For February's book club, I’ve chosen a book that has been recommended to me more times than I can remember, The Sellout by Paul Beatty. I am beyond excited to read this book; just have a read of some of the praise for this Man Booker Prize winner and I think you will be too.
“Outrageous, hilarious and profound… Juiciness stains every lovely page of Beatty’s mad, marvellous, toothsome book” Financial Times
“Timely, hilarious and outstanding… an exhilarating ride that has left critics breathless with hyperbole” Observer
“Let’s get this out of the way: The Sellout is a work of genius, a satirical opus on race in 21st century America” O, The Oprah Magazine
Described as a biting satire about a young man's isolated upbringing and the race trial that sends him to the US Supreme Court. Born in Dickens on the southern outskirts of Los Angeles, the narrator of The Sellout spent his childhood as the subject in his father’s racially charged psychological studies. He is told that his father’s work will lead to a memoir that will solve their financial woes. But when his father is killed in a drive-by shooting, he discovers there never was a memoir. All that’s left is the bill for a drive-thru funeral. What’s more Dickens has literally been wiped off the map to save California from further embarrassment. Fuelled by despair, the narrator sets out to right this wrong with the most outrageous action conceivable; reinstating slavery and segregating the local high school, which lands him the Supreme Count.
So download, buy or borrow a copy of The Sellout and get reading. This month's book club will be in session on Tuesday, 28th February.
Happy reading
Frances xx