I was judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’d been doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got me to read on even though it was among 296 other books I’m charged to read.

The prose drew me in right away. “In truth they were not blood relatives at all; their strong bond was formed in the interest of survival, on the waterfront.”
Very well plotted.
I should also confess I have had the privilege of meeting Ladee we were at Hedgebrook together. What a delightful person.

I don’t know how this author does it - what a wonderful novel. Two points of view - both rich and descriptive with complexities that kept me turning pages, making the book hard to put down. So much is on every page including race and socioeconomic inequalities and discovering who “you” are and who other people really are. Clear as mud? Just read this one. Highly recommend!

I really love the setting in the South. The stealing of the rib recipe is such a good metaphor for the theft and appropriation of black culture by whites. This was a really good book. Nicely done.

Like many people who have reviewed this, it's hard to rate this because the first half of the book is really good, but the second half just...isn't. And it spoils the book.

As the white Barclay family’s fortune dwindles, their Black servants take on the brunt of the difficulties. But then the family concocts a plan to regain their wealth by selling their cook’s special sauce, marketing it with their landscaper’s face as the logo. When their servants learn of the plan—and that they won’t receive any of the profit—they become set on revenge.

The twists! The drama! The revenge plot! The Rib King was such a ride. I love so much about this book, from the unforgettable characters to the historical elements to the stellar plot. Above all, I really appreciate the way Hubbard shows the limited opportunities for Black entrepreneurs and how their ideas were stolen from them. This is a truly outstanding book.

I really loved the premise of this book. Truly, I wanted to love it but I ended up abandoning it about halfway through. I'm not sure if this is indicative of anything inherently wrong with the prose or the plot; it could just mean my head was not in the right space to complete it. Thanks for the opportunity - my library did end up purchasing both the book and audiobook for our shelves!

August Sitwell, groundskeeper and Jennie Williams,maid are both part of the all black staff at the Barclay's residence in 1914.  The Barclay's are falling on hard times financially and may not be able to keep all of their staff, especially the three young kitchen apprentices, Mac, Frederick and Bart who were taken from the orphan asylum.  One of Mr. Barclay's business associates takes an interest in the meat sauce that Sitwell and Barclay's cook, Mamie created.   The associate offers to sell the sauce, complete with Sitwell's picture on the front under the name of "The Rib King '' bringing the Barclay's back from their financial ruin.  However, neither Sitwell or Mamie will see any money from the sale.  Sitwell's frustration reaches a peak setting forth a chain of events that will change many lives.  Ten years later, Jennie owns a successful business parlor and wants to market a healing salve that she and Mamie developed.  When the familiar face of The Rib King  comes back to town, Jennie learns just how far reaching the effects are of that fateful night at the Barclay's house.

The Rib King is an intriguing story told in two parts giving a detailed look into the lives of African Americans during this time period.  The first half of the story is told from the point of view of August Sitwell,  the second from the point of view of Jennie Williams.  This style of writing gave way to a slow burn historical fiction story that didn't begin to tie all of the pieces together until the near end.  Through both Sitwell and Jennie's narration there is an insightful view into the long term suffering of the African American population and the effects passed down on their psyche and worth.  The story goes into detail of white privilege and cultural appropriation used for profit.  I could clearly understand Sitwell's rage and pathway to revenge once his whole story was revealed.  Jennie's story revealed how someone on a completely different path than Sitwell could still be stalled by the same issues due to a common history.  My only complaint was the ending wrapped up rather quickly.  I'd love to continue to read The Talented Ribkins to continue the  stories of Mac, Bart and Frederick. 
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

I liked the premise of this book more that I actually enjoyed reading it. It's definitely interesting book that explores race, inequality, revenge, and it would make a good book club choice as it lends itself to analysis. Recommended for more deep, thoughtful reading and I prefer the audio version over e-book for this one.

I’d give this 3.5/5 stars. I was expecting more from it. Something just seemed to be missing. Still enjoyable but not up to the expectation.

