Buck works at a Starbucks, is able to convince Rhett, who comes in every day and orders the same thing, to try something different. After Buck is right, Rhett begrudgingly convinces Buck to come and work for his company, Things then change for Buck and not necessarily for the betterment of him or society.

I kind of think I understood the message in the book, but truthfully I'm not for sure. Some parts seemed to drag and It got a bit interesting around maybe 50% for me. Then parts of it turned stereotypical, which were the parts I really didn't enjoy. It was ok, just didn't seem like the right book for me, but It probably will be enjoyed by others

Black Buck is a phenomenal debut, and I look forward to what Mateo Askaripour decides to do next. It's a creative, sometimes hilarious, many times disturbing, all the time brilliant look at what the corporate world can do and often does to people of color, specifically Black folks. The microaggressions and overt racism are on full display, and there were times when I wanted what I was reading to be satire, but I knew it was all too real. It was not always my cup of tea and I think it's going to be a polarizing book, but I think it's a very necessary book to read. I enjoyed it. Content warnings: racism, violence, cancer, death of a parent, drug use, one instance of torture

My thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for an advance reader's copy.

Welcome to Darren's world. A young man working at Starbucks who convinced a guy to change his drink, which in turn changed Darren's life. This satire is part memoir (of the fictional character), part self-help, part madness. Darren enters into the start up company, Sumwun, and learns to be the sales man of all sales men. As the only Black man within the company, he not only gets hazed the most, but he's also used to help Sumwun get out of some trouble when things go awry. The book touches on racism, the start up/corporate toxic culture, ambition and how money and power can inexplicably change a person.

I was rooting for Darren until he turned into a pompous ass. Then I rooted for him again when he decides to use his skills to help other minorities get the chance that he was given and in which he has excelled (but at what cost). And then I was mad again and how he treated them. But I also cringed at the way Darren was treated and applauded when he proved himself over and over.

I did feel myself losing interest toward the last end of the novel and was happy I decided to listen to this after hearing how amazing the narrator is and Zeno Robinson KILLS it. I also think that maybe satirical reads aren't really my thing, but I do appreciate how well Askaripour brings Darren to life.

First let me say, if you are in sales, looking to get into sales this would be a great book to read. I really enjoyed how the author was able to drop in tidbits of sales advice throughout the book. I also feel after finishing this book I could pitch water to a camel, but I digress.

Overall this book was ok-good. I felt the book started off really strong, I was invested, I needed to see how this opportunity presented to Darren turned out. From getting the job to the sales training, the author was writing fire! I did think the middle dragged a lot, entirely too much for my taste. It then began to spiral into the unlikely and ridiculous and I kinda wished his editor had reeled it in a bit. I also felt the book went on for much longer than necessary and a lot of the same conversations kept repeating.

Black Buck took me on a rollercoaster ride like nothing I’ve experienced in recent memory. Toward the very end of the book, I had an insight (or, more specifically, asked a question) and shifted my perspective accordingly. Then, the whole book opened up for me and became so much more interesting...

Prior to that insight, I appreciated the satire (especially early on in the book), but had problems with character and plot... The characters seemed one dimensional. The decisions they made seemed unjustified. Without my ninth-inning insight, I probably would have given Black Buck a three-star rating. Good, not great.

Now, I highly recommend the book—and not just for the satire that hooked me in the beginning. Regardless of one's interpretation, Black Buck is a page-turner and highly readable. It drags at points, but when it's good, it's really good, and it raises a lot of questions. I'm eager to discuss this book with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the digital copy of the book!

What to do when the writing is good but the characters drive you crazy? You continue reading. Darren follows is a young black man that works at Starbucks as lead barista with a black apron and all to signify his position. Twenty-two and chose not to go to college, he lives with his Mom who holds out hope he will live up to his potential.
An unusual encounter with internet start-up wunderkind, Rhett Daniels, while he is ordering coffee, sets Darren's trajectory to riches and fame. But at a cost. First of which is his name which is quickly replaced with Black Buck shortened to just Buck.
Black Buck seems to be both a novel similar to The Wolf of Wall Street and a guide for potential salespeople. In a different font between chapters of paragraphs, the reader will come upon snippets of advice from the author or character extolling the potential of previous content found within the novel that can be used for people out there selling. It's a novel device that works within the context of the story.
But, the overall awful people that populate this story cannot overcome the locals and family of Darren.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for a honest review.

3.5 Stars. This book really takes you on a journey. A journey and a half indeed and in a really short time. This debut is part sales handbook, part self-help treatise, part contemporary exploration of race in Corporate America, part cautionary tale, all sly but astute humor.

