Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour is a fascinating satirical book written in a unique self-help/sales training style that works so well for the story. I was gifted the ebook from NetGalley, then went and bought the hardcover and THEN went and bought the Audible audiobook. I usually prefer reading physical copies but this is a book that works really, really well as an audiobook. The narrator, Zeno Robinson, was fantastic. He WAS Buck. His reading was perfection. I could vividly imagine Buck in real life and there were times I had to remind myself that this wasn’t actually a self-help book narrated by the author but rather it was a work of fiction. The narrator was THAT good!
The story is compelling and interesting. There are some funny parts but it is definitely on the darker side of satire. There are heartbreaking experiences and all of the characters aren't always their "best selves" but that made it relatable and real. The characters felt like real people, people you could know in your own life. It deals with race in a really unique way. There are quite a few parts that really made me uncomfortable and things don’t necessarily end in the way I was hoping. However, all of that is what made this book so powerful.
Also, if you've ever worked in sales or even received a sales call, there is so much in this book to which you'll be able to relate - the tips, the tricks and the training.... Black Buck is a mix of Wolf of Wall Street with a sales training manual and a self-help book while dealing with racial issues in a satirical way.
I loved it. This is a book I would definitely reread. There’s so much to process and discuss. Mateo Askaripour’s next book? I want it. I need it. I don’t know when it comes out or what it’s about but I will be buying a copy.
The story is compelling and interesting. There are some funny parts but it is definitely on the darker side of satire. There are heartbreaking experiences and all of the characters aren't always their "best selves" but that made it relatable and real. The characters felt like real people, people you could know in your own life. It deals with race in a really unique way. There are quite a few parts that really made me uncomfortable and things don’t necessarily end in the way I was hoping. However, all of that is what made this book so powerful.
Also, if you've ever worked in sales or even received a sales call, there is so much in this book to which you'll be able to relate - the tips, the tricks and the training.... Black Buck is a mix of Wolf of Wall Street with a sales training manual and a self-help book while dealing with racial issues in a satirical way.
I loved it. This is a book I would definitely reread. There’s so much to process and discuss. Mateo Askaripour’s next book? I want it. I need it. I don’t know when it comes out or what it’s about but I will be buying a copy.