Black Buck Audiobook By Mateo Askaripour cover art

Black Buck

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Black Buck

By: Mateo Askaripour
Narrated by: Zeno Robinson
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About this listen

For fans of Sorry to Bother You and The Wolf of Wall Street—a crackling, satirical debut novel about a young man given a shot at stardom as the lone Black salesman at a mysterious, cult-like, and wildly successful startup where nothing is as it seems.

There's nothing like a Black salesman on a mission.

An unambitious twenty-two-year-old, Darren lives in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother, who wants nothing more than to see him live up to his potential as the valedictorian of Bronx Science. But Darren is content working at Starbucks in the lobby of a Midtown office building, hanging out with his girlfriend, Soraya, and eating his mother's home-cooked meals. All that changes when a chance encounter with Rhett Daniels, the silver-tongued CEO of Sumwun, NYC's hottest tech startup, results in an exclusive invitation for Darren to join an elite sales team on the thirty-sixth floor.

After enduring a "hell week" of training, Darren, the only Black person in the company, reimagines himself as "Buck," a ruthless salesman unrecognizable to his friends and family. But when things turn tragic at home and Buck feels he's hit rock bottom, he begins to hatch a plan to help young people of color infiltrate America's sales force, setting off a chain of events that forever changes the game.

Black Buck is a hilarious, razor-sharp skewering of America's workforce; it is a propulsive, crackling debut that explores ambition and race, and makes way for a necessary new vision of the American dream.

©2021 Mateo Askaripour (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers
African American Dark humor Literature & Fiction Satire Comedy Witty Funny
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Editor's Pick

A strong debut
I have never read or listened to fewer books than I did in 2020. My ability to focus on anything other than what was happening in the world was pretty nonexistent. But in 2021, I’m making it a point to get back to my old ways. I needed a story that was going to excite me and remind me what I love about fiction, so when I came across Black Buck, I had high hopes and expectations—both of which were fully exceeded. Mateo Askaripour’s debut novel about a young black man in New York climbing to the top of this very shady, cult-ish start up is exactly what I needed. This story—which is narrated perfectly by Zeno Robinson—is a satirical look at race and capitalism that could not have come at a better time. This is the perfect novel to start your year off with. —Aaron S., Audible Editor

Engaging Storyline • Thought-provoking Satire • Outstanding Narration • Relatable Protagonist • Unexpected Plot Twists
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I really enjoy ed d this book. Matoe keeps you wondering what's going to happen next. The narrator was excellent. Looking for his next book.

Great

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A great read. The narrator brought life to each character. All the human emotions explored and expressed vividly.

Black Buck's Lessons

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was not sure at first then as story developed the characters, the premise, the way the author presented his story was not just an enjoyable listen but life lesson(s).

worth a listen

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This story will keep your interest, yet you might not love the main character. It has a fast pace, that keeps you riveted with its moving situations. It is relatable to the business atmosphere in today’s “dog eat dog” attitude. It definitely will give you much to discuss and talk about.

Unbelievable, yet True

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I’ve LOVED every second of this s**t. It’s wild, scary, real, funny, and triggering all at once, chile.

Movie adaptations are rarely able to live up to the hype but I’d still watch it if it comes!

Terrifyingly Good

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This audible book contained one of the best narrators that I've listened to so far. The story kept my interest and although I didn't care for the strong language, I still wanted to know how it ended so I finished listening to the entire book.

Captivating

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In 2020, I made a goal of listening to at least one full-sized novel per month, and ended up listening to 40. From the Steve Jobs Biography (40 hours) to business classics like “Good to Great,” to high-profile best sellers like Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land.” None of these 40 books can match what I am currently listening to - Black Buck by first-time author Mateo Askaripour.

Story: The story is engaging and funny enough that I sometimes forget that I’m consuming a book, rather, it seems more like a Netflix show. The drama, comedy, and sales acumen are all spot on and interlace at the right times in the most fluid way possible.

Performance: The narration by Zeno Robinson is spot on, adapting to the tone, inflection , and personality of each character. At points I found myself wondering who Zeno is. Is he a voice actor? A screen actor? How can he possibly match every bit of dialogue with what I was envisioning it would sound like from the characters? It added an additional sense of realism to an already entertaining book.

Overall: Many audiobooks seem a bit drawn out, as if the author was trying to fill a word count for a publisher. This story avoids all those pitfalls that most books succumb to. It is a VERY well crafted story with depth and nuance, which is matched by a top-tier audio performance. I would recommend this to either first-time audiobook listeners or seasoned audio veterans.

Best Audiobook Ever

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I never thought this book would be as good as it turned out to be. All the way till the end.

If you'd like a nice surprise please read.

Great story, Great tips and Great read.

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Such a true book about the world today. Amazing
Ring ring will always mean something to me.

A must read

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First and foremost, kudos to the narrator for his amazing performance in portraying such diverse characters. The story line is familiar yet riveting, with spot on dialogue and subtle surprises leading up to an ending I definitely did not see coming. 10/10

Thoroughly impressed

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