The premise is that Darren (known as Buck after his glow up) is a young, unambitious man from Bed-Stuy, NY, who lives at home with his mom and is perfectly happy with his job as a barista and occasionally hooking up with his girlfriend in his childldhood bedroom, despite having been an academic highflyer in high school. One day, he gets the chance of a lifetime to join a prestigious tech start up where he gets a baptism of fire into the harsh world of corporate America as a young, black man and learns some difficult life and professional lessons on the way.

I really enjoyed this book. Quite alright it’s not my usual cup of tea but from the blurb, I was fascinated by a book that simultaneously promised sales skill building, self-help and humorous fiction. I’m far enough in my career now to know that all of us in the workforce, no matter our fields, are selling something even if we’re not technically “in sales.” I had to pick this up and I wasn’t disappointed. This book dragged my emotions from pillar to post here, there and yonder, but it was also filled with a lot of useful tips (about sales and about being a professional in an environment that wasn’t intended “for you” and about succeeding in life) that I think would apply to anyone whatever field they’re in. I’m very impressed with this debut novel and the story that the author tells of success and failure and change and equal opportunity through it. I’ve never read anything quite in this style before. It’s one of those that you read wondering whether it’s truth or fiction and are halfway to googling to find out if it’s a true story. This has some humour to it but it’s definitely more satirical than laugh out loud, and more than humour, I’d celebrate it for being a fast-paced breezy read with a truly deep, visceral emotional punch. You read this knowing that the author and the character had been through or truly understood the experience of microagressions and outright racism, the push and pull of wanting to be more than your past, wanting to be better than you were raised, but again not wanting to alienate your people and culture and those who “knew you when.” It’s a story about recognizing your humanity and making devastating mistakes, but also making amends and knowing you can always go home.

The feelings that this book stirs as I’ve said, we’re all over the place. I was angry and upset, I was relieved and happy, I was sad, I was judgmental, the twists and turns of Buck’s (Darren’s) experience had me questioning a lot of things about contemporary American society and even Black American society and male friendships and family dynamics. This book made me consider what success really is and how much change and growth in a person is desirable and when does it get toxic- what should we leave behind and move on from as we reach for success and what do we forgive and how far do we go for old family and friends? I think this book did a little too much foreshadowing in the telling so there was sort of an air of impending doom as I read, which made it sometimes a little hard for me to pick it up even though it was otherwise a really compellingly-told story. The ending was a bit of a surprise and I wasn’t in love with it, but I think reading the last page, I can grudgingly admit it fit in well with the book and I’m glad I read this. I highly recommend this- it’s good and would be great for discussion in a book club because there are so many bits of this to discuss and analyze. I think this would be a perfect bridge book for someone who doesn’t read a lot of fiction but likes self-help.

Many thanks to the publishers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with a complimentary copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I try to be grateful as often that I can that I don’t work in a “fun” office. Bringing your dog to work and a coffee bar seems cool, but nerf gun battles and drinking on the clock? Yeah, hard pass.

Such is the atmosphere at the fancy pants startup where Darren aka Buck finds himself after the head of the company plucks him from his long-standing managerial job at Starbucks. If that seems unlikely, wait until you see what happens after he gets there.

I was a little surprised by how much this book veered into absurdism. While a lot of it truly is funny, I wish that the implausibility of some of it (most notably the company hazing and ongoing war between Darren and Clyde) had been reined in. But that’s pretty much where my complaints end.

This book boasts one of the best casts of characters I’ve seen in a while. You’ll love Darren (who wouldn’t?), but you’ll also love his ma, and Soraya, and Frodo and Rose and Brian and a number of others.

While the message of this book is a serious one, the buddy comedy vibe that Darren’s adventures produce make it a delightful and entertaining read while still managing to deliver a powerful message.

I didn’t love the ending, but that’s mostly because I just wanted a happily ever after for Darren. And I suppose in a way, he was on the path to that anyway.

In all, an outstanding first novel with a powerful message delivered in the most fun and heartwarming way.

This was my most unique read in a while - I had truly no idea how each part was going to unfold, and the twists kept coming. I loved the structure of this book as a sales manual, and definitely helped the story along. I would recommend this book to everyone and it has me reeling.

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!

Darren is a long time Starbucks employee in Manhattan who is content with his life as it stands. Living with his mother in Brooklyn and spending time with his childhood sweetheart are enough for him. But a chance encounter with the founder of a tech startup headquartered in the building where he works sets him on a path to a sales career that could change his life and maybe live up to the potential that everyone around him knows he's capable of.

