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Knucklehead
Knucklehead | Adam Smyer
5 posts | 1 read | 3 to read
"This book is bold in how it treats the reader as an insider to the reality of American blackness. It can be, in turns, lyrically poignant, cynical, hilarious, and infuriating." --Foreword Reviews, Starred Review "In this comic debut novel, lawyer Marcus Hayes careens through the racially divisive 1990s while trying to manage his compulsive anger, chaotic love life, and economic misfortunes...Smyer gives Marcus a sardonic and hilarious voice reminiscent of a Paul Beatty protagonist and endows him with a troubled psychology that plumbs the nuances of black male identity." --Kirkus Reviews "From page one, Knucklehead is a literary punch in the face. Adam Smyer's exploration of rage is unflinching, brave, and absolutely brilliant. There's so much energy in this debut you could put it in your tank and drive on it." --Mat Johnson, author of Loving Day "Adam Smyer is an incendiary new voice who announces himself with the force of a Category 5 hurricane. With refreshing honesty and rip-roaring, wipe-the-tears-from-your-eyes humor, Knucklehead prefigures our deranged times through the prism of the 1990s, forever debunking the illusory promise of that era by turning the mirror to our collective failures and deficiencies. A staggering, unforgettable debut." --Arthur Nersesian, author of The Fuck-Up "Adam Smyer's Knucklehead is so smart, so wildly, uncategorizably original, such a flat-out revelation from page to page, you almost forget how savagely funny and fearless the author actually is. His prose calls to mind everyone from Fred Exley and Cline to Paul Beatty, Tao Lin, and a legion of other say-the-unsayable chroniclers of their own--and society's--demons. Knucklehead is the kind of book you don't just admire, it's the kind that makes you want to buy in bulk and jam into the hands of loved ones and strangers as you scream in their faces, 'Read this or remain clueless!' In a feat of fierce literary magic, the author's 1990s Bay Area and NYC peel back the curtain on our own Trump-stained era, exposing, in loving detail, the fine line between salvation and self-destruction that defines the times. No one who reads Knucklehead will ever think the same about relationships, about family, about race, class, or the business of remaining sane--and human--in the world of crazy-making, soul-defiling choices we now inhabit. I straight-up loved this book."? --Jerry Stahl, author of Happy Mutant Baby Pills "Decades from now, Adam Smyer's Knucklehead will be discussed in the same way we talk about the great works of Wright, Baldwin, and Hurston. He invites the reader to view a remote corner of rage and somehow does it with a ruthless sense of humor worthy of Jonathan Swift." --James Tracy, coauthor of Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power "Reading Knucklehead, I found my eyes going unaccountably wet. Hats off to Mr. Smyer for writing the only book about being black today that I could stomach to read." --Eugene S. Robinson, author of Fight In Knucklehead we meet Marcus Hayes, a black law student who struggles, sometimes unsuccessfully, with the impulse to confront everyday bad behavior with swift and antisocial action. The cause of this impulse is unknown to him. When Marcus unexpectedly becomes involved with the brilliant and kind Amalia Stewart, her love and acceptance pacify his demons. But when his demons return, he is no longer inclined to contain them.
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cocomass
Knucklehead | Adam Smyer
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Where to even begin with this book? Laugh out loud, searing satire. If you like The Sellout or Good Lord Bird, this may work for you. That said, I could barely tolerate the protagonist and it took me 200 pages to realize he was exactly like an ex-boyfriend of mine 😂 Brilliant, funny, terrifyingly self-destructive, and nauseatingly superior. And while I wouldn‘t recommend that ex to my worst enemy, I am recommending Knucklehead.

#blitsy

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quote
cocomass
Knucklehead | Adam Smyer
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“Grief is a thing that sits by your bed and waits for you to wake up.”

quote
cocomass
Knucklehead | Adam Smyer
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I have to document this as The Most Accurate Description of an MRI Machine Ever.

GingerAntics Wow, that is precisely it. 5y
Eggs I agree, that's it 5y
CouronneDhiver That sounds pretty scary! 5y
34 likes3 comments
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cocomass
Knucklehead | Adam Smyer
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Current read is some comedic fiction by a local Bay Area author. My hopes are high—I just bailed on a book a couple of days ago and could use a win!

#Blitsy

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catiewithac
Knucklehead | Adam Smyer
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Book mail from #callnumberbox 📚📦 This is easily one of the best book subscription boxes out there. They have a nonfiction and a fiction subscription, and you can choose whether you want bookish extras or just the book. The customer service is excellent. I had to cancel the remaining months of my subscription (trying to save $ for a 🏠). No fuss and very prompt! I hope to resubscribe soon!! #cnbox