Unique and interesting. This book is layered and rich. It's a fresh take in the genre of historical fiction that does not disappoint. Highly recommend.

Loved the writing in this one but the story itself felt like it just dragged on and on for me. I’ll check out Hubbard’s next book but this one was a little dull for my taste

4.5

The publisher describes this book as “Upstairs, Downstairs meets Parasite,” which does well in explaining the class issues examined here, although it doesn’t quite describe the full racial undertones within this book, which adds a new dimension to this theme.

August Sitwell has dedicated his life to the Barclays since he was a teenager when they “rescued” him from an orphanage and gave him a job at their estate. He’s part of their all-Black staff, now made up of just a few people because the Barclays have squandered away most of their wealth in the last fifteen years. The Barclays still take in orphan Black teenagers – three at a time – though, paying them almost nothing, while supposedly teaching them a trade. Mr. Sitwell has seen boys come and go, but for some reason, this trio stands out to him. And when one of them makes a misstep with a local white supremacist group, Sitwell struggles to figure out how to help him. He makes a deal with Barclay’s newest potential business partner, to bottle and sell sauce created by Miss Mamie (the cook) with Mr. Sitwell’s help, while using an overtly-racist caricature of Sitwell (aka, “The Rib King”) on the bottle, in exchange for a pittance that he uses to bribe the white supremacist group. However, as the first half of the book approaches its conclusion, after all these years, Mr. Sitwell’s anger is starting to come to the surface. And when he finally gets mad enough, he makes a decision that alters the life of everyone in and around the Barclay estate.

I really liked how Mr. Sitwell changed/grew in the first part of this book. In the beginning, we find him living his life as easily and quietly as possible, trying not to make waves or upset the system, but by the end of the first section, through the three teenage orphans, he awakens to how dangerous and evil the world can be.

The Black characters definitely had more dimension and ambiguity, while all the white people in this book were sorry excuses for human beings. The author makes a clear point that those who are explicitly racist and those who stand by and are complicit in the advantages of racism deserve the same outcome.

I also really liked Jennie’s character. While having a seemingly minor role in the first half of the book, she’s the main character of the second half. There are a lot of parallels between Jennie in the second half and Mr. Sitwell at the beginning of the book – trying to survive, even trying to thrive, and just finding more and more white people who want to take advantage of her, so trying to figure out how to break through society to create the world she wants to see.

My biggest complaint about this book was the break between part one and part two. While the characters overlapped and the end did circle back to the beginning, for most of it, they two sections really read like two very separate books.

I do recommend this one, especially right now as we are facing a time in the United States when we are trying to not just rebuild our country but build a better country, where we – especially those of us who are white – need to be aware of ourselves and the systemic racism in our society and stop being part of the problem.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Amistad and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.

This book is odd, but very good. I'd heard of Ladee Hubbard, but I didn't expect this story to be as entertaining and richly layered as it turned out to be. It follows the crossing paths of the servants, Mr. Sitwell, Jennie, Mamie, and three orphaned boys who do odd jobs. The story is separated into two parts, Before and After. In the before, we concentrate on Mr. Sitwell, who has been a groundskeeper for decades at Barclay House, and who started off as an orphaned servant boy himself. Because of this, Sitwell feels a certain way about the 3 boys who work in Barclay House, and rescues them from several scrapes, each illustrating deftly how difficult, dangerous, and fraught it is to simple be a Black boy in America at this time (or now, for that matter - the parallel is clear). Sitwell is troubled by his own past in Florida, itself fraught and dangerous, as his small town was burned to the ground after an incident over the sale of a mule between a Black man and a white man that went sour. Sitwell is such a relatable human being, so full of empathy for the boys, that what he puts into action later is difficult to countenance, but it all happens after a very complicated and seemingly fateful set of events that culminates in Sitwell making a deal to sell a barbecue sauce recipe to the business associate of his boss, Mr. Barclay, who has been trying to make deals to stave off what seems to be inevitable bankruptcy.

