The Sellout

When the book opens we're introduced to “The Sellout” getting incredibly high, awaiting trial at the Supreme Court for the crime of owning a slave and trying to re-segregate his tiny town of Dickens. And in the first chapter we're given a clear view about what to expect. Beatty is an author and a poet with a background in slam poetry and it shows in the prose. It's breakneck beats and syncopated syntax and hella fun.

Beatty doesn't skewer stereotypes but rather plays with all their permutations. When he gets on a roll his riffs are razor sharp. As with comedy, individual results may vary but he's got a bigger idea at play here than just making you laugh. So good.