What commences is a satirical look into the "always be closing" world of high pressure sales, with the added element of race and being the only one in the room. Full of dark humor, there were also scenes where Darren was being indoctrinated into the company culture where I got angry and to remind myself that it was satire. 😂

Clever, engaging and witty.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Darren Vender is a 22 year old man living with his mother in the brownstone she inherited in Bedford Stuyvesant. He was the valedictorian of his class at Bronx Science, but as a classic underachiever he has been working at Starbucks for four years instead of going to college. One of his Starbucks customers hires him to work at Sumwun as a cold caller selling a dubious product. Darren, the only African American at Sumwun, is nicknamed Buck by one of his more hostile new colleagues. After some extremely abusive training, it turns out that Buck is an excellent salesman.

This was ok as a first book, but I was hoping for more clever satire, and the book was too unsubtle to qualify as good satire. The book really went astray towards the end when there were warring groups of cold callers, betrayals and frame ups. None of this was convincing. I might read the author’s next book, but this one really didn’t work for me. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Could not put it down, it made me feel so many emotions and filled me with joy! Thank you Netgalley!

Twenty-two-year-old Darren is content to live with his mother in their Bed-Stuy brownstone and work at Starbucks for as long as they'll have him. His mother wants bigger things for him, but he is perfectly happy where he is in life. That is, until he gets the opportunity to be the only black salesman at a startup company and seizes his time to shine.

I received a free copy of Black Buck from Net Galley in exchange for a honest review.I really enjoyed this book.It was fast paced, engaging and it kept you guessing until the last page.It is is the story of Darren Vender aka Buck a young black man working at Starbucks.A chance encounter with Rhett Daniels a white corporate mogul sets Buck on a worldwind journey of highs and lows ;,of a black man trying to succeed in a white man’s world.There are many obstacles in Buck’s journey and many successes.This book has many twists and turns.It will make you laugh and cry.It engages all your senses.I highly recommend it.

Wow this was such a great book. I loved it so much and couldn’t put it down. Thank you so much NetGalley for the chance to read this one.

Thanks to HMH for an advance Netgalley of this title, which came out on Jan 5, 2021 (what's written here are just my preliminary thoughts & notes: I think these issues merit a professional critical piece about the cynical politics of publishing industry PR, which I'm working on currently)--

Okay, here goes: I sat on writing a review for two weeks after finishing this book. BLACK BUCK was the novel I was most excited to read at the beginning of 2021; the subject matter is exactly in my wheelhouse: pitched as a satirical critique of capitalist corporate/tech industry culture and institutional racism in America, comp title SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (one of my favorite recent films). But I left this book feeling disheartened as a revolutionary socialist, frustrated as someone who's currently writing a satire, and angry as a progressive Southerner/Appalachian activist. So, what happened?

BLACK BUCK takes the form of a self-help manual, telling the story of 22-year-old Darren Vender, who is plucked from a thankless job at Starbucks and offered a dream position at the innovative tech startup Sumwun. As the only Black employee, Vender is subject to horrific racist hazing, is awarded his offensive titular nickname, and is used as a pawn on public TV to help Sumwun get away with murder (literally). After alienating his family, friends, and girlfriend in his quest for riches, Vender decides that the solution to corporate racism is...(wait for it)...more diversity in the workplace. I'm not kidding. The big reveal of this supposedly "biting" and "caustic" satire is an agreement with a basic tenant of neoliberalism--like viewing an increase in women CEOs as the pinnacle achievement of the feminist movement.

Now, don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that diversity quotas and initiatives are bad. What I'm saying is that these are stopgap measures--programs that only carry weight and meaning beyond tokenization if they're viewed as reforms on the way to larger revolutionary change. It's hard to blame oppressed people for doing whatever they can to get ahead and help themselves, but more diversity at the top under capitalism just means the oppressed get a chance to be oppressors. Some of Askaripour's characters do try to push Vender toward more revolutionary measures, but their only suggestions always involve violence, which is far from the only tactic in the Left's toolkit. The book goes on to attempt to critique white supremacy, but end reveals and twists undercut this commentary by placing the onus on individual bad actors and personal grievances, as opposed to the systems that enable them; a generous reading would be to view these plot points as comments on how capitalism causes oppressed groups to turn on themselves, while a cynical reading could see the book as harping on the real problem being "Black on Black crime." Basically, it's 2021, y'all: surely satire has something more urgent to say than this.

