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Black Card

Chris L. Terry (Goodreads Author)

3.75 · Rating details · 342 ratings · 72 reviews

With dark humor, 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 rev ...more

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Hardcover, 253 pages

Published August 13th 2019 by Catapult

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· 342 ratings · 72 reviews

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Aug 01, 2019 karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: from-publisher-or-author

looking for great books to read during black history month...and the other eleven months? i'm going to float some of my favorites throughout the month, and i hope they will find new readers!

UPDATE: so i went to chris' reading at books are magic and it went great, and afterwards it was all compressed signing-line longtime no see catching-up: howza wife and kid and swapping freelance woes

and then O LET US POSE FOR A PICTURE TOGETHER

rude.

(view spoiler)

******************* ...more

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Aug 16, 2019 Paris (parisperusing) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2019, reads-for-understanding, authors-of-color, black-authors, debuts, publisher-sent, books-on-blackness

It pains me what I have to say about Chris L. Terry's Black Card. This novel could have been so much more effective than it was, but its potential, sadly, was marred by its own exploitation every black stereotype you could imagine. That isn't, however, the bone I have to pick with Black Card — it was the lazy unwillingness to correct or debunk these stereotypes.

In an effort to win back his "Black Card" — the figurative token of black acceptance that’s made real in the book — after being a silent It pains me what I have to say about Chris L. Terry's Black Card. This novel could have been so much more effective than it was, but its potential, sadly, was marred by its own exploitation every black stereotype you could imagine. That isn't, however, the bone I have to pick with Black Card — it was the lazy unwillingness to correct or debunk these stereotypes.

In an effort to win back his "Black Card" — the figurative token of black acceptance that’s made real in the book — after being a silent bystander to a racist incident, our unnamed “Tragic Mulatto” (half-white, half-black) does "black stuff" to appeal to the whims of his white friends while trying to earn the respect of a “Magical Negro” figure called Lucius, who nevertheless remains unsatisfied with his attempts to prove he is black.

The issue with these stories, unbeknownst to white people, is they are terribly predictable and formulaic, as any black person will tell you: TM employs token black person to "teach" them how to be black, TM struggles to explain their identity to all-white friend group, TM remains shockingly indifferent to blatant acts of racism against blacks, TM tries (and sometimes succeeds) to charm Mona, that one black girl in his life who he reduces to a stepping stone, TM "discovers" his blackness via "old school hip-hop and R&B,” TM confronts white person/friends to no avail whatsoever, and despite these bland efforts, TM somehow arrives at the conclusion that their mixed race doesn't negate their blackness, and that blackness itself cannot be "taught" — yet somehow forgets to correct the problematic assumptions that led him to this revelation to begin with. (How, Sway?)

This may sound cruel, but I have to be honest. What turned me off most about this book is the fact that the storyteller — who is already so far removed from the black experience as it is for being half-white and white-passing — has the unmitigated gall to mock blackness in a way with no purpose that isn't self-serving. Any time the speaker makes even the slightest endeavor to confront racism/stereotypes against black people, he essentially gives up.

Again, no correction.

There are moments in this book when the narrator cringingly inserts an awkward R&B song or hip-hop reference or bursts into bits of black sketch comedy (?), others when he and the Magical Negro are mocking Ebonics — like "practicing our 'muhfukkas'" (??) — and another when he learns something traumatic has happened to Mona — the only girl he pines after in the entire book — yet makes no real effort (besides sending a weak-ass text message) to check on her well-being. The latter incident also struck a nerve with me as the only "real" black female character in this story is subjected to violence at the hands of someone white, and with impunity at that. Did I mention there’s a "wigger" type in this story? My god…

Not a single page wastes space to indulge in black stereotypes, yet refuses to make equal efforts to deconstruct those ignorant ideas, as if to say, "It is what it is." For what it's worth, I did appreciate the narrator's (albeit short-lived) discourse with Mona in which they challenge notions of blackness being synonymous with playing into stereotypes in one's actions, speech, and behavior, which is why I was all the more disappointed this wasn't delineated upon throughout the entirety of the book.

