The Sellout by Paul Beatty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I couldn't stop laughing as I read this book.

The combination of mind-blowing absurdity, wit, and Chappelle-level self-aware racism and systematic breakdown of the wrongs while turning the entire structure on its head is next-level funny.

I mean, come on, I know I'm f**king white but funny is funny and this is so crazily courageous that I feel like I'm sneaking into all those black comedies in the theater hoping I won't get my ass whooped because crackers don't belong. And if you think I'm being funny, you're right, because I'm white, and that's kinda the point. Now take this book and turn that shit up and turn this poor black town subsumed in LA into the posterchild of segregation -- DONE ON PURPOSE -- for the blacks by the blacks and their betterment. Clearly delineate all those freaking lines. Give everyone a seat to comfortably sit their fat asses on and let folks start breathing easy again. Own the racism that's so systematically ugly everywhere else and call a spade a spade, stop hiding the shit.

The author presents all this in such a fresh, funny, and ass-whooping way that I was frankly bowled over by the sheer absurd satire of it.

Worthless note: The book won the Booker prize in '15.
Another worthless note: It seemed to be overblown back in '15 during the Obama years.
Another freaking worthless note: It's one step away from being our current reality.


There is one great takeaway, however:

Humor can mend all bridges. Or at least, I honestly think so. All this shit that's been going on is a nightmare, yes, but freaking hell, ya'll, humor CAN break anything: even the citadels of the self-righteous.


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