The first problem, before BLACK BUCK even gets started, is the use of SORRY TO BOTHER YOU as a comp title (apparently, the author himself isn't a favor of the comparison, as he said in a recent interview with Electric Lit, citing DEATH OF A SALESMAN as a preferred title; I totally agree, but unfortunately a young publicist isn't going to see an Arthur Miller reference translating into dollar signs.). The comp made me believe that, like Boots Riley's film, BLACK BUCK would be concerned with progressive politics, maybe offer a story dealing with the labor movement or workplace strikes or unionization efforts. BLACK BUCK isn't interested in any of these things: Vender does start the book at the bottom of the company, but because he's working at a Starbucks in the building lobby--a job he enjoys because he's good at it, and he's in charge. He doesn't view his Starbucks co-workers as equals; he refers to them as "soldiers," and laments the sad state of the coffee shop after he leaves, as if he's the only person who could ever run an efficient Starbucks. Vender is constantly portrayed as "special," like he's some savior figure, which is exactly counter to the collective efforts and solidarity ultimately depicted in SORRY TO BOTHER YOU and the wider labor movement in general. One of the smartest things about SORRY TO BOTHER YOU is the upstairs/downstairs stratification--the way the film depicts the revolutionary effort of a diverse workforce at the bottom of the company vs. the lily-white conservative executives at the top, and how the main character, Cash, has to choose where his loyalties lie. In contrast, Vender throws his efforts toward pulling underemployed Black people up in the ranks as a way to save face with his friends--a top-down half-measure that will never end with wider civil rights in the long run.

I wish I had read Askaripour's piece on Willy Loman in Electric Lit before I read BLACK BUCK, where he criticizes Riley's film, saying, "[...] the film is too fantastical—and its protagonist, Cassius Green, too ultimately skeptical of the world of sales—to overwrite our image of the salesman as a middle-aged white guy." Of course Cash is skeptical--Boots Riley is a socialist, dude! He doesn't want Black salesmen--he wants NO salesman. In other words, don't advertise your book like it's progressive when it's not: yes, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU definitely isn't strict realism, but getting rid of capitalism isn't "too fantastical" for all of us. Also, Askaripour critiques THE WOLF OF WALL STREET in the same piece: why are both comp titles for this book works that the author doesn't like!? I mean, I used to work in publishing, and I've read enough inaccurate, pandering jacket copy to know why, but it's still shitty. If the PR had accurately represented this book, I wouldn't have read it in the first place.

Secondly, Askaripour penned a piece for Lit Hub, advocating for fast writing. I completely get what he's saying--that idea of a writer agonizing forever over every word is only tenable for a financially stable white dude, with a wife who takes care of the house and kids--but I don't think quick writing worked out well for him here. He constantly employs tired, cliche metaphors, which, if they were deployed selectively, I would view as satirical. But they're not. These hack phrases come from the mouths of every character and from the narration itself. Something's dry? Surprise: it's like a "nun's vagina." Something's cold? Definitely like "an Inuit's titty." He even gets an "HIV in Africa" reference in there, along with strange outdated nods to everyone from Jeffrey Dahmer to Michael Jackson. Why did an editor not cut these references and suggest something more original?

The final fourth or so of the book is much more interesting than the previous material, because Vender and his group finally start to see more widespread, coordinated racist backlash from white co-workers and industry employees. That's also when Rose Butler, a decent critic of Vender, is introduced, but she arrives way too late. The self-help narrative frame is brilliant, but without any ventures outside it, the perspective starts to feel like a box without breathing holes; the reader gets no reflective, honest views back at Vender (outside his written perspective) until the very end, when it's too late and too frustrating to matter. It's also not clear whether Askaripour's use of heavily stereotyped dialect for Black characters is meant to be read straight, or satirically, or as a comment on code switching. Because the characters only code switch selectively based on certain identities, not intersectionally: for example, Black characters code switch when talking to white people in general, but Black characters from the South don't code switch when they're in the North, talking to anyone in New York.

Which, third, brings me to what made me angry about BLACK BUCK: it's got a real problem with Southerners and stereotyped, ridiculous Appalachian representation:
- At one point, Askaripour conflates singing "Take Me Home, Country Roads" with supporting David Duke and the NRA. (Hell. No.)
-He throws out this metaphor, referring to outdated talk-show hosts: "clinging to their dwindling viewers like Southerners and their 'It's not racist, it's tradition!' Confederate flags." (As if this is the blanket opinion of all Southerners, which erases all the progressive Southerners doing hard work to reckon with the South's racist history. Does this reference to "Southerners" in general refer to the people running the "Black in Appalachia" podcast? What about the folks at The Highlander Center? Or Appalshop? Or all the Southern BLM groups? Or the Trillbilly Worker's Party? Or the Black women who just flipped Georgia blue? C'mon.)
-He cracks this joke about two Southern/Appalachian characters: "And why do you both sound like you walked barefoot across the Mason-Dixon line." (Wow, original: why not throw in a cousin sex/bad teeth/can't read reference while we're at it?)
-When the Kentucky character gets drunk, he says the guy is "obviously drunk, tipsy, or whatever they call it over in Kentucky." LOL what? Man, I've been drunk off my ass in Kentucky and New York: it's the same goddamn "drunk" both places. I don't even know what this is getting at, frankly, besides trying to harp on this pointless supposed divide.

