Play Book Tag discussion

Hell of a Book by Jason Mott - 5 stars - My Review

This book starts as a story of an unnamed black author on tour in support of his successful novel entitled Hell of a Book. As he travels from city to city, he occasionally sees a child called Soot, a nickname based on his skin tone, who may be a figment of the author’s imagination. It is a story of identity and the conflicts involved in being seen by society (as a high-profile author) with a desire to remain unseen.

This story involves a melding of the imagined and the real. It explores serious topics, such as racism in the US, in an a lively and engaging manner, using a mix of richly descriptive prose, humor, satire, metaphor, and storytelling. It is an exceptionally creative effort. One aspect I admire most about it is that it helps people relate to the black American experience regardless of the reader’s background. It evokes an empathetic response, at least it did for me.

I am very impressed at the author’s ability to blend comedy and tragedy into a meaningful whole that addresses important issues in contemporary society. Highly recommended.

A few of my favorite passages (there are too many to list, but this gives you an idea of what to expect):
“Jack the Media Trainer leads Sharon and me into a small conference room with a large oval table and a handful of chairs placed around it. There’s a small video camera on the center of the table and a few microphones. At the far end of the room, there’s another camera, and a lectern, and even more microphones, as if the President of the United States might soon be coming by for a press conference. “So this is it,” Jack says proudly, opening his arms like a game show host. ‘This is the room where I’m going to train you to become you.’”

“Sometimes, you tell people you’re an author and they’ll pull out their phone and Google you, right there in front of your face. They’ll type in your name and, depending on the search results, decide for themselves whether or not you’re truly what you say you are. The modern author is only as important as their search results. And after they’ve found out that your book is actually in actual stores, they’ll want to know how you got your agent, how you got your editor, what software you use to write, how long it took you to write it, how much money you got paid, how many copies you sold, whether or not they’re going to make your book into a movie.”

“Chinese lanterns dangle from a small footbridge as we make our way through the park. The lanterns become small suns burning in the distance and I can believe, just for a moment, that all of us people are wandering the universe together as one. One of the truths we often overlook is that we are, all of us, always wandering the universe. We are perpetually hurtling on a rocky raft through the void, taking the tour of the cosmos at 67,000 miles per hour, every second of every day, and yet we still find time to stop and talk over bridges in the late hours of the night and maybe reach out and touch someone else’s hand.”

“Laugh all you want, but I think learning to love yourself in a country where you’re told that you’re a plague on the economy, that you’re nothing but a prisoner in the making, that your life can be taken away from you at any moment and there’s nothing you can do about it—learning to love yourself in the middle of all that? Hell, that’s a … miracle.”

I thought this was a great book, too. Thanks for putting in the quotes - this is what makes the book so entertaining. Good review. peace, janz

I just finished it as well. I gave it 4 stars because, I wasn't certain that I enjoyed it all that much and it took a long time to come together.

I love your review and am still trying to think of what I want to say.

Peacejanz wrote: "I thought this was a great book, too. Thanks for putting in the quotes - this is what makes the book so entertaining. Good review. peace, janz"
Thank you

Booknblues wrote: "I just finished it as well. I gave it 4 stars because, I wasn't certain that I enjoyed it all that much and it took a long time to come together.

I love your review and am still trying to think of..."
I know what you mean that it takes time to gel. I finished it a few days ago and it kept lingering in my thoughts.

Joy D wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "I just finished it as well. I gave it 4 stars because, I wasn't certain that I enjoyed it all that much and it took a long time to come together.

I love your review and am still..."

About half way through, I considered putting it as a DNF. The writing is great and I highlighted so many passages, but it wasn't taking me anywhere. I really wondered if there was going to be a story/plot.

It certainly was creative and inventive, but I wondered how much time I was willing to invest to something I wasn't entirely enjoying.

Booknblues wrote: "Joy D wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "I just finished it as well. I gave it 4 stars because, I wasn't certain that I enjoyed it all that much and it took a long time to come together.

I love your revie..."
I was just curious as to where it was headed. It is certainly not for anyone looking for a plot but for me, plot is almost always secondary.

I'm a it's all about the story person. If it doesn't have a story, I don't really see it as fiction.

Booknblues wrote: "I'm a it's all about the story person. If it doesn't have a story, I don't really see it as fiction."

For me, this one is more of a social commentary. I was curious to find out several things about the book tour, so even though it's not a traditional storyline, it held my interest throughout.

Your review and all of the comments have me intrigued. I just picked up the book from the library and plan on starting it soon.

Hope you enjoy it, Holly! It's going to make my top 10 list for this year.