The After portion of the book deals with Jennie, years later, and how she must scrape and make arrangements in order to get her haircare business off the ground - it's a frustrating study of what it is to be a Black woman in the early 20th century. Jennie is raising her daughter Cutie Pie, to womanhood and trying to give her the things she never had as a girl. Events are set into motion by Sitwell, now known as the Rib King, coming to town to do a cooking demonstration. With the sale of the sauce recipe, Sitwell has become a cultural touchstone, in the manner of Uncle Ben or Aunt Jemima, a Negro who facilitates market success on behalf of his white corporate bosses.

The story is really great, but it feels a bit like Hubbard didn't know how to wrap it up, so the ending is a bit jumbly. The writing is great quality, and left me wanting more of these characters. She has another book that preceded this one, called The Talented Ribkins (clearly it's related!), so I'm going to try that one out.

The Rib King is a fascinating look at a particular time and place, along with a really solid story and interesting characters. I was hooked from start to finish. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that I would enjoy The Rib King more. The story started off very slow and I had a hard time following where it was going. If I had to provide a summary of the book, it would be difficult because I understand the plot of revenge but it still felt all over the place to me. The book begins with August Sitwell and his time as groundskeeper with the Barclays. We learn bits and pieces of his past life but they don't seem help carry the plot. But the story shifts dramatically in the middle of the book to another character, Jennie, that wasn't that prominent during the first half. The story picks up after that point but it felt rushed as well. It's almost as if the second half became purely about Jennie. The past of August Sitwell does catch up to him, but as previously stated, it all felt very rushed. Overall, the book does touch up issues of race and class which were interesting but the storyline felt disjointed in general.

Striking is the first thought that comes to mind. History mixes with fiction beautifully. History can be heartbreaking as it is here. Mr Sidwell has worked and formed relationships within the Barclay household. It is a well oiled machine. He is a man ruled by order . He is used to a sense of freedom which is threatened on several fronts due to a recipe for a sauce that his employer has stated is his, because it was formed in his house with ingredients bought with his money. Bewildered he responds violently and withfar reaching consequences. The story parallels the black experience as an emerging economic force,looking to cash into a economy on the rise. The character of Jennie is well thought out and historically correct in that she mirrors the frustration women of all colors felt when opportunity opposed convention. Happy reading

3.5 stars

I fell in love with The Rib King by Ladee Hubbard right from the opening scene. In the Barclay Household, Mr. Sitwell is the groundskeeper among other jobs in the Barclay house. He came as an orphan when he was 14. The Barclay’s took in three male orphans at a time (cheap labor) and they learned to cook. Now, he looks after the three present orphans and vouches for them when they get in trouble. Hubbard allows the reader insight into how the rich white culture uses its privilege over poor blacks. I particularly liked the relationship between me Sitwell and Miss Mamie, the cook. This book reminds me of the culture in Upstairs Downstairs where everyone had to know their place if you were in the servant class in England.

The book lost me during the second half when we find out a wrong that Mr, Stilwell was involved in and the story focuses on Jennie, the chambermaid who is now out on her own and has a beauty parlor. For me, the story becomes very confusing and I had a hard time staying focused. It could be the long chapters. I also wish more time had been taken for the ending.

I felt the book exposed the racial problems of the time period and made me think a lot about where we are in 2021. My thanks to Amistad and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

For years I have been agitated and downright frustrated every time I am in the grocery store and see the smiling faces of Uncle Ben, Aunt Jemima, and Rastus (the Cream of Wheat man). It was only after the murder of George Floyd that people and corporations started acknowledging the vestiges of slavery and racism that are so engrained in our culture that it’s easy to overlook or dismiss. So when I started hearing about this new book, The Rib King, by Ladee Hubbard, I was intrigued. The Rib King is a story about servants to the use to be wealthy Barclay family. They create a sauce that is finger lickin’ good and everything changes. I imagine that the stories of all of the smiling faces on the boxes of the things we love might be very similar to how it went down in The Rib King.