Overall, Black Card does little to refute the very serious, very racist theories white people have about blacks as it is, but satirizing blackness, our language, and mannerisms in an effort to solicit sympathy for any tragic mulatto figure is dangerously problematic. Nothing's the matter with using satire to educate your readers, as good satire is designed to do, but if you're going to satirize stereotypes about black people you should keep that same energy when correcting them. Period.

With all due respect, though, thanks Catapult for gifting me a free copy of this book.

If you liked my review, feel free to follow me @parisperusing on Instagram. ...more

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Oct 17, 2019 Traci at The Stacks rated it liked it

Sort of corny and sort of good and a fun little read about race. I loved the author’s voice and the main character. It sort of felt like reading Atlanta the TV show. I didn’t get it all, and some didn’t land, and it gets lost in the last 1/3 but over all I enjoyed it.

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Jul 02, 2019 James Spooner rated it it was amazing

Chris Terry beat me to the punch. This book has all the stuff I’d put into a book of writing about my own life.
He writes about mixed race identity and punk rock in a way that only someone who has lived it could.
I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in either.

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Sep 07, 2019 Nia Forrester rated it it was amazing

Shelves: difficult-or-taboo-subject, male-pov, profound, literary

You ever read a book that you're just happy was written? 'Black Card' is one such book for me. I mean, there have been a couple of those this year, but this one in particular felt timely and important. I read about this book long before it was released, and admit I was somewhat disappointed that it was going to be satire. I like writing, thinking, speaking, reading about race and identity, race and politics, race and relationships ... and it feels weighty, but like it deserves that weight. It fe You ever read a book that you're just happy was written? 'Black Card' is one such book for me. I mean, there have been a couple of those this year, but this one in particular felt timely and important. I read about this book long before it was released, and admit I was somewhat disappointed that it was going to be satire. I like writing, thinking, speaking, reading about race and identity, race and politics, race and relationships ... and it feels weighty, but like it deserves that weight. It feels like we don't often contemplate its meaning seriously, and hide behind platitudes like, 'race is a social construct' or 'race is a fiction', neither of which acknowledges that quite apart from the physiological or biological, race can and does have real significance. So anyway, because of that, experimental treatments of the subject usually wind up making me annoyed. But Chris L. Terry, I know, was writing in part from personal experience as a biracial man who pursued life choices not considered "Black enough." Because of Chris Terry's own experience, I understood why a satirical approach might give him both the distance and freedom to express what he wanted, no matter how outrageous others might find it. And also, he knows things about this experience that I cannot, so I can only approach his treatment of it with a completely open mind.

In 'Black Card', our unnamed protagonist is a punk rocker. As an aside, Chris Terry, like the protagonist, was a punk rocker, a choice which helped him inadvertently 'pass' as white at times. He notes that punk grew from ska, a Jamaican music form that is very much Black, but yeah ... since most people don't know that, punk gets labeled as white when its roots are not. Anyways, I digress. With his Black father and white mother, the protagonist never experienced what he believes is "real Blackness." He doesn't walk correctly, use the right slang, wear the right clothes, look completely identifiably Black (except to Black people who he says know how to recognize each other in a hostile world -- I say that all the time!!), nor listen to the "right" music. But thankfully he has "Lucius" his Blackness spirit guide who helps him earn his Black Card by critiquing his responses to occurrences both routine and exceptional in his daily life.

What would a Black man say? Do? Think? in each circumstance? Our protagonist doesn't always know, so Lucius coaches him. That coaching is by turns comic, stereotypical, tragic and poignant, distracting us from, then eventually leading us to understand both the complexity of the biracial protagonist's existence (Black, yet not; white, yet not) and the way Blackness seems to exist both within him (his father's blood) and outside of him, in the belief systems of people around him about what Black people are like.

Lucius is his externalized Blackness come to life, illustrating all of the stereotypes about Black men from the verifiable to the ridiculous (e.g., high swagger quotient, pronouces 'motherfucker' MUH-FUKKA with emphasis on the MUH); but he is also the sage who will lead our protagonist to a core realization about who he is, and what it means to be Black.

