Winner of the 2021 National Book Award, Jason Mott's "Bitch, What a Good Book " is a deeply honest and surprisingly funny novel that gets to the heart of racism, police brutality, and a country accustomed to seeing news of Black people killed by law enforcement.
An American author has just published his first book, a huge success, titled "Bitch, What a Good Book ." During the promotional tour, amid interviews, love affairs, and monumental hangovers, he meets a little boy with very, very dark skin who begins to follow him like a shadow. This boy reappears throughout the trip, talking about his own life and his parents, as well as his parents' crazy plan: to teach him to become invisible so he can protect himself from the fate his skin color holds for him.
And it's true that the writer is the only one able to see him; but because he has a medical condition that prevents him from distinguishing between imagination and reality, the author is certain the boy is nothing more than a figment of his imagination. Soon, however, his visions become more intense, forcing him to confront a past he's always tried to escape and a truth he's desperately seeking to find a body and voice for.
Moving and intense, funny and tragic, What a Good Book is a book about family, the love between parents and children, fame and money, but it's also a book about what it means to be Black in the United States, a country where news of Black people being murdered by police is a constant source of news. Brilliantly written, with striking characters and a unique narrative, this book deserves its title.
"With audacity and innovation, "Bitch, What a Good Book" weaves three narrative threads—an unnamed author, a boy named Soot, and a figure known as the Kid—into a masterful novel. In a structurally and conceptually daring examination of art, fame, family, and what it means to be Black in America, Mott somehow manages the impossible trick of being simultaneously entertaining, insightful, and deeply moving. A highly original and inspired work that breaks new ground in literature." —National Book Award Jury
“A unique writer who refuses to be pigeonholed.” — CBS Saturday Morning
“Extraordinary... Intelligent... Brilliant.” — The Sunday Times
