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Sellout
Sellout | Paul Beatty
Winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction Named one of the best books of 2015 by "The" "New York Times Book Review "and the "Wall Street Journal"A biting satire about a young man's isolated upbringing and the race trial that sends him to the Supreme Court, Paul Beatty's "The Sellout "showcases a comic genius at the top of his game. It challenges the sacred tenets of the United States Constitution, urban life, the civil rights movement, the father-son relationship, and the holy grail of racial equality the black Chinese restaurant.Born in the "agrarian ghetto" of Dickens on the southern outskirts of Los Angeles the narrator of "The Sellout" resigns himself to the fate of lower-middle-class Californians: "I'd die in the same bedroom I'd grown up in, looking up at the cracks in the stucco ceiling that've been there since '68 quake." Raised by a single father, a controversial sociologist, he spent his childhood as the subject in racially charged psychological studies. He is led to believe that his father's pioneering work will result in a memoir that will solve his family's financial woes. But when his father is killed in a police shoot-out, he realizes there never was a memoir. All that's left is the bill for a drive-thru funeral.Fuelled by this deceit and the general disrepair of his hometown, the narrator sets out to right another wrong: Dickens has literally been removed from the map to save California from further embarrassment. Enlisting the help of the town's most famous resident the last surviving Little Rascal, Hominy Jenkins he initiates the most outrageous action conceivable: reinstating slavery and segregating the local high school, which lands him in the Supreme Court."
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review
keepingupwiththepenguins
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

I laughed out loud reading The Sellout, frequently – but in a way that made me feel oddly ashamed. It‘s a deeply satirical book. I found myself wondering whether it was really “okay” for me to be laughing, given that I‘m clearly not the intended audience, and many of the nuances would undoubtedly escape me. It‘s the taboo that makes it funny, a lot of the time. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-sellout-paul-beatty/

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ChaoticMissAdventures
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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#weeklyforecast

December push is here. The tagged book is one of 2 I have left on my GR TBR from 2018. Must finish it so I can read and get Black Sun back to the library!

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Bibliophile13
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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So far this book is laugh out loud funny

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Pinta
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

Little Rascals indeed. Raucous & relentless. Comedian who piles it on, building from scathing commentary to cruelty. The LANGUAGE. So clever. American social structures & race. Entertainment & discomfort. Black American culture & stereotypes thrown into the mixer & splattered all over the reader. Outrageous satire, biting & hilarious—like a meeting of the Dum Dum Donut Intellectuals. Exhausting read. First American winner of the Booker prize. 2015

JamieArc I didn‘t realize he was the first American to win the Booker Prize. I read this about 4-5 years ago and think about it all the time. 2y
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Bpgallagher0
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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The Sellout

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GatheringBooks
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Panpan

#MayMoms Day 28: #Hilarious has been used to describe this book filled with acerbic wit - but I simply could not get into it, despite the psych allusions. I read this as part of our #DecolonizeBookshelves2022 reading theme, and I am relieved to have finished reading it. Undoubtedly it is an important novel, but the way it is told will be debated on by people more intelligent than me in years to come. More here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-opX

Eggs Perfect book/food combo! 2y
55 likes1 comment
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GatheringBooks
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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#MayMoms Day 22: This is what I would definitely describe as an #Angry book. Review is forthcoming as part of our #DecolonizeBookshelves2022 reading list.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful plate 😋 2y
Eggs Great choice 2y
Ruthiella Angry and also funny-though I was often unsure about laughing... 2y
57 likes3 comments
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janeycanuck
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

Some great laugh-out-loud moments and a really interesting plot but I'm not quite sure I was always following what was going on.

This was our #audioroadtrip book for our trip out to the Okanagan valley where the wine was plentiful and the views were stunning

Chelsea.Poole Beautiful view! 3y
janeycanuck @Chelsea.Poole it was a beautiful drive - and a good one to be a passenger on. 3y
37 likes2 comments
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Julsmarshall
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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My #BookspinBingo list. There are a few on here (including the tagged) that have been on my #TBR a long time!

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Karkar
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

Not knowing really much about this book other than it was part of the super rooster. I really enjoyed it but I seem to be in a bit of a slump so it took way long to read than it really should have.

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jtd85212
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Loved it! I read it in 3 days while on vacation. Scathing commentary disguised as comedy. Did I mention I loved it?

