BrownGirl Speaks
  • Home
  • blog
  • Books
  • About Me
  • Contact Me

Slumberland by Paul Beatty

9/2/2009

 
Picture
Paul Beatty has written a really scathing and hilarious tale about a Black guy, who goes by DJ Darky, on his journey of creating the perfect beat. The most significant part of this journey involves him going to Berlin to get validation from his musical hero, jazz musician Charles Stone, who he and his friends- The Beard Scratchers- have affectionately dubbed "The Schwa". This novel presents ideas of race, culture, and music with language that's lyrical and cheeky. From the opening page, DJ Darky declares that Blackness is over and while reflecting on years of tanning says: "My complexion has darkened somewhat; it's still a nice nonthreatening sitcom Negro brown, but now there's a pomegranate-purple undertone that in certain light gives me a more villainous sheen." Brilliant!

I was laughing out loud from just the first few pages. This is rare that a book invokes emotion in me that's evident. This has to be my favorite book thus far for the year. That this book's focal point is music and the level of music snobbery by the host of such thoughtful characters was so on point for me as I can be quite a music snob. Slumberland is like your favorite movie from which you love to quote every other line. Yes, this book has too many lines I want to quote. I'm glad I held on to Beatty's White Boy Shuffle even though I couldn't get into it on my first attempt many years ago. I think I have more appreciative eyes towards his writing now.



Comments are closed.
    Authors and publishers feel free to check out my review policy and contact me  regarding review requests.
    The Book Depository
    Picture

    My Amazon.com Wish List

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009

    Categories

    All
    African Diaspora
    And The Word Was Spoken
    Asian Authors
    Author Interviews
    Banned Books
    Blog Tours
    Bookish
    Book Reviews
    Book Tours
    Challenges
    Diversity Roll Call
    Giveaways
    Guest Post
    Kid Lit
    Latino Authors
    Native American Authors
    Nonfiction
    Quirky Brown
    Reading Africa
    The Box Is Hot
    Women Writers
    Writing
    Ya Fiction


    Picture
    Sign Up
    Suggestion List
    First Quarter Reviews
    Second Quarter Reviews
    Third Quarter Reviews
    Read 17/12

    Picture
    Read 5/54
    Picture
    Read 5/8
    Read 2/5
    Picture
    Read 1/4
    2010 Social Justice Reading Challenge
    Read 0/12
    Picture
    Read 1/7
    Read 26/25

    Book Blogs

    A Striped Armchair
    Authors In Color
    Black Eyed Susans
    Book Blab
    Book On the Train
    Brown Paper
    Color Online
    For the Love of Books
    In Spring It Is The Dawn
    Kinna Reads
    Lotus Reads
    Love of Literature
    Notorious Spinks Talks
    Page247
    Reading In Color
    Reads4Pleasure
    Rhapsody In Books
    The Brown Bookshelf
    The Feminist Texican [Reads]
    The Happy Nappy Bookseller
    With Extra Pulp
    Worducopia

    Authors

    Chimamanda Adichie
    Carleen Brice
    Fledgling
    Junot Diaz
    Jude Dibia
    Petina Gappah
    Tayari Jones
    Jhumpa Lahiri
    Bernice McFadden
    Nnedi's Wahala Zone
    Sonia Sanchez
    Lori L. Tharps
    Alice Walker
    White Readers Meet Black Authors
    Saul Williams
    Jacqueline Woodson
    Read the Printed Word!

    Literary Reviews

    Arts & Letters Daily
    Belletrista
    Mythium Literary Magazine
    NPR Books
    NYT Book Review

    Culture

    The Black Culture Blog
    My American Melting Pot
    The Root
    Feminist Review
    Repeating Islands

    Picture

    Awards, Gotta Love 'Em!



    BrownGirl BookSpeak - Blogged
    Add to Technorati Favorites
    Books Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory

    Blogs Her Color Button


    Top 21 Book Sites






    BBG Button


    indiebound



    Picture
© BrownGirl Speaks 2009 - 2015
  • Home
  • blog
  • Books
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
✕