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Knucklehead
- Author
- Adam Smyer
- Narrator
- L. Steven Taylor
- Publish Date
- 1 March 2018
- Run Time
- 10 hours 12 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
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.
Critics Review
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“Narrator Steven Taylor’s portrayal of the cocky, intelligent Marcus Hayes is arrestingly natural…Taylor matches the rhythm of Smyer’s conversational prose and hits all the humorous, shocking, and ultimately touching notes with ease.”
AudioFile
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“By setting his novel in the ’90s, Smyer, who lives in Oakland, has crafted some brutal deja vu. As [protagonist] Marcus reflects on Rodney King, the Million Man March, and the Oklahoma City bombing, we think of Freddie Gray, Black Lives Matter, and school shootings that have become a way of life. And when Marcus laments San Francisco’s dwindling black population, here we are more than twenty years on, and it’s only gotten worse. We should all be furious.”
San Francisco Chronicle
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“A whole lot of guns, violence, and rage, as well as plenty of love and sadness.”
Literary Hub
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“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)
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“Marcus is an intelligent, acerbic, and often hilarious narrator, bringing a fresh, biting perspective to the social and racial tensions of the time.”
Library Journal
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“Smyer gives Marcus a sardonic and hilarious voice…and endows him with a troubled psychology that plumbs the nuances of black male identity.”
Kirkus Reviews
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Adam Smyer
- Narrator
- L. Steven Taylor
- Duration
- 10 hours 12 minutes
- Release Date
- 1 March 2018
- ISBN
- 9781538584255
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Fiction: general and literary, Fiction: general and literary, Humorous fiction
Synopsis
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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