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JoyBlue
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Mehso-so
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ImperfectCJ
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

A mixture of bizarre, abrasive, confusing, uncomfortable, and poignant, this novel tells how a boy raised as a psychology experiment becomes a man trying to protect his city and foster racial harmony through segregation, slavery, and urban agriculture. The solutions presented feel both wrong and logical and challenge the reader to consider the nature of "equality" and how the lessons we learn as children might not be the ones we need in adulthood.

ImperfectCJ I wrote all this, but I'm not even sure if I agree with myself. There's a lot to this novel, and a lot that I don't get, but I enjoyed it. 4y
Readerann That‘s an excellent synopsis. I am unable to articulate what I thought of the book. 🤔 4y
ImperfectCJ @Readerann Thank you. It's a tough one to pin down. I regret not finishing it in time for Alta's Book Club discussion with the author. 4y
Hooked_on_books I really liked this book. I remember that it required all my focus in a way that is unusual. 4y
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ImperfectCJ
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Audio-sewing. Or more accurately, audio-cutting-and-ironing as I spent three hours and am only just now ready to sew.

I can't tell if the narrator of this novel is really unreliable or if I'm just missing/mishearing things because cutting bias strips takes too much of my brain power.

SoCal Littens: Is there a surfing place near LA called Escondido?

MargaretPinardAuthor Totally true about missing bits when your brain task switches!! 4y
dylanisreading There's a city called Escondido. 4y
ImperfectCJ @Bianca I know about the Escondido that's about 20 miles inland, but I thought the narrator referred to surfing in Escondido. I don't know much about surfing, but I think you have to be a little closer than that. ;-) I saw there's an Escondido Falls in Malibu, but while that's a lot closer, it's still not right on the ocean. Just trying to figure out how much stuff the narrator is making up. 4y
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ferskner This book is very trippy, so it's not just your brain! 4y
Megabooks I‘ve also read about a beach with that name in other books. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ 4y
ImperfectCJ @Megabooks It's definitely a likely name for a beach, just trying to figure out the boundary between "real" LA and fictional LA...and to see if the narrator himself is making stuff up for whatever reason. I remember how much more I appreciated The Goldfinch when I found out the narrator was intentionally a liar, and I guess I'm trying to get my bearings with this one. 4y
Megabooks @ImperfectCJ it kept on tickling my memory as being in a celebrity memoir...here you go https://g.co/kgs/LxcEqS 4y
ImperfectCJ @Megabooks Thank you! Looks like I can trust the narrator's geography, at least. 4y
50 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Blueberry
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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suvata
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

A nod to #BlackHistoryMonth

Satirical novel narrated by a man referred to by his childhood nickname "Bonbon" or his last name, "Me”. Me attempts to reintroduce segregation and keep a slave named Hominy in Dickens, his Los Angeles neighborhood. This attempt leads to a Supreme Court case, Me Vs. The United States of America. This book hits a lot of true (yet touchy) social, racial and political issues.

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JLaurenceCohen
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty

The Sellout is a fascinating book that uses satire so boldly that you can't always tell how seriously you should take it. It's about Black culture without, in Toni Morrison's terms, catering to the White Gaze.

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Readerann
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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I had fun jumping around between six different books for #Deweys24hourreadathon, The jury‘s still out on the tagged one. Final stats: 525 pages, 11 hr 7 min
#DeweysOct2020 #Readathon

aa_guer2021 It‘s on my TBR and not really calling my name lately...I‘d like to know your final opinion once you‘re done, please! 4y
LauraBrook Wow, you did a great job! And nice to hop around, try a lot of different things out. Hope you and your family are all doing well! ❤️ 4y
20 likes2 comments
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Paperback.Propensity
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

Satirical, didactic, smart as a whip. I loved it.

