NYT 100 Notable Books of 2009 by Authors of African Descent
Each year, The New York Times releases its “100 Notable Books” list, featuring standout works of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. Below are the books by—and about—people of African descent that made the 2009 list.
1 Notable Books Found for 2009
Fiction
Sag Harbor
List Price: $18.00
Vintage (Jun 15, 2015)
Fiction, Paperback, 352 pages
ISBN: 9780307455161Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:
A warm, funny, and supremely original new novel from one of the most acclaimed writers in America.
The year is 1985. Benji Cooper is one of the only black students at an elite prep school in Manhattan. He spends his falls and winters going to roller-disco bar mitzvahs, playing too much Dungeons and Dragons, and trying to catch glimpses of nudity on late-night cable TV. After a tragic mishap on his first day of high schoolwhen Benji reveals his deep enthusiasm for the horror movie magazine Fangoriahis social doom is sealed for the next four years.
But every summer, Benji escapes to the Hamptons, to Sag Harbor, where a small community of African American professionals have built a world of their own. Because their parents come out only on weekends, he and his friends are left to their own devices for three glorious months. And although hes just as confused about this all-black refuge as he is about the white world he negotiates the rest of the year, he thinks that maybe this summer things will be different. If all goes according to plan, that is.
There will be trials and tribulations, of course. There will be complicated new handshakes to fumble through, and state-of-the-art profanity to master. He will be tested by contests big and small, by his misshapen haircut (which seems to have a will of its own), by the New Coke Tragedy of 85, and by his secret Lite FM addiction. But maybe, with a little luck, things will turn out differently this summer.
In this deeply affectionate and fiercely funny coming-of-age novel, Whiteheadusing the perpetual mortification of teenage existence and the desperate quest for reinventionlithely probes the elusive nature of identity, both personal and communal.
A warm, funny, and supremely original new novel from one of the most acclaimed writers in America.
The year is 1985. Benji Cooper is one of the only black students at an elite prep school in Manhattan. He spends his falls and winters going to roller-disco bar mitzvahs, playing too much Dungeons and Dragons, and trying to catch glimpses of nudity on late-night cable TV. After a tragic mishap on his first day of high schoolwhen Benji reveals his deep enthusiasm for the horror movie magazine Fangoriahis social doom is sealed for the next four years.
But every summer, Benji escapes to the Hamptons, to Sag Harbor, where a small community of African American professionals have built a world of their own. Because their parents come out only on weekends, he and his friends are left to their own devices for three glorious months. And although hes just as confused about this all-black refuge as he is about the white world he negotiates the rest of the year, he thinks that maybe this summer things will be different. If all goes according to plan, that is.
There will be trials and tribulations, of course. There will be complicated new handshakes to fumble through, and state-of-the-art profanity to master. He will be tested by contests big and small, by his misshapen haircut (which seems to have a will of its own), by the New Coke Tragedy of 85, and by his secret Lite FM addiction. But maybe, with a little luck, things will turn out differently this summer.
In this deeply affectionate and fiercely funny coming-of-age novel, Whiteheadusing the perpetual mortification of teenage existence and the desperate quest for reinventionlithely probes the elusive nature of identity, both personal and communal.
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