A Particular Kind of Black Man

De: Tope Folarin

Narrado por: Prentice Onayemi

**One of Time’s 32 Books You Need to Read This Summer**

An NPR Best Book of 2019

An “electrifying” (Publishers Weekly) debut novel from Rhodes Scholar and winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing about a Nigerian family living in Utah and their uneasy assimilation to American life.

Living in small-town Utah has always been an uncomfortable fit for Tunde Akinola’s family, especially for his Nigeria-born parents. Though Tunde speaks English with a Midwestern accent, he can’t escape the children who rub his skin and ask why the black won’t come off. As he struggles to fit in, he finds little solace from his parents who are grappling with their own issues.

Tunde’s father, ever the optimist, works tirelessly chasing his American dream while his wife, lonely in Utah without family and friends, sinks deeper into schizophrenia. Then one otherwise-ordinary morning, Tunde’s mother wakes him with a hug, bundles him and his baby brother into the car, and takes them away from the only home they’ve ever known.

But running away doesn’t bring her, or her children, any relief; once Tunde’s father tracks them down, she flees to Nigeria, and Tunde never feels at home again. He spends the rest of his childhood and young adulthood searching for connection - to the wary stepmother and stepbrothers he gains when his father remarries; to the Utah residents who mock his father’s accent; to evangelical religion; to his Texas middle school’s crowd of African-Americans; to the fraternity brothers of his historically black college. In so doing, he discovers something that sends him on a journey away from everything he has known.

Sweeping, stirring, and perspective-shifting, A Particular Kind of Black Man is “wild, vulnerable, lived…A study of the particulate self, the self as a constellation of moving parts” (The New York Times Book Review).

©2019 Tope Folarin (P)2019 Simon & Schuster Audio

Indeed he was a particular kind of Blackman

An interesting read couldn’t stop reading until I was done. I am a particular kind of Blackman

Home

The constant moving, the restless father, and the desire to fit is the metaphor for Tunde’s inner landscape. His journey is tumultuous and fragmented in both contexts as he tries to find an identity and a place to fit.

The story seems fragmented at times, I was compelled to see if this young man would find his footing. The act of writing was central to developing the character. It was a narrative sometimes and a self-reflection other times. I sometimes struggled to see the connection until the last chapter. Then I understood and wept. Home.

Well written and perfect narration

I’ve never felt such an intense emotional reaction to a book, before. A beautiful story with wonderful narration. Highly recommend.

Outstanding.

The writing is gorgeous. The story is that of the son of Nigerian immigrants growing up in Utah and Texas, then into young adulthood. Folarin expertly draws the reader into his character’s mind and we experience the poignancy of every moment. It will touch you deeply. And The Audible narration is extraordinary

Love, Love, Love this book

As an African American woman I forget often of the experiences of immigrants that come to this country. This book opens my eyes once again to the prejudices, racism and unfair treatment of a Nigerian family. Even though it was fiction the struggles of his father and mental breakdown of his mother seemed so real to me. Each character in the story had he/her own uniqueness and well-developed personality through the eyes of the author and main character. I was pulled into the story through every aspect of my soul. This book touched me deeply. The emotional feelings still resonates with me. I read the author bio and background and was so impressed. In every bit of fiction there is a little bit of truth!

A youngmans' journey

I was impressed with the author's open and direct admissions of a life filled with so many tragic disappointments. I found the author's writing slightly poetic, and I expect another memoir in 10-20 years.

The author's written perspective revealed how he tried to find himself as a young college black man and the reason for a family secret.
I highly recommend this novel for young men and women below the age of 40 as the author of the novel provides a written perspective of his life journey that many people will see within themselves.

His Story is My Story!

Tope told his story as our story in such a beautifully nuanced way. As a first generation Yoruba-Nigerian American, every layer of this vulnerable fictional narrative was a glowing and growing mirror of my life. I read/listened to this book with ferocious intensity and introspection. Tope does an amazing job breaking down the emotive complexities in being a peripatetic Black male diasporan. The book was both affirming and healing to read.

I love this book so much I’ve just bought the physical copy to read again. And will like send copies to all my close male friends.

Yikes

this is the most beautifully expressed depression and self-hatred I've ever listened to. I was saddened and concerned with the author. I've known men of similar experiences who battled for identity and recognition in a world that owes them neither. I know this story was necessary.

A Tender Story and a Superb Narration; congratulations to all involved

I loved it. I mostly listened to the book (narrated by Prentice Onayemi) and it was a beautiful read and listen. I would call A Particular Kind of Black Man a tender book that did not lose its focus or purpose. It was shorter than I had originally anticipated and I finished it quickly. The description of the book offered by the publishers summarizes the book well, so I won’t dwell on plot. But the energy I felt while engaging with the book was that of ease and clarity (even though the narrator could have been classified as technically unreliable). As I said at the beginning, I loved it. It told a story, it told that story well and I, as a Nigerian (born outside of Nigeria, raised in a multitude of places and currently resident in the United States), felt quite at home in the reflections of the main character. I was enamored by the reflections on beauty and how our environments can cause a type of dysmorphia because our appearance does not match what is expected of us by the individuals around us. The main character listed Michael Jackson as one of their musical heros and that seemed quite fitting considering the evolution of MJ’s relationship with race and his appearance. All in all, I recommend this book and I would glad read more from this author. Thank you Tope for gifting us this and be well, V.

A beautiful story with an immaculate performance

The twists and turns and realness of the adventures were captivating, excellent performances from the orator.