Emilymdxn Gorgeous picture! 4y
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Paperback.Propensity
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Bradleygirl oooh. good quote 4y
26 likes1 comment
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TheKidUpstairs
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Happy #BookSpin day! Here's my spin and #DoubleSpin books for July 😁

( @JamieArc The #BookSpin gods were listening to you, The Sellout it is! )

@TheAromaofBooks

JamieArc Ha! Awesome! I hope you like it! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 4y
51 likes2 comments
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Paperback.Propensity
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don't judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 6
#bookstoread #tbrpile

Sace I've heard this one is good. 4y
Paperback.Propensity @Sace I've heard good things too. Planning to read it in July. 4y
20 likes2 comments
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ErinSBecker
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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This book was ... weird. High-brow surrealism. Every single event is unlikely - but none of them are impossible. A farming neighborhood in central LA. A psychologist father with a Clockwork Orange approach to raising his son - concocting avoidance stimuli against white music, celebs, and beauty standards. A washed up former Little Rascal performing a suicide-pornesque final act. Toking up in the Supreme Court. Bizzare....

bookandcat It's super, SUPER intense satire. I loved it, but it is definitely not for everyone! 4y
ErinSBecker Yes, definitely intense satire, but with another layer (or two!) on top that I've been trying to put into words for the past few days. It's almost hyperbolically literary (in the sentence structure and word choice), and also dreamlike. The cover blurbs described it as Alice in Wonderlandy, which would be right if it wasn't also so..... Morbid? 4y
ErinSBecker Oh and almost forgot - @TheAromaofBooks , this one was number 8 for #bookspinbonanza 4y
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TheAromaofBooks Number 8!! Awesome progress!! 4y
Ruthiella That farming neighborhood in LA (Compton) really exists...even now. And people ride horses. I thought this was an interesting book...what else is just “turned up to 11”? 4y
ErinSBecker @Ruthiella oh wow, didn't know that! Thanks for the correction. 4y
42 likes6 comments
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Savannahmrose13
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
Mehso-so

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eshchory
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
Pickpick

Even though I felt that I was missing a lot of the popular culture references in this book I liked the author's cynical sense of humour and style in which he told the story.

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eshchory
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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I find it kind of ironic that the bookmark TBD sent with The Sellout was designed by someone whose favourite book is Gone With The Wind.

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maddieewe
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
Pickpick

'The Sellout' is easily one of the sharpest and cleverest books I have ever read; every page is armed to the teeth with quips and satirical wit. Deeply funny and introspective work about race in America's current political climate.

In some ways -- the deeply embedded pop culture references, larger-than-life characters, and narration-- Paul Beatty's writing reminded me in places of Junot Diaz.

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rachaich
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Well I'm trying to read this for my library book club.
I've skipped the prologue as it wasn't making sense.
Now about page 80 and can't say I'm enjoying it although it's odd.

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cachoo
Sellout | Paul Beatty
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This paragraph made me burst out laughing on the tube this morning. Perfection.

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Carolyn11215
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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@Jas16 you are such a dear!! I came home after having a really rough day to find this lovely book sent to me as a #jb surprise!! I know I owe many people a letter as I‘ve fallen woefully behind. I have a long weekend in terms of work coming up but will work on getting caught up with #jb mail. XOXO to @Jas16 !

Jas16 I am so glad it arrived on a day that you needed a surprise. I hope you enjoy it. 6y
minkyb ❣️ 6y
26 likes2 comments
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Libby1
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Bailedbailed

I REALLY tried to get into this but could not. The themes are fascinating to me, but this book was so rambling that I couldn‘t focus. The first paragraph was incredible but the style put me off.

On a side note, when I met them in the early 1990s my sister‘s in-laws had one of those coachmen from the cover in front of their house.

Gross.

Suet624 My in-laws did too. 6y
Reggie It was almost a chore to get through. I don‘t blame you for bailing. 6y
Libby1 @Reggie - I‘m so glad you said that. I‘m not a light weight when it comes to reading, but I really wasn‘t enjoying it. I‘m trying to be more brave about bailing! 6y
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Cem_Ulgen
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

A satire that is rather hard to read, due to the numerous cultural references that I, a white Turkish-American born and raised in Turkey, had trouble deciphering... Nonetheless an entertaining and fruitful read...

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MsLeah8417
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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🌟🌟🌟

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MsLeah8417
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty

If Jean Valjean had me representing him, then Les Misérables would‘ve only been six pages long. Dismissed —Loaf of Bread Pilfery.

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Redheadrambles
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Catching up on some missing Booker winners this one from 2016, my signed copy languishing unread for far too long on my bookshelf. I had trepidation‘s about this one as I am just not great with satire generally but this one while dense reading was, quite brilliant. It‘s funny and brazen yet philosophical and whip smart, laden with historical and cultural references. It changes the paradigm on how a book about race can be presented.

