Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
31st out of 40 books
—
15 voters
Slapboxing with Jesus
Twelve original and interconnected stories in the traditions of Junot Díaz and Sherman Alexie. Victor D. LaValle's astonishing, violent, and funny debut offers harrowing glimpses at the vulnerable lives of young people who struggle not only to come of age, but to survive the city streets.
In "ancient history," two best friends graduating from high school fight to be the one...more
In "ancient history," two best friends graduating from high school fight to be the one...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
October 5th 1999
by Vintage
(first published September 21st 1999)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
400)
Mar 13, 2010
Jerry
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
the people that watched MTV's "Making the Band 2"
Recommended to Jerry by:
Complex Mag
I liked it. (But not enough to give it a 4) 3.5 out of 5.
LaValle's characters were about as real as fictional characters can possibly be. If they were any realer they would be walking around NYC wearing gaudy jewelry and dropping the "Killah" from their MC title.
This might just be me being naive but it seemed to me that LaValle went way out of his way to show the dark and ugly side of project living. I mean, WTF? Are you telling me that not all New Yorkers are as nice as Puffy and Rudy Giuliani...more
LaValle's characters were about as real as fictional characters can possibly be. If they were any realer they would be walking around NYC wearing gaudy jewelry and dropping the "Killah" from their MC title.
This might just be me being naive but it seemed to me that LaValle went way out of his way to show the dark and ugly side of project living. I mean, WTF? Are you telling me that not all New Yorkers are as nice as Puffy and Rudy Giuliani...more
I only read the first story titled, 'raw daddy' and although it wasn't a bad story or even untrue to life, I just wasn't prepared for it. I don't know if I will ever get back to this book. Right now, in my life, I don't really want to read about what I'm trying to change.
(Rounded up from 3.5 stars.) If you like Junot Diaz you'll like Mr. LaValle. His stories ring true to this NY native and his style is all his own. He really taps into humility and jealousy from the male perspective and has a great range. His stories are interconnected and in part two follow only one character (a young boy named Anthony) but each story strikes a chord and while some leave you expecting a bit more all leave you satisfied with the tale told. Looking forward to reading more of his w...more
I wasn't into all the stories in this book, but a handful of them really, really worked. Initially, I unfairly labeled as too derivative of Junot Diaz (not entirely my fault- the book jacket and acknowledgements really stretch to make the connection too), but once I began judging the book on its own merits, I really liked it. Sharp language, compelling characters, interesting observations and details. Seriously surprising turns in some of the stories. Good writing all around. I particularly like...more
early work by LaValle. Nothing like Big Machine, these short stories reminded me a little of Junot Diaz's stories.
This book is one of my favorite short story collections of all times. Writing is original, funny, stellar.
This collection of short stories gave me permission to write from a knowing place.
An amazing debut that inspired me. It validated my creative direction.
A little disappointing only because I was looking for this to blow my mind in the way that the novel "Big Machine" did. (I also involuntarily keep an arms-crossed stance with short story collections.) But this deserves all the comparisons to Sherman Alexie and Junot Diaz it gets. A good tide-over until LaValle puts out his next book.
one of the best writers alive.
A fine collection.
These are strong stories.. When I say strong, I mean they have impact, they hit you in the gut. The dialogue is so good, I often feel as if I am eavesdropping on real conversations. My favorite story is the one in which a boy meets his father... The boy is black and the father is white. A fine illustration of how human beings -- though they may be related by blood -- can be as distant as strangers.
the baby of ghostface and james joyce. seriously, that isn't just some dumb witty review bullshit, you know, the kind of thing smart dumb people write. lavalle was influenced by both. ghostface does "the dubliners," however, is better imagined than expressed in this great book of short stories...no author can live up to that ideal.
Unlike his peer Junot Diaz, Lavelle did not transition as well to novel writing as Diaz and Slapboxing is a big reason why. So much well-deserved hype was dropped on him because of this book of short stories. Hipsters, academics, literary types were all loving these honest and humorous, very East Coast-feeling urban tales.
I wish this collection was as much on people's minds as the more popular "Jesus's Son" by Denis Johnson. Together, the two paint the perfect picture of contemporary American male life. And this one is much more fun. Rhythm like you wouldn't believe and characters you know but have never read about before.
There were definitely enjoyable parts of this book and I enjoyed the writing style of the author. But when the book ended, I felt like it was really disconnected. Nothing really brought it together for me.
Currently reading this book in a search for more hip-hop literary narratives. Brought to my attention by Willie Perdomo and Adam Mansbach author of Angry Black White Boy--another good book.
short stories about a diverse group of people prove to be everything from depressing to inspirational.
Victor LaValle is one of my all time favorites. The story SLAVE in this collection is a soul-stirrer.
So weird, but oddly irresistable.
May 22, 2013
C.A. Huggins
is currently reading it
May 21, 2013
J
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Isla McKetta
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2013
Barrie
marked it as to-read
May 18, 2013
Sean
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2013
Alli
marked it as to-read
May 02, 2013
Diana
marked it as to-read
May 01, 2013
Nathan
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Victor LaValle is the author of the short-story collection Slapboxing with Jesus and the novel The Ecstatic, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award.
More about Victor LaValle...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Oct 03, 2007 04:24pm