[ECH]≫ Download Gratis We Cast a Shadow A Novel Maurice Carlos Ruffin 9780525509066 Books

We Cast a Shadow A Novel Maurice Carlos Ruffin 9780525509066 Books

Download As PDF : We Cast a Shadow A Novel Maurice Carlos Ruffin 9780525509066 Books

We Cast a Shadow A Novel Maurice Carlos Ruffin 9780525509066 Books

This extraordinary book is essential reading for 2019 and beyond. With echoes that run the gamut from Ellison’s “Invisible Man” to Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark” (with multiple touches like references to Zamunda from “Coming To America” for good measure), Ruffin masterfully takes on the issue of race at the core of the American experience. The nameless narrator’s love and concern for protecting his son in a near-future dystopia following oblique references to nuclear war, revolutions, and widespread civil unrest becomes the focal point for considering the issue of race in America. Characters of all races and colors in the book engage the issue in a full, spectrum of complex ways, from protest, to malicious compliance, to defiance, to outright radicalization. Ultimately though, we see through the narrator’s actions and various description of his “fractured psyche” the true cost of the struggle that involves and implicates all of us as we look to the future of America and the world. I highly recommend this book.


Tags : We Cast a Shadow: A Novel [Maurice Carlos Ruffin] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>“An incisive and necessary” (Roxane Gay) debut for fans of Get Out </i>and Paul Beatty’s The Sellout</i>,Maurice Carlos Ruffin,We Cast a Shadow: A Novel,One World,0525509062,African Americans,African Americans;Fiction.,FICTION Literary.,FICTION Satire.,AFRICAN AMERICAN NOVEL AND SHORT STORY,FICTION African American General,FICTION Literary,FICTION Satire,Fiction,Fiction-Coming of Age,Fiction-Literary,FictionAfrican American - General,FictionSatire,GENERAL,General Adult,United States,coming of age;race;survival;skin;medical books;obsession;parenting;African American fiction;African American books;self esteem;self love;shame;racism in America;contemporary American literature;American literature;father son relationship;love;funny;humorous;relationships;relationship;son;father;family life;family;African American literature;racism;futuristic;speculative fiction;contemporary literary fiction;contemporary fiction;literary fiction;African American;satire;literary;novels;fiction,contemporary American literature; American literature; father son relationship; love; funny; humorous; relationships; relationship; son; father; family life; family; African American literature; racism; futuristic; speculative fiction; contemporary literary fiction; contemporary fiction; literary fiction; African American; satire; literary; novels; fiction; racism in America; coming of age; race; survival; skin; medical books; obsession; parenting; African American fiction; African American books; self esteem; self love; shame

We Cast a Shadow A Novel Maurice Carlos Ruffin 9780525509066 Books Reviews

Maurice Carol Ruffin's book, WE CAST A SHADOW, is voiced by a father whose lack of self-confidence and yearning for his son's acceptance in the world is using every medical treatment possible in this near future world to make his son as white as possible. This misguided attempt to whiten his son is at odds with his wife and is so expensive that the narrator is doing whatever he can at work to move up, despite his extreme apathy for the job and the people who work there. His past begins to catch up with him and with his addiction to hallucinogens, the narrator views of right and wrong becomes more and more askew.
Ruffin's portrayal of a man (the narrator) constantly teetering on the edge of not only a breakdown, but teetering on the edge or right and wrong is compelling. The man carries a core belief system that being black is bad and now matter what obstacles are put in his way and what rational thought is presented to him, he believes the only way his son, who has a noticeable black birthmark on his white skin, will find happiness in the world is if his son's skin is as white as possible. While his views are to the extreme and therefore flawed, the reader can't help but feel sorry for the man.
The writing style Ruffin employs in the book is masterful. In order to help the reader embody living like the narrator, in a drug induced haze of agitation and confusion, Ruffin composes the book with that in mind. At times he is very descript, down to very particular details, other moments his skips part of the action and glosses over things character say. All of this is done with careful thought, so that the reader is guided through the story like the narrator lives his life. At no time, though, does the reader feel lost, just sufficiently jostled around.
Challenging racial stereotypes and prejudices that people have a hard time shaking, WE CAST A SHADOW does what a good book should, entertains and charges the reader to reconsider their view on life. I highly recommend and look forward to reading more by Ruffin in the future.
Thank you to Random House, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This is the latest novel to explain and deal with the issue of racism in America employing fantasy, magic realism, dystopian concepts, call it what you will. From Underground Railway, to White Tears, to Underground Airlines, to Sing Unburied Sing, among others, authors have eschewed reality because the subject matter is too painful to deal with and offer alternative worlds in which to address the subject. Mostly, as here, they are satirical, thusly carrying an undercurrent of rage, quite appropriate especially here. This particular novel has been compared to Get Out and The Sellout, both of which apply. The well meaning father here is trying to help his bi-racial son avoid the pain of being Black in America by seeking a bleaching treatment. I found myself alternately appalled and enraged at a world that would make such a solution desirable. A very timely book given the national atmosphere with hate crimes increasing.
Loved the book and found it thought provoking and interesting with its twists and turns. Like the narrative style for cohesion .
This extraordinary book is essential reading for 2019 and beyond. With echoes that run the gamut from Ellison’s “Invisible Man” to Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark” (with multiple touches like references to Zamunda from “Coming To America” for good measure), Ruffin masterfully takes on the issue of race at the core of the American experience. The nameless narrator’s love and concern for protecting his son in a near-future dystopia following oblique references to nuclear war, revolutions, and widespread civil unrest becomes the focal point for considering the issue of race in America. Characters of all races and colors in the book engage the issue in a full, spectrum of complex ways, from protest, to malicious compliance, to defiance, to outright radicalization. Ultimately though, we see through the narrator’s actions and various description of his “fractured psyche” the true cost of the struggle that involves and implicates all of us as we look to the future of America and the world. I highly recommend this book.