TITLE: Blackass
AUTHOR: A. Igoni Barrett
PUBLISHER: Graywolf Press
PUBLISHED DATE: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1555977337
PAGES: 256
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one...
Furo, a young man unemployed and living with his parents, wakes before a job interview to discover he's turned white...a ginger haired green eyed white man. He narrowly escapes being found by any of his family members, and takes to the streets where he is openly gawked at - particularly at the sight of him eating local foods with his hands. The juxtaposition of his accent and complexion baffle everyone he encounters. As much as he has become an object of fascination, he finds that women are openly flirtatious and that he easily lands the job and is given some very substantial perks. Furo contemplates how easily he lands a job as a white man- particularly when most young Nigerians are unemployed in the country and desperately seeking work. He meets the beautiful Syreeta who takes him home and makes the post-coital discovery that despite Furo's pastey white skin, Furo's ass is black.
The beginning of the book is the best part, and as it delves into Furo's sister Twitter account it begins to decline. I appreciated how this book confronts race, and the Nigerian obsession with whiteness. This is an interesting book, for sure...it's definitely worth the read.
Recommendation: Read it!
Audience: Millennials and up