22 likes1 comment
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amywithbooks
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
Bailedbailed

Bailed halfway through. It wasn't grabbing my interest and I think you have to be in the mood to read a book like this in order to fully appreciate it. I'll probably give it another shot at some point but it's a bail for now!

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amywithbooks
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Picked this up at a used book sale last year- finally getting around to it!

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Reggie
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

This book was a lot of things. Entertaining and biting. We all need a villain to push us to our best. Racism is bad. Ridiculous expectations from people of your own race can suck just as bad. We talk about race too much except for when we don‘t talk about it enough. The MC we only know as Sellout and Bon Bon gets taken before the Supreme Court as a black man who brought back segregation to save his town. Ridiculous and important.

rockpools Nice review! You‘ve made me think I might want to try this one afterall. 6y
Reggie @RachelO Thanks!! It‘s definitely different. 6y
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 6y
See All 11 Comments
Reggie @TrishB Thanks!! 6y
erzascarletbookgasm Your review reminds me to get back to this soonish. I started this about two years ago, never past the first chapter, something to do with the language, I can‘t remember..and got distracted 6y
Reggie @erzascarletbookgasm it feels like there is a bit of rambling to it. It took me a week to finish it. 6y
Tanisha_A One of the best satires I have read. 6y
Pedrocamacho I loved this book 😊 6y
Reggie @Tanisha_A @Pedrocamacho I really loved the character of Hominy. 6y
wordzie 😎 6y
BkClubCare I want and need to do the audiobook of this 6y
75 likes1 stack add11 comments
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razmanda
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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My #readingblackout books for this month! What did you read?

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D__Sandoval
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Just a heads up... read in private. People think I'm crazy with the amount of LOL'ing this book causes.

Ericalambbrown Welcome to Litsy! Hope you have a great experience here. 📚❤️😊 6y
Melissa_J Welcome to Litsy! 6y
Reggie Welcome to Litsy!! I might read this next. After Octavia Butler and Marlon James, I need an Lol book. 6y
rather_be_reading welcome to litsy 📚☕📚 6y
28 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Well-ReadNeck
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

Great satire on race in America. I tried this in print, but didn‘t quite get the tone or cadence. The audiobook was fabulous!!! Highly recommend. #BlackHistoryMonth

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Hooked_on_books
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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Pickpick

This is a terrific satire of race in the US. It crackles with wit and had me laughing aloud many times. I think I could read this several times and it would deepen with each read. It‘s an accomplishment of a book and well worth the accolades it has received. I found myself invigorated while reading it.

Reviewsbylola I‘ve had this one on my stacks for years. Some day I will read it! 6y
Tanisha_A What a book! Loved it too 6y
61 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Julsmarshall
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty
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February #TBR Looking forward to celebrating Black History Month with my reading! #ownvoices #WeNeedDiverseBooks

kspenmoll Great book choices! 6y
82 likes1 comment
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Naj
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty

"'I don‘t care if you‘re black, white, brown, yellow, red, green, or purple.‘ We‘ve all said it. Posited as proof of our nonprejudicial ways, but if you painted any one of us purple or green, we‘d be mad as hell."

Okay, this is the last one. Sorry for spamming your feed!

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Naj
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty

“You‘d rather be here than in Africa. The trump card all narrow-minded nativists play. If you put a cupcake to my head, of course, I‘d rather be here than any place in Africa, though I hear Johannesburg ain‘t that bad and the surf on the Cape Verdean beaches is incredible."

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Naj
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty

“I sit in a thickly padded char that, much like this country, isn't quite as comfortable as it looks.”

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Naj
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty

“...the face that feigns acknowledgment that the better man got the promotion, even though deep down you and they both know that you really are the better man and that the best man is the woman on the second floor.”

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Naj
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty

“That‘s the problem with history, we like to think it‘s a book—that we can turn the page and move the fuck on. But history isn‘t the paper it‘s printed on. It‘s memory, and memory is time, emotions, and song. History is the things that stay with you.”

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Naj
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty

“My father had a theory that poor people are the best drivers because they can‘t afford to carry car insurance and have to drive like they live, defensively.”

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Naj
The Sellout: A Novel | Paul Beatty

“Silence can be either protest or consent, but most times it‘s fear.”

Tamra Truth in that statement! 6y
17 likes1 comment