5 Good Books from February
Black Buck, Interior Chinatown, Outlawed, and more...
I don’t know if it’s the cruelest month, but February is definitely still the shortest. Nonetheless, I was able to squeeze in five good books, three of which were published in 2021.
Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour (2021)
Black Buck, though a novel, is loosely structured as a sales manual-cum-memoir from a “Black salesman on a mission.” It plays out like the rags-to-riches redemption story you’ve watched countless times on TV, knowing the lead is about to make a few dumb mistakes to alienate his actual supporters and wondering how in the hell he’ll save face once he recognizes the error of his ways (or just has no one left to talk to). While the formula isn’t brand-new, the Black protagonist and his three-dimensional characters from Bed-Stuy are, as well as the satirical light shown on the ways majority white workplaces can incubate racism.
The Rib King by Ladee Hubbard (2021)
The Rib King follows several Black servants in a white American home in the early 20th century. As the fortunes of the Barclay family diminish, so do the resources the talented staff has available to keep up appearances. When Mr. Barclay proposes licensing the sauce and likeness of one of his longest-tenured servants without compensating the inventor, the once-loyal and reserved Mr. Sitwell breaks out of character with deadly results.
Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi (2020)
Antara and her mother have been at odds for years. “I would be lying if I said my mother’s misery has never given me pleasure,” she says from the start. When the mother starts showing Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, Antara is torn between memories of neglect and her duty as a daughter.
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (2020)
Written in the format of a screenplay that weaves scripted scenes with fourth wall-breaking outtakes, Interior Chinatown takes on what it means to aim higher than the pinnacle of role models before you. As Willis Wu attempts to climb from Generic Asian Guy to Kung Fu Guy on TV, he also struggles to find his role in his family and community.
Outlawed by Anna North (2021)
Ada is married by 17 and destined to follow her midwife mother’s footsteps as one of the most trusted people in town until a year of trying to consummate her marriage results in no children. God knows there’s nothing witchier than a woman who can’t procreate so Ada must disappear, first to a convent and next taking up with a gang of similarly-ostracized female outlaws who teach her how to rob and ride.