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The sellout : a novel / Paul Beatty.

Beatty, Paul, (author.).

Summary:
"Raised in the "agrarian ghetto" of Dickens--improbably smack in the middle of downtown L.A.--the narrator of The Sellout resigned himself to the fate of all other middle-class Californians: "to die in the same bedroom you'd grown up in, looking up at the crack in the stucco ceiling that had been there since the '68 quake." Raised by a single father, a controversial sociologist at Riverside Community College, he spent his childhood as the subject in psychological studies, classic experiments revised to include a racially-charged twist. He also grew up believing this pioneering work might result in a memoir that would solve their financial woes. But when his father is killed in a shoot-out with the police, he realizes there never was a memoir. All that's left is the bill for a drive-thru funeral and some maudlin what-ifs. Fueled by this injustice and the general disrepair of his down-trodden hometown, he sets out to right another wrong: Dickens has literally been removed from the map to save California further embarrassment. Enlisting the help of the town's most famous resident--the last surviving Little Rascal, Hominy Jenkins, our narrator initiates a course of action--one that includes reinstating slavery and segregating the local high school--destined to bring national attention. These outrageous events land him with a law suit heard by the Supreme Court, the latest in a series of cases revolving around the thorny issue of race in America. The Sellout showcases a comic genius at the top of his game. It challenges the most sacred tenets of the U.S. Constitution, urban life, the civil rights movement, the father-son relationship, and the holy grail of racial equality--the black Chinese restaurant"-- Provided by publisher.
"A biting satire about a young man's isolated upbringing and the race trial that sends him to the Supreme Court"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780374260507
  • ISBN: 0374260508
  • ISBN: 9781250083258
  • ISBN: 1250083257
  • Physical Description: 288 pages ; 22 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015.

Content descriptions

Awards Note:
National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, 2015.
Subject: Fathers and sons > Fiction.
Race relations > Fiction.
United States > Race relations > Fiction.
Los Angeles (Calif.) > Fiction.
FICTION > Literary.
FICTION > African American > General.
Fathers and sons.
Race relations.
Roman.
Satire.
Amerikanisches Englisch.
Genre: Social satire.
Satire.

Available copies

  • 23 of 28 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 2 current holds with 28 total copies.
Show All Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Abington Community Library FICTION BEATTY (Text) 50687011354845 Adult Fiction Available -
Albright Memorial Library FICTION BEATTY (Text) 50686015116358 Adult Fiction Available -
Coudersport Public Library FIC BEA (Text) 30183000942902 Adult Fiction Available -
Ellwood City Area Public Library FIC Beatty (Text) 32102000772406 ECAM Fiction Available -
Indian Valley Public Library Fiction Beatty (Text) 39427102954757 Fiction Room: Adult Fiction Available -
Martin Library Adults BEA Fiction (Text) 33454005160536 Reading Room Balcony Available -
Meyersdale Public Library FIC BEATTY (Text) 30512000508430 MEYM Fiction Available -
Mifflin Community Library BEA (Text) 33249022659423 Fiction Available -
Parkland Community Library F BEA (Text) 34422006845172 Adult Fiction Available -
Pottsville Free Public Library Fic (Text) 30003008733303 Adult Fiction Available -


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