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 satire
Good 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 structure
Black Buck is written as a guide to becoming a salesperson, with Darren narrating. I loved Darren’s asides to the reader.

Excellent cast of characters
In 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, plot
Like 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.

This book should be assigned reading for all business students, and tech start up staff.

The satire is razor sharp, and this book will make you uncomfortable at times. Which is exactly why you need to read it. It would make an amazing tv mini-series, as all the commentary leaps of the page along with the character descriptions.

[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

4.5 stars

So 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.

4 stars

You 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.

Black Buck delivered! A satirical story about greed, ambition and racism. The ultimate how-to guide on how to fix the game and rise to the top.

I've never been more amped to read a book than I was after reading the intro. I love that Buck is telling this story to the reader. It makes reading this book feel more personal and at times even conversational. TBH, sometimes I was Brenda (from Scary Movie) while reading this one. If you like satirical novels, Black Buck is a must-read! So, what are you waiting for?

A strong debut novel that brought me back to my younger years when I was in sales. Was not at all a fan of the derogatory language or use of the "R" word. The premise of a young man from a competitive high school who has a strong lack of motivation until a chance meeting at his job is the premise of an incredible story.

I really liked this book! It wasn't a story I'd usually pick up, but from the first chapter, I was hooked by the writing and voice. An almost disturbing story about startups, ambition, and choosing your priorities.

Do you subscribe to any book boxes? I only subscribe to @bookofthemonth, because it’s a great value and I don’t need a lot of bookish extras (just give me the books!) I have a link to sign up in my bio, and full transparency, I get a free book if you use it 😅😍🤩 and you get a discount and your own referral code 🥳

My BOTM picks are here! I know everybody seems to have picked up @janeharperauthor’s The Survivors but has anyone else picked Mateo Askaripour’s Black Buck? I have a netgalley arc of it and 💯 needed a copy for my shelf. To boot, it’s Black Buck’s pub day and it was chosen for Read with Jenna’s Today Show Book Club Pick ☕️

#botmreferral #botm #bookofthemonth #bookofthemonthclub #bookbox #booksubscriptionbox #booksubscription #booksandcoffee #coffeeandbooks #coffeeandcurrentlyreading #booksandbeans #blackbuck #netgalley #thesurvivors #janeharper #bookish #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookmail #bookmailisthebestmail #bookhaul #januarybooks #bookstafam #bookcommunity #bookstagramcommunity #booksta #readingbooks #bookreader #instabooks #instabookstagram

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!

I LOVED this book! It was such an easy read- while still tackling the honest truth of race in the work place. I felt like I was getting a behind the scenes view of something I wasn’t supposed to know- and it read like a real life story. I would recommend it again and again

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

This book was a roller coaster. It's pitched as the satirical story of how Darren ("Buck"), a young Black man, goes from being a Starbucks barista to the top salesman of an ultra-white NY tech startup.

This book made me laugh at times, furious at other times... I even teared up a little bit at one point, which I did not expect at all! And those emotions are all things I experienced just from the first half of the book.

I'll put it like this:
1) A LOT of shit goes down in this book,
2) it is extremely fast-paced, and
3) the events of the book get more and more intense (and sometimes outlandish) as the story progresses.

By the end, I kind of felt like I had a bit of whiplash. But beneath the satire and over-the-top sequence of events, Askaripour highlights very real issues that Black Americans face: racism in the work place, gentrification of neighborhoods, unfair criminal justice laws. Honestly, if you look at each element separately, how outlandish and unbelievable are they, really?

I will note that it felt like the satirical tone ebbed a bit in the middle, and then cranked back up again in the second half, which took me a bit off guard. I actually had to remind myself that it was satire at some points, so I wish the tone had been a little more consistent throughout. There were also some parts of the book (namely, Darren's methods for "sales training") that I found questionable to the point where I couldn't see how they were relevant to learning sales.

In addition, some warnings: as other reviewers have pointed out, a certain character casually throws around the r-word. Also, if you're turned off by any mention of HP, there are a couple references to that scattered in as well (though I can only speak for the eARC).

So while this book is not without its flaws, it left me with a ton of emotions and I was satisfied by the ending, which was both sobering and reflective. I think it is a worthwhile read if you like satire.

Thank you to NetGalley and HMH Books for providing me an advanced readers copy of this book. BLACK BUCK is out now!

A satirical novel that tackles race and work in the United States. It doesn't always hit like it should, but it does at times. It tackles a lot, and it suffers from trying to do too much at once. There are funny and pointed moments throughout.

Black Buck is a book about a mixed kid, Darren, who goes from being a Starbucks barista to become a high powered salesman in New York. It's a rag to riches story with strategies for being a great sales man but also serves as a cautionary tale. The dynamics of all his relationships shift as he enters the cult like world of a tech startup and is willing to do anything to become a great salesman.

I had no expectations reading this book, I didn't even remember what the synopsis was about but when I started reading, I couldn't put it down. It started out with a hilarious intro, dude was really feeling himself and then it just went crazy with numerous twists and turns that I didn't even see coming. The storyline was brilliant, it kept me reading and my heart racing. All the while rooting for Darren, even as he made stupid decisions. With the right director and actors, this would make for an excellent movie, like something 50 cents would produce :).

Abi's Rating: Loved it: 5 stars

I was extremely excited to read this book. I am 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 bring to light what Blacks in corporate America have to deal with. The constant feeling of being “less than”. You could 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!

Absolutely brilliant and biting look at being Black in corporate America. Set-up as a sales manual/self-help book, Black Buck grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go until the very end. Truthfully, it wasn’t always an easy read, but that’s the point, no? To be there to witness the story and basically go along for the ride with Darren/Buck? I found myself rooting for him even as I was mentally shouting “DON’T DO THIS.” By the third act, I was so anxious about where the story was leading that I was legit holding my breath while reading. Do not sleep on this one, y’all.

I have honestly never read anything quite like Black Buck before, but boy did I enjoy it! I’ve seen it compared to The Wolf of Wall Street. And although I haven’t read that book, I have seen the movie and I can definitely see some similarities. The character development was fantastic, and I loved the asides from Darren that made it feel like I was taking a business class from him.

There is so much depth to this story, and I loved the author’s fresh and sometimes over-the-top satirical take on some very real issues in our society. This book is unique and it is important. I definitely recommend picking it up. Mateo Askaripour’s talent shines through in this debut book and I look forward to reading more from him in the future!

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.

This novel didn't work for me. The narrator is full of unexamined misogyny and even when labeled "satire", I just couldn't excuse it. That said, I wanted to know what happens so I kept reading until the end.