just which stories are being told。This is a difficult book to talk about without giving away too much， as a lot of it is built around narrative uncertainty and what the narrator says or doesn't say at any one point。 It's an innovative style which is used to play with the reader whilst also addressing issues of race， police brutality， and which stories Black creatives are encouraged to tell （or told is marketable）。 At times it is absurd and funny， at other times unreal and clever， and then it is also powerful and sad， a sign of how stories keep repeating and cycles keep being perpetuated。The style of this book might not be for everyone， but I found it incisive and witty， and a clever way to ask questions about the publishing industry itself whilst also looking at existing in America whilst Black。 I'm not going to end my review with an obvious play on the title， but instead I'll think about the fact that the way the title is used throughout the book does feel like a comment on how it might be described by people who haven't really read it in the future， as it is undoubtedly a book that is going to be talked about。 。。。more

Louise ，

I have conflicting feelings towards this book，that make it hard to judge how much I really liked it。There were times it amused me，followed soon after by times I could tell it was being funny，but I didnt find it so。Times I was a bit lost，and times I really felt for the characters。So，I'll give it three stars。I'm glad I read it，as I think it's going to be talked about a lot，but I'm not sure I'd be recommending it enthusiastically。 I have conflicting feelings towards this book，that make it hard to judge how much I really liked it。There were times it amused me，followed soon after by times I could tell it was being funny，but I didnt find it so。Times I was a bit lost，and times I really felt for the characters。So，I'll give it three stars。I'm glad I read it，as I think it's going to be talked about a lot，but I'm not sure I'd be recommending it enthusiastically。 。。。more

Barbara White ，

I’ve been a Jason Mott fan since reading his debut， THE RETURNED。 Jason writes with the beauty of a poet， and his stories make me think。 And keep me thinking。 His latest， HELL OF A BOOK， is a powerhouse of a novel: heartbreaking and hilarious; magical and raw。The protagonist， an unnamed Black author diagnosed at fourteen with “a day dreaming problem，” shot to fame by writing a hell of a book。 According to this guy， “Reality as a whole—past or present—just isn’t a good place to hang out。”When we I’ve been a Jason Mott fan since reading his debut， THE RETURNED。 Jason writes with the beauty of a poet， and his stories make me think。 And keep me thinking。 His latest， HELL OF A BOOK， is a powerhouse of a novel: heartbreaking and hilarious; magical and raw。The protagonist， an unnamed Black author diagnosed at fourteen with “a day dreaming problem，” shot to fame by writing a hell of a book。 According to this guy， “Reality as a whole—past or present—just isn’t a good place to hang out。”When we meet the nameless author， he’s crisscrossing the country on an exhausting book tour， and running through a hotel corridor， naked， being chased by the husband of a woman he’s just slept with。 And yet the person he’s really running from is himself。 He wants to be liked， to be a good person; to stop feeling lonely and alone。 To be hugged。 To avoid grief。His publicist styles the author in sports jackets and tells him to not write about being Black， because activism is murder on book sales。 （He’s crunched the numbers to prove it。）  Meanwhile， the agent piles on high-profile out-of-town gigs， while hounding the author to deliver his next book。 Which he hasn’t started， despite a hefty advance。Each of his chapters begins with humor， perfectly balancing the second storyline: a gut-wrenching tale about a young Black boy trying to become invisible to stay safe。 A boy who’s nicknamed Soot by bullies on the school bus。 A boy who sees his father， returning home from a run， gunned down by a cop outside their family home。The two stories weave together when the author hallucinates a young Black kid。 Lines blur between fact and fantasy; we know only that both survived trauma and tragedy。 Is the kid Soot， or a younger version of the author himself？As the pace of the book tour intensifies， the author moves closer to his hometown in rural Carolina。 Meanwhile， a constant news cycle of shootings plays in the background。 Or maybe it’s the same shooting。 If so， who is the victim？There’s a strong sense of sadness and loss as the story reaches the end， but also empathy and hope that lingers。 Ultimately， it’s about self-love， about not running away。 Reading the compassion of the last ten pages was a humbling experience for a middle-class white woman， who has never had to teach her son about being Black or poor。 Typing this， I find myself in tears， because I can’t leave behind the question: When does it end？In an interview， Jason said he hopes that the novel becomes outdated and irrelevant。 Until then， if you only read one novel on race， let it be HELL OF A BOOK。 。。。more

Cynthia ，

DNF

Chris Barsanti ，

Well-constructed satire of the book industry's publicity machine， but its unreliable narrator conceit ultimately falls somewhat short of the revelatory insight Mott appears to be striving for。 Well-constructed satire of the book industry's publicity machine， but its unreliable narrator conceit ultimately falls somewhat short of the revelatory insight Mott appears to be striving for。 。。。more

Sandy Barker ，

Man， this book was so good that I want to just read it again。 So many nuances that now I know for sure what I suspected in part， I might interpret it differently。 Beautiful story of race， understanding identity， racism， police brutality， mental health， and so much more。 I have never read a novel crafted in such a way as this。 Wonderful。

