Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Picador USA (Henry Holt and Company)
Pages
225
Description
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."
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1996
Physical description
225 p.; 8.25 inches
ISBN
031228019X / 9780312280192
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User reviews
LibraryThing member LCBrooks
Paul Beatty's The White Boy Shuffle is a contemporary urban slave narrative in which he presents the African-American struggle for freedom from the social and psychological bonds of white suppression. Beatty uses suicide as teh final escape representng b oth flight and authority. Infusing Eastern
The text contains strong language that may not be appropriate for the YA crowd though they may find the subject matter interesting and challenging. A high-school literature class could certainly have a healthy discussion regarding the text.
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philosophy, he addresses suicide directly and challenges Western thought regarding it. The text contains strong language that may not be appropriate for the YA crowd though they may find the subject matter interesting and challenging. A high-school literature class could certainly have a healthy discussion regarding the text.
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LibraryThing member mpho3
Heady satirical narrative that upends racial stereotypes.
LibraryThing member Tonstant.Weader
Fabulous exciting writing. Reminds me of Ellison with his jazz influenced use of language.
LibraryThing member nivramkoorb
This was Paul Beatty's first novel and was written in 1996. I had previously read his Booker Prize winning novel " The Sellout" which was terrific. This first novel really shows Beatty's narrative, satirical, and comic talent. But much like a great rookie NBA player who becomes an all star, this
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book is not on the level of "The Sellout". However it was a fun book. The lead character is Gunnar Kaufman a young black man who can trace his lineage back to the late 18th century. Beatty does a good job of setting up the back story of Gunnar in the present time. He is a young black man growing up in very white Santa Monica, Ca. As he grows up he is a cool black dude. Beatty deflates stereotypes on both black and white sides. Eventually, his mother see him being too white and they move to inner city L.A. From there we follow Gunnar as he gets older and becomes part of the "hood". The book is basically comic with the underlying reality of being black in white America always there. The book does get a little too absurd towards the end which hurts it a bit, but it was a worthwhile read, but only after you have read "The Sellout". Show Less
LibraryThing member reenum
The White Boy Shuffle certainly had a very intriguing premise. The first few chapters were great. After that, the trouble began. In the first few chapters, there were small elements of fantasy that caught the reader off-guard. However, after that, Beatty went totally overboard with the fantasy
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element of the story. It turned from a charming story about a young black man's struggles while growing up into a combination Tom Robbins novel-sermon about what is wrong with society. The last few chapters were almost unreadable. Beatty seems to have lost his focus while writing this book, and it shows. Show Less
LibraryThing member Smokler
An African-American Ziggy Stardust. That clever and that hilarious too. So much fun to read!
Subjects
Call number
YA A Bea