Drop

by Mat Johnson

Book Overview

A new voice in American fiction recalling the work of Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin, Drop is an irreverent and unforgettable coming-of age-story about a 31-year-old black man who struggles to break... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582341044
• ISBN13: 9781582341040
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

The Dividing Line

I weep for the state of black writing. I am a black woman and I'm in tears. A previous reviewer claimed that Johnson's book was hard to get through, hard to understand. A fair point, some first time authors don't know how to use their talents just yet, but then to see that this same reviewer gave Eric Jerome Dickey a five star review! Saying, "He did it again..."Did what again, exactly? Wrote a book for people with a third grade reading level?I will just say it because it needs to be said more often: black readers do not deserve the level of talented black writers out there. When I see an author like Mat Johnson passed over for the likes of Omar Tyree, the refried beans of fiction, I can't help but be hurt. There will always be different knds of books for different readers, that obvious. Hell, I love to read Octavia Butler even though her ideas are much stronger than her (largely) terrible prose. But to imagine that Mr. Johnson wasn't nominated by the NAACP for a fiction award and to see the cavalcade of no talents who were, well, it leaves a sister slightly mad, but more than that it makes me sad.Mr. Johnson, please remember that there are INTELLIGENT black readers who value the humanity you create. The complexity (not everything has a happy ending!). The reward for your hard work is like the pride Romans may take in their aquaducts: a thousand years after the society crumbles, great works of men (and women) live on.

Don't Drop it Like its Hot...

Home. It can be good, bad, even indifferent, but its always home and its home for a reason. "Drop" took me to a point in myself that forced me to think about home - where it really is, what it really means, why we run from it and why we run back. The style and flow of this work was personal and rhythmic. The art in the writing doesn't get in the way of the story it does a great job developing key images for the reader while completing the characters at the same time.The story was real, I think we ALL carry what Chris Jones carried when we fail in some way or lose something when we KNOW that is just isn't justified. We prefer to hang on that loss and injustice parts of the situation rather than the more important pieces surrounding it like what we learned from it, how it impacted our life, how it forced us to look at self for the next step (then again, that could just be the feelings of another thirty-somethin' brotha that's gone through stuff in life...) Thanks Mat Johnson, "Drop" is a nice piece of writing that's well worth reading.

There's real power here, folks

Why 5 stars when this book wasn't perfect? The ending almost disgusted me with its casual reversal of expectation. Ah, but the writing.... There are passages here that thrilled me, filled me with exuberance, made me stand up and walk across the room and back. "Was it really that good?" Then I'd reread it and confirm the power of the words.I'll be standing in line for the next book. Thanks, Mat Johnson.

Fabulous read!

I kept seeing this book all over the place. Finally, someone gave it to me and I was so glad they did. His descriptions were great, I could feel what the main character was feeling and relate. It reminded me of "Black Girl in Paris", except is was "Black Man in Philly, Black Man in London, and Black Man Philly again. Excellent debut.

Superb.

I'm currently on tour for my own book, and first saw this book at Reprint Books in D.C. It caught my attention during a booksigning. I picked it up, made a mental note. Then I saw it two more times in the next two days. By day three, I got the hint, and finally bought it at a store in Tampa (Books for Thought) where I was signing. That was two days ago. I started reading it yesterday, and boy did I get lost in the pages!! I was reading it at lunch and dinner (even though I had company with me at lunch and dinner...I've never done THAT before). I read until 11:30pm last night (even though I had to be up at 4:30am for an early flight), and just finished it in Houston moments before I'm about to do another signing (I was not leaving this room without getting to the end). Excellent isn't good enough to describe how much I enjoyed this book. Mat Johnson had me, literally, screaming with laughter at the cynicism of his character's delivery, gasping at his pointed observations, marveling at his juxtaposition of images and his wonderful use of metaphors. So much so that I was annoying another author who was doing a few cities with me, and now SHE'S running out to buy the book because I read her so many passages while I was engrossed with the book that she just couldn't stand it anymore (I'm not giving her my copy...authors need to eat, so she has to buy her own). What an incredible use of the language!! Johnson's protagonist Christopher Jones was completely tangible. His rise from the depths of what he considers a loathsome Philly to an almost surreally blissful career/life in London, and his subsequent, tragic spiral downward had me riveted (sure that sounds cliche, but I was stuck to the page). I didn't know what to do. Christopher became so real, I somehow wanted to help, until I, as did the characters in the world around him, realized that only he could help himself. Kudos to you, Mat Johnson, for writing a book that is both literary and commercially accessible (no easy feat). I'm recommending this book to everybody (I just told a whole crowd of people at a store in Jacksonville--Nefertiti Books---to go buy it. I held up the book so they would know it when they see it. The unique cover is a real eye-catcher.) Anyway, I've gushed on enough about this book. It's a bonafide, unequivocal winner. Welcome to the wonderful world of publishing. The readers, and the critics, are going to love your work (you don't need to me to tell you that). Best to you and your family. You should all be proud.