Sarah-Hope ，

Jason Mott's Hell of a Book won't just make my best-of-the-year books list。 We're not too far into the decade， but I'd be willing to bet that it will show up on my best-of-the-decade list for the 2020s。 I read Hell of a Book in two days， and I resented every moment when I couldn't be reading it。 One in， I wanted to stay there。 Hell of a Book involves a dark version of magical realism and a fair bit of sarcasm， but none of this undercuts the real-world truths that Mott confronts readers with。I do Jason Mott's Hell of a Book won't just make my best-of-the-year books list。 We're not too far into the decade， but I'd be willing to bet that it will show up on my best-of-the-decade list for the 2020s。 I read Hell of a Book in two days， and I resented every moment when I couldn't be reading it。 One in， I wanted to stay there。 Hell of a Book involves a dark version of magical realism and a fair bit of sarcasm， but none of this undercuts the real-world truths that Mott confronts readers with。I don't， however， want to say a lot about the book's contents in this review because I don't want to influence others' reading of it。 The novel is grounded in the frequent police use of lethal force that inspired the Black Lives Matter movement and the long history of that violence that predates our particular historical moment。 The chapters of Hell of a Book move among the experiences of three （or more？ or fewer？） Black men—actually two boys and one man。 The boys' lives have been irrevocably altered by police violence。 The man， an author who has difficulty separating the real and the imaginary and who travels the country on a seemingly endless book tour， wants to do all he can to ignore the situation of these boys and others like them， even as story after story after story of their lives and others' dominates the news。Read this book。 Read it。 Read it when you have few enough interruptions that you can immerse yourself in its world and live there for a while。 I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own。 。。。more

Suellen ，

• ModernMrsDarcy。com 2021 Summer Reading Guide #MMDSummerReading

Lori ，

You must read this book。 I was very impressed with Mott's book The Returned but this is even better。 Some people will not like it because you have to think too much， too bad for them because its an amazing and important book。 I think 50 years from now， college students will be writing papers about it。 High school students might be answering essay questions about it if we progress far enough。 Conservatives will not like this book， but should read it anyway if they want to understand the Black Liv You must read this book。 I was very impressed with Mott's book The Returned but this is even better。 Some people will not like it because you have to think too much， too bad for them because its an amazing and important book。 I think 50 years from now， college students will be writing papers about it。 High school students might be answering essay questions about it if we progress far enough。 Conservatives will not like this book， but should read it anyway if they want to understand the Black Lives Matter movement。 There is nothing in the book about the experience of being a black man that I havent read before but I think the book is so engaging that maybe， I hope， a few people will have their eyes open。 And if you are black or an ally， just read it because it really is a hell of a book。I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley for my honest review 。。。more

Maureen ，

A book tour by an African-American author is the premise of Hell Of A Book。 It simultaneously tells the story of Soot who is a African-American boy from the near past and The Kid who is an imaginary child who follows the author on his book tour。 This book touches on racism and it's impact on our country and how endless murders of African Americans are played out on the stage of America。 The author Jason Mott has a profound statement in the Acknowledgement section of Hell Of A Book "Lastly， a mes A book tour by an African-American author is the premise of Hell Of A Book。 It simultaneously tells the story of Soot who is a African-American boy from the near past and The Kid who is an imaginary child who follows the author on his book tour。 This book touches on racism and it's impact on our country and how endless murders of African Americans are played out on the stage of America。 The author Jason Mott has a profound statement in the Acknowledgement section of Hell Of A Book "Lastly， a message for the black boy that was: you are beautiful。 Be kind to yourself， even when this country is not"。 I loved reading this book and it gets a well deserved 5 star rating。 Thank you to Dutton for allowing me to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Black Lives Matter✊。 。。。more

Mocha Girl ，

An unnamed author of a best-selling novel entitled， Hell of a Book， is on a national book tour when he randomly （or so it seems） encounters a boy who exudes a surreal sense of familiarity。 The child mysteriously reappears （unescorted） and engages in thought-provoking conversation at key points throughout his travels around the country。 The reader is forewarned by the author himself that he has "a condition" - an overly active imagination where he sometimes has difficulty discerning what and who An unnamed author of a best-selling novel entitled， Hell of a Book， is on a national book tour when he randomly （or so it seems） encounters a boy who exudes a surreal sense of familiarity。 The child mysteriously reappears （unescorted） and engages in thought-provoking conversation at key points throughout his travels around the country。 The reader is forewarned by the author himself that he has "a condition" - an overly active imagination where he sometimes has difficulty discerning what and who is real or not - thereby making him a questionable narrator。 However， an incident in the story is grounded in realism -- within this world， the news headlines yet another story about an unarmed child shot and killed by police。 There are national protests and heavy media coverage documenting the demands for justice。 The gravitas and frequency of this tragedy （the senseless， recurring loss of an unarmed youth at the hands of law enforcement） awaken ghosts from the past that exacerbate anger， fear， hate， and angst addling the author's already delicate mental state。 Prepare yourself because this book has heavy themes: colorism， system/institutionalized racism， generational trauma， police violence， discrimination within the workplace， mental illness， internalized self-hate， need for optimism， self-love， etc。 Although disturbing on many levels - I was all-in early on and wanted to understand if and how the shooting， the author， and the boy eventually come to a reckoning and to see if there were any connections among the three seemingly unrelated threads。 I was not disappointed。 I think fans of Paul Beatty， Mat Johnson， Colson Whitehead will appreciate the style/form and humor。 ******************************************************************************************Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/Dutton Books for allowing me access to this book。 This book review will be posted on NetGalley， NCBC’s blog， and Goodreads。 。。。more

