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Synopses & Reviews
Chris L. Terry's Black Card
is an uncompromising examination of American identity. In an effort to
be "Black enough," a mixed-race punk rock musician indulges his own
stereotypical views of African American life by doing what his white
bandmates call "Black stuff." After remaining silent during a racist
incident, the unnamed narrator has his Black Card revoked by Lucius, his
guide through Richmond, Virginia, where Confederate flags and memorials
are a part of everyday life.
Determined to win back his Black Card, the narrator sings rap songs
at an all-white country music karaoke night, absorbs black pop culture,
and attempts to date his Black coworker Mona, who is attacked one night.
The narrator becomes the prime suspect, earning the attention of John
Donahue, a local police officer with a grudge dating back to high
school. Forced to face his past, his relationships with his black father
and white mother, and the real consequences and dangers of being Black
in America, the narrator must choose who he is before the world decides
for him.
Review
"Black Card is a bold
and affecting novel — funny, infuriating and at times profound. Terry is
a new talent who's managed to examine race in America like few writers
before him. This fresh and innovative novel explores both whiteness and
blackness in contemporary America." Scott Neuffer, Shelf Awareness (Starred Review)
Review
"[A] darkly humorous coming-of-age novel...This memorable, deeply insightful work has echoes of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Terry’s provocative and timely novel challenges readers to confront the racial stereotypes and injustices in America." Publishers Weekly
Review
"...Terry is so damn good at peeling back all the tricky layers of race and identity and belonging...grappling with all the icky stuff of being young and trying to figure out how to be.” Samantha Irby, author of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life
Review
"Terry crafts a novel we haven't quite seen before: the rare book about racial identity that eschews heaviness without ever feeling lightweight. Black Card is lively, nuanced, and always a step ahead of the reader.” Maurice Carlos Ruffin, author of We Cast a Shadow
About the Author
Chris L. Terry was born in 1979 to an African American father and an Irish American mother. He has an BA in English from Virginia Commonwealth University and a creative writing MFA from Columbia College Chicago. Terry’s debut novel, Zero Fade, was named a Best Book of the Year by Slate and Kirkus Reviews. Terry lives in Los Angeles with his family.