For over a decade, August Sitwell worked at the Barclay’s house. The Barclays had rescued him from an orphanage and he became the groundskeeper for them. Eventually he gets a promotion to work inside the house. He works alongside the all Black staff at the Barclays, including the cook, Miss Mamie and a maid, Jennie. There are also other orphans that work there, who were “rescued” by the Barclays in order to “civilize” them. Back in the day the Barclays used to be rich, but they have squandered all of their money and inheritance. Even though the Barclays are broke, they decide to host a dinner party and leave it up to the servants to figure out how to feed all of the people. They cobble some meat pieces together and cover it in sauce that they create. The sauce is bomb and everybody loves it. The sauce becomes a business opportunity for the Barclays. Mr. Barclay starts selling the sauce and calls it “The Rib King.” He also uses a caricature of August Sitwell grinning to sell the product. Neither Mamie or August are compensated for their creation. The first part of the book is all about Sitwell and just as the sauce saga heats up, the book fast forwards to 10 years later and focuses on Jennie, who used to work at the Barclays with Sitwell.

Jennie is a creator too, and has developed a salve with Mamie. She also owns a small shop. She lost touch with Sitwell, but she has seen his grinning face all over the place on advertisements for appearances by the Rib King. As she tries to find financial backing, her quest takes her back to the things that happened at the Barclays, the crimes of the Rib King and all of the consequences.

To be completely honest, it took me a long time to really get into this book. I didn’t get hooked until the sauce came into play. It was worth hanging in there, but I wish it had moved a little faster. Ladee Hubbard manages to tie so many themes together in this book – this country’s love of Black caricatures (especially for food advertising), racism, equity, and economics are front and center. There’s also some suspense and revenge for a little excitement. It’s worth a read.

Thanks to Bibliolifestyle, Amistad Books and NetGalley for the advanced copies.

Set early in the 1800's, in an unnamed Northern city, August Sitwell, the groundskeeper for the Barclay's, a wealthy family on the verge of losing everything. Sitwell and Mamie, the family cook, created a “meat sauce” recipe that Mr. Barclay feels he can cash in on. Barclay and his business friend decide they will create a cartoonish version of Sitwell and place it on the bottle of the barbecue sauce.⁣
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Does this sound familiar? No? How about Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima. Right! Food marketing companies profiting off of the faces of Black servants.⁣
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From this point Hubbard takes us on a roller coaster of a disaster. Then we jump into the second of the book 10 years later we’re we get to know more about Jennie Williams. Jennie was the former housemaid for the Barclay’s. She is now a businesswoman, and the owner of a small beauty salon. Jennie is finding herself in some financial troubles and her connection to Barclay house plays a big part in that.⁣
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Being 100% honest the second half of the book didn’t work for me. I didn’t fully understand Jennie’s connection to the story. I really wanted to know more about Sitwell in this situation as the face of the Rib King, but I will say that this book is complex, suspenseful.⁣
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I heard great things about The Talented Ribkins, so I’m going to be sure I read it this year. Thank you Amistad books for this gifted copy.

Mr. Sitwell is a member of the all-black staff in the Barclay residence, serving as the groundkeeper alongside the kitchen staff, butler, and driver. Mrs. Barclay, in what she describes as charity brings in three orphans and gives them a home in exchange for their labor in the home. Mr. Sitwell works to take them under his wing, advising them how to get along in the world at large, while also contending with his place in the world.

This story hooked me immediately, I was taken in with the relationships and motivations between characters. The plot kept me turning the pages the whole time, eager to find out what Mr. Sitwell and the other cast of characters would do next. Ladee Hubbard takes themes of race, class, white supremacy, and the erasure of history and tells a unique story full of action and character development. I look forward to picking up her previous novel. Thank you to Netgalley and Amistad for the e-galley!