Synopses & Reviews
Paul Beatty's hilarious and scathing debut novel is about Gunnar Kaufman, an awkward, black surfer bum who is moved by his mother from Santa Monica to urban West Los Angeles. There, he begins to undergo a startling transformation from neighborhood outcast to basketball superstar, and eventually to reluctant messiah of a "divided, downtrodden people."
Review
"Hip-hop poet Beatty delivers a first novel that almost lives up to its hype. His manic energy and nothing-sacred sensibility add up to some inspired irreverence in a book mocking every sacred cow of Afro-American history....A wildly inventive debut that veers between spirited brilliance and Def Comedy Jam vulgarity." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Possessing a growing reputation as his generation's poetic spokesman, Beatty proves in his first novel that his talent is not limited to verse....Beatty undeniably proves his prowess at whatever literary game he chooses to play." Booklist
Synopsis
A bombastic coming-of-age novel....The White Boy Shuffle has the uncanny ability to make readers want to laugh and cry at the same time.--Los Angeles Times
The first novel from National Book Critics Circle Award and Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Sellout
Paul Beatty's hilarious and scathing debut novel is about Gunnar Kaufman, an awkward, black surfer bum who is moved by his mother from Santa Monica to urban West Los Angeles. There, he begins to undergo a startling transformation from neighborhood outcast to basketball superstar, and eventually to reluctant messiah of a divided, downtrodden people.
Synopsis
Paul Beatty's hilarious and scathing debut novel is about Gunnar Kaufman, an awkward black surfer bum who is moved by his mother from Santa Monica to urban West Los Angeles. There, he begins to undergo a startling transformation from neighborhood outcast to basketball superstar, and eventually to reluctant messiah of a "divided, downtrodden people."
Synopsis
Paul Beatty's hilarious and scathing debut novel is about Gunnar Kaufman, an awkward, black surfer bum who is moved by his mother from Santa Monica to urban West Los Angeles. There, he begins to undergo a startling transformation from neighborhood outcast to basketball superstar, and eventually to reluctant messiah of a "divided, downtrodden people."
About the Author
Paul Beatty is also the author of the novel
Tuff and two books of poetry,
Big Bank Take Little Bank and
Joker, Joker, Deuce. He lives in New York City.