Amber Brown ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book is no joke。 Charlie Kauffman-esque in its surrealism that devolves into almost fever dream。 The most unreliable narrator ever。 Fantastic writing， and meaning， and it should be read by the masses。Content warnings GALORE ！Racism in many forms， police brutality， child death， parent death， alcoholism， vomiting， mental illness， PTSD。。。

Erin ，

Giveaway Win！

Danielle ，

It's hard to describe what this book is about。 I will refer you to the book description。 I found it to be a compelling and profound book on race and police violence that is written in a magical and fantastical way such that you never quite know what is happening in a way that emphasizes the neverending cycle of stories that sound the same。 It's hard to describe what this book is about。 I will refer you to the book description。 I found it to be a compelling and profound book on race and police violence that is written in a magical and fantastical way such that you never quite know what is happening in a way that emphasizes the neverending cycle of stories that sound the same。 。。。more

Janet ，

Date reviewed/posted: January 17， 2021Publication date: August 10， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us， AND the worst sciatica attack in your life means you MIGHT sleep 3 hours a night， superspeed readers like me can read 250+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of Date reviewed/posted: January 17， 2021Publication date: August 10， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us， AND the worst sciatica attack in your life means you MIGHT sleep 3 hours a night， superspeed readers like me can read 250+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley， the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review。 From the publisher， as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews， I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸。An astounding work of fiction from a New York Times bestselling author， both incredibly funny and honest， that goes to the heart of racism， police violence， and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans， and America as a wholeIn Hell of a Book， an African-American author sets out on a cross-country book tour to promote his bestselling novel。 That storyline drives Jason Mott's novel and is the scaffolding of something much larger and more urgent: since his novel also tells the story of Soot， a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past， and The Kid， a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour。Throughout， these characters' stories build and build and as they converge， they astonish。 For while this heartbreaking and magical book entertains and is at once about family， love of parents and children， art， and money， there always is the tragic story of a police shooting playing over and over on the news。Who has been killed？ Who is The Kid？ Will the author be able to finish his book tour， and what kind of world will he leave behind？ Unforgettably powerful， an electrifying high-wire act， ideal for book clubs， and the book Mott stated that he has been writing in his head for ten years， Hell of a Book in its final twists truly becomes its title。This is not a casual read - it is far and wide a BOOK CLUB BOOK and literature vs a "book"。 We used to have a member in my book club who would stick her nose up and snootily state "I don't read novels" - we reminded her that there was a Pulitzer and Nobel Prize for literature many times before she left us for "smarter people"！ SHE would love this book and so would many members of my book club。Why did I not simply adore it？ I have news burnout - what happens in this book is true and it was a reverberation of everything that goes every time I turn on the news: Racism。 Insurrection。 Death。 Murder。 Police misuse of power。 I read to get away from the news。。。。but that is me。 It is an incredibly written book and you might give it a perfect rating but I stopped at four stars as it was too triggering。 。。。more

Virginia ，

Would it be too cheesy to say that this is a hell of a book？ :） I really enjoyed this story about writing， publishing， race， and growing up in the South。 These topics are never easy to talk about and the book shows that struggle in such a real way that I found myself thinking about them long after I finished the last page。 The story follows two plots: one of a debut author on tour and the other of a young black boy trying to grow up in a small Southern community。 Their stories range from heartwa Would it be too cheesy to say that this is a hell of a book？ :） I really enjoyed this story about writing， publishing， race， and growing up in the South。 These topics are never easy to talk about and the book shows that struggle in such a real way that I found myself thinking about them long after I finished the last page。 The story follows two plots: one of a debut author on tour and the other of a young black boy trying to grow up in a small Southern community。 Their stories range from heartwarming to heartbreaking， but overall show the different ways people struggle with topics of race no matter the age， location， or personal background。 When following the author， the writing takes on an almost stream-of-consciousness style that really allows you to dive deep into the author's psyche and immerse yourself in his journey to 。 The young boy's story has a more whimsical tone to it that separated me enough to know his story wasn't mine， but allowed me to be charmed by his actions and try to empathize with his struggles。 It's really hard to talk about this book without spoiling it， but just know that it's a great book that I highly recommend to anyone who wants to read about race as well as those who are interested in the struggles of getting your first book published。 **Read thanks to an ARC from Dutton** 。。。more

Laura Phelps ，

This is a book that is going to stay with me for a long time。 Reading it feels at times like following a dream sequence， but at other times it is so sharply in focus that it hurts。