Thrillist - 30 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2021 Book Riot - Our Most Anticipated Releases of 2021 Real Simple - The Best New Books to Read in 2021 Chicago Review of Books - 12 Must-Read Books of January Book Riot - January 2021 Horoscopes and Book Recommendations Glamour--7 of the Best New Books in January Vulture - 46 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2021 Lit Hub - Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2021 GMA.com - 16 January reads for the new year Harper's Bazaar - 24 Books You Need to Read in 2021 - The Millions - ...
Read More
Thrillist - 30 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2021 Book Riot - Our Most Anticipated Releases of 2021 Real Simple - The Best New Books to Read in 2021 Chicago Review of Books - 12 Must-Read Books of January Book Riot - January 2021 Horoscopes and Book Recommendations Glamour--7 of the Best New Books in January Vulture - 46 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2021 Lit Hub - Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2021 GMA.com - 16 January reads for the new year Harper's Bazaar - 24 Books You Need to Read in 2021 - The Millions - Most Anticipated: The Great First-Half 2021 Book Preview Popsugar - From Bravery to Outlawed - These Are the Best Books of January 2021 Ms. Magazine - January 2021 Reads for the Rest of Us Bustle - The Best New Books, Week of January 18th Vulture - 27 Notable New Releases Over the Next Two Weeks Lit Hub - 14 new books to fuel your reading resolutions "Ultimately the reason to read The Rib King is not its timeliness or its insight into politics or Black culture, but because it accomplishes what the best fiction sets out to do: It drops you into a world you could not otherwise visit and makes you care deeply about what happens there."--BookPage (starred review) The acclaimed author of The Talented Ribkins deconstructs painful African American stereotypes and offers a fresh and searing critique on race, class, privilege, ambition, exploitation, and the seeds of rage in America in this intricately woven and masterfully executed historical novel, set in early the twentieth century that centers around the black servants of a down-on-its heels upper-class white family. For fifteen years August Sitwell has worked for the Barclays, a well-to-do white family who plucked him from an orphan asylum and gave him a job. The groundskeeper is part of the household's all-black staff, along with "Miss Mamie," the talented cook, pretty new maid Jennie Williams, and three young kitchen apprentices-the latest orphan boys Mr. Barclay has taken in to "civilize" boys like August. But the Barclays fortunes have fallen, and their money is almost gone. When a prospective business associate proposes selling Miss Mamie's delicious rib sauce to local markets under the brand name "The Rib King"-using a caricature of a wildly grinning August on the label-Mr. Barclay, desperate for cash, agrees. Yet neither Miss Mamie nor August will see a dime. Humiliated, August grows increasingly distraught, his anger building to a rage that explodes in shocking tragedy. Elegantly written and exhaustively researched, The Rib King is an unsparing examination of America's fascination with black iconography and exploitation that redefines African American stereotypes in literature. In this powerful, disturbing, and timely novel, Ladee Hubbard reveals who people actually are, and most importantly, who and what they are not.
Read Less
Add this copy of The Rib King to cart. $2.06, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Amistad Press.
Add this copy of The Rib King to cart. $2.06, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Amistad Press.
Add this copy of The Rib King: a Novel to cart. $3.62, good condition, Sold by BooksRun rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Philadelphia, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Amistad.
Add this copy of The Rib King: a Novel to cart. $4.25, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Amistad.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
I am not typically a fan of historical fiction, so I was unsure of how much I was going to enjoy THE RIB KING. I typically gravitate towards fast-paced books so this slow burn of a novel was a nice change of pace. I enjoyed slowing down, getting to know the characters, and watching the story of The Rib King unfold.
One thing I was not expecting when I started reading the book was the switch in main character about halfway through. The first half focuses on August Sitwell--the groundskeeper-turned-butler of the Barclay household. The second half focuses on Jennie Williams--the Barclay's maid. While The Rib King brand is the glue that binds the second half of the book to the first, it seemed to branch off into a direction that I was not expecting based on the synopsis. I was unsure at some points how all of the different details of the book were going to fit together, but Hubbard managed to pull everything together at the end of the book. The ending was one that I did not see coming.
While reading the book I kept thinking about brands like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben's---how the real Black people behind these recognizable brands have been used by corporations run by predominantly white men to sell products. It's a conversation I know brands have had over the past handful of years, and this book does an excellent job of exploring the topic.
