BLACK BUCK by MATEO ASKARIPOUR
My Rating: ★★★★
An unambitious twenty-two-year-old, Darren lives in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother, who wants nothing more than to see him live up to his potential as the valedictorian of Bronx Science. But Darren is content working at Starbucks in the lobby of a Midtown office building, hanging out with his girlfriend, Soraya, and eating his mother’s home-cooked meals.
All that changes when a chance encounter with Rhett Daniels, the silver-tongued CEO of Sumwun, NYC’s hottest tech startup, results in an exclusive invitation for Darren to join an elite sales team on the thirty-sixth floor.
Darren, the only Black person in the company, is nicknamed as “Buck” (because of his Starbucks background!). After enduring a hellish training, he is transforms into a ruthless salesman unrecognizable to his friends and family.
This was really a roller-coaster of a read! It was so well written covering such important topics.
As we read and follow Darren’s journey through this book, we are able to witness the gradual change in him and how it creates a distance between him and the people closest to him. And finally, when the realization strikes him, he begins the journey to find a purpose not only for himself but for others also, but not at the cost of his freedom and identity.
There were so many thoughts and emotions going through my head as I was reading this. There were times when I just loved Darren and cheered him on to excel and achieve the success. And there were times when I was so annoyed by his attitude! I wanted him to stand up to the racism and not just choose to keep quiet and ignore it.
But, the message that is conveyed through this book is a very thought-provoking one. Ambition, excellence and success are extremely important but while trying to achieve them, we must not forget or disregard our culture, values, identity and freedom.
Thank You NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for this ARC!
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