Black Buck

By: Mateo Askaripour

Narrated by: Zeno Robinson

Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

For fans of Sorry to Bother You and The Wolf of Wall Street—a crackling, satirical debut novel about a young man given a shot at stardom as the lone Black salesman at a mysterious, cult-like, and wildly successful startup where nothing is as it seems.

There's nothing like a Black salesman on a mission.

An unambitious twenty-two-year-old, Darren lives in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother, who wants nothing more than to see him live up to his potential as the valedictorian of Bronx Science. But Darren is content working at Starbucks in the lobby of a Midtown office building, hanging out with his girlfriend, Soraya, and eating his mother's home-cooked meals. All that changes when a chance encounter with Rhett Daniels, the silver-tongued CEO of Sumwun, NYC's hottest tech startup, results in an exclusive invitation for Darren to join an elite sales team on the thirty-sixth floor.

After enduring a "hell week" of training, Darren, the only Black person in the company, reimagines himself as "Buck," a ruthless salesman unrecognizable to his friends and family. But when things turn tragic at home and Buck feels he's hit rock bottom, he begins to hatch a plan to help young people of color infiltrate America's sales force, setting off a chain of events that forever changes the game.

Black Buck is a hilarious, razor-sharp skewering of America's workforce; it is a propulsive, crackling debut that explores ambition and race, and makes way for a necessary new vision of the American dream.

©2021 Mateo Askaripour (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Great

I really enjoy ed d this book. Matoe keeps you wondering what's going to happen next. The narrator was excellent. Looking for his next book.

worth a listen

was not sure at first then as story developed the characters, the premise, the way the author presented his story was not just an enjoyable listen but life lesson(s).

Black Buck's Lessons

A great read. The narrator brought life to each character. All the human emotions explored and expressed vividly.

Unbelievable, yet True

This story will keep your interest, yet you might not love the main character. It has a fast pace, that keeps you riveted with its moving situations. It is relatable to the business atmosphere in today’s “dog eat dog” attitude. It definitely will give you much to discuss and talk about.

Great read!

Loved it. Narration was fantastic! Will highly recommend to all my book club friends and family!

We want Buck to win, but he can't, can he?

I didn't know what to expect. It is written like a self-help book by an overly familiar author, but to an almost comedic effect. Racism is a major theme and it is not softened, but presented as an everyday occurence, just as it is in our lives. Buck is a character people can relate to, so it is easy to want him to win. We are led to believe he can and will, but somehow, we know it just can't end that way. His behavior toward the family friend seemed off, like a contrived conflict or turning point, and I was willing to overlook it until it became the foundation of the final conflict. It seemed to be thrown in to help wrap things up. Other than that, this is an enjoyable book with real lessons that go beyond what we consider to be sales.

loved this story

First of all, I want to thank the author for allowing me to be an honorary Black person. It was a humbling experience.

I enjoyed everything about this story, except that jagoff Clyde. The characters were wonderful and the narration was spot on. I'm going to look for more from this duo. Thanks for the story.

Unpredictable in the best way

This story had compelling twists and turns throughout, and I lived the ride. The performance is the best I’ve ever heard in an audiobook. I’ve been recommending this to all my friends. 10/10!

Excellent Read

I am not sure why I was so apprehensive on reading this book but once I did, I could not stop listening. And I pray you listen too, there are so many gems of knowledge in this book that will change your life.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll revel in joy. I truly loved it.
It is excellent and recommended by you tuber “a sunny book nook”

Excellent read

I could not stop listening g to this book. Great messages and many twist and turns like life.