Listen: I'm from West Virginia, and one thing you don't do is fuck with one of our treasured state songs. Another thing you don't do is assume everyone from my home state is a KKK-loving, Wayne LaPierre-kissing asshole. West Virginia has a deep progressive labor history--both past and present--and I'm tired of dudes currently living in Brooklyn (Askaripour did write an essay for Lit Hub about getting out of his racist hometown, but I'm not sure where that hometown is) acting like we're a regressive monolith. Critiquing institutional racism in the South historically and currently? Hell yeah, let's do it! Calling out shitty racist Southerners? Absolutely, I'll send you names! But we've gotta stop this unclear, imprecise punching down.

Dark satire, witty, and clever. Was excited to see this offered on Book of the Month. An innovative, thrilling look at a young POC rise from obscurity to wealth and power. The writing was well done with solid pacing and enough tension to keep me turning the page. Not your average read.

Review // Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour

❓Satire

💗 Complex, Dramatic, Fast-Paced

📖 Darren, AKA Buck, is the only Black salesman at Sumwun, a cult-like startup full of intense personalities and untraditional business tactics. Things get more and more out of hand as Buck works his way up the corporate ladder, realizing that intentions aren't always pure and that racism is far from dead.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

"There's nothing like a black man on a mission."

Things to Know:
✨ What a wild ride! Set in the hypertense world of sales in Manhattan, Black Buck is about Black excellence and ambition, gnarled by racism, tokenism, and the audacity of white corporate America. It's about the importance of remembering who you are, and the necessity of culture and community.

✨ Black Buck is described as a satire, and it often is (I loved the "book within a book" trope, and how Buck broke through the fourth wall). However, the story soon took a very dark, very troubling turn. The twists came fast and furious (the book did border on the melodramatic at times), but it amplified just how harmful and bizarre Buck's situation was.

✨ Askaripour's writing was sharp, fast-paced and witty, with frequent pop culture references. I just wish more time had been spent getting to know Buck in quiet, introspective moments, rather than constantly running from one event to the next.

✨ I think you'll like this one if you're at all interested in cults. If you watched The Vow on HBO, you'll notice some definite parallels between Rhett, the CEO of Sumwun, and Keith Raniere, the leader of NXIVM. You'll also find parallels with multi-level marketing schemes that are still rampant on social media. It was all very outlandish and jaw-dropping.

"I realized it was freedom that had motivated me from the beginning. Not money, power, the need to prove myself, or even to make Ma proud, but the freedom to breathe where I want, when I want, how I want and with whom I want in my beautiful black skin."

Read If You Like:
📚 Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
🎶 Level It Up by The Coup
📺 Sorry to Bother You

An ambitious, outlandish debut about race and racism in corporate America.

I'm having a hard time rating this, I'm thinking 3.5 -3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

From the first chapter I knew I was going to enjoy Darren's voice and the book's energy. We see Darren go from Starbucks manager to salesperson at Sumwun (god that name, I'm surprised it wasn't an actual tech company already) and lose his friends and soul as he rises through the ranks. How could you not lose yourself after experiencing so much racism and just accepting it to try and make it ahead? This is the thing though, the book is sold as a satire and it definitely reads as one at parts, but the racism and white fragility was both so real and ridiculous that it's hard to see it as extreme or outrageous. After witnessing what happened at the Capitol a few weeks ago it makes this book read a little tame which is a scary thing to think.

The energy in this book does propel you forward and I wanted to see what happened to Darren/Buck and if he would be able to redeem himself in any way. Towards the last third, the book turns more into a contemporary thriller, which I didn't see coming, with an ending that was a bit of a let down compared to the rest of the book. Think baddy explains their whole ridiculous plot. This, along with some cringeworthy metaphors throughout, took me out of the book. I understand why everything had to be explained in the ending but it just felt like something out of a bad movie.

I still think its a great book that skewers startup companies, white fragility, and tech's performative diversity.