I enjoyed this book. But, if you don't enjoy experimental devices in fiction, you could find it exasperating. Almost all of the characters are there to illustrate a point about race, so it might be frustrating when their "storyline" is not tied up neatly, or even much developed beyond their utility to make that point. Nevertheless, I highlighted a lot of this book, and recommend it. It satisfied me, completely. ...more

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May 06, 2019 Uriel Perez rated it it was amazing

Chris L. Terry’s hilariously unnerving novel, ‘Black Card,’ grapples with questions of racial identity, pitting one mixed-race, punk-rocking barista against an alarmingly racist circle of friends and strangers, a police investigation that views him as the prime suspect of a violent crime, and the existential threat of having lost his Black Card, the lone tie to his Blackness.

‘Black Card’ is probing, revelatory and deftly toes it’s way through the murky waters of the bi-racial experience. Chris L ...more

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Feb 04, 2019 Catapult rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fall-2019, 2019

Black Card is the satirical story of a mixed-race punk rock musician who, determined to win back his coveted Black Card, is suspected of a violent crime in early 2000s Richmond, Virginia, and is confronted with the alienation and everyday aggressions experienced in an absurd world divided by race.

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Jan 16, 2020 Rachel rated it it was ok

I mean...this is just a tragic ass story that had so much promise. The narrator is just tiresome and is trying to be black by playing into damn near every black stereotype. Homie even has a Magical Negro Friend who's straight up the embodiment of a hood ni**a because he thinks that what the gatekeeper of "blackness" looks like and who is the only individual who can give him his Black Card. It's a mess of stereotypes, predictable tropes, and just pointless events; which can sometimes be the birac ...more

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Jul 01, 2019 Amelia rated it it was amazing

BLACK CARD takes the teenage search for the self through a sharp and surreal map of punk-southern-rap-rock Virginia, drawn and crossed in racial lines and guided by the heart and wit of Chris Terry’s indelible characters. A kickflip classic.

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Aug 09, 2019 Jonathan rated it really liked it

“it’s easy to lose it when you’re looking for yourself”
.
4.5
.
Black Card is a satirical novel that reads almost like a memoir. It delicately explores life of a mixed race man living in the old confederate capitol of Richmond Va. Terry has created a work so searing and truthful that it makes you question the very logic which it defies. Facing off against topics on the hot stove of society these days and written with such complex fury that made it so effortless to fly through these pages. I also had ...more

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Aug 23, 2019 Dave rated it it was amazing

I had high expectations and this book totally exceeded them. I don't often laugh out loud when reading but this book got me a few times. I can't recommend it enough. I've already given away one copy as a gift and it's only been out like a week. ...more

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Dec 21, 2020 Joelle rated it did not like it

I can pretty much see what he was going for but this book does unfortunately suck

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Jul 02, 2019 Tony DuShane rated it it was amazing

A super fun read right from page one.

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Aug 17, 2020 Alexis rated it it was amazing

Strong language.

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Dec 18, 2019 Jim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: music-writing, 2019

There’s a poignant passage near the middle of Chris L. Terry’s new novel, Black Card, in which the unnamed protagonist reflects on cultural memory in his hometown in the South.

“There are only first impressions in Richmond.”

The narrator notes how people in the capital of Virginia refer to stores and restaurants by the names of previous establishments that have long gone out of business. That tendency to hold onto the past stagnates personal growth and makes it hard to reinvent oneself.

“If the There’s a poignant passage near the middle of Chris L. Terry’s new novel, Black Card, in which the unnamed protagonist reflects on cultural memory in his hometown in the South.

“There are only first impressions in Richmond.”

The narrator notes how people in the capital of Virginia refer to stores and restaurants by the names of previous establishments that have long gone out of business. That tendency to hold onto the past stagnates personal growth and makes it hard to reinvent oneself.

“If the city is full of flags supporting an army that lost over a century ago, it’s not gonna forget who you were last year.”

In other words, that phase someone went through in high school wasn’t a phase—it’s who they are and, to some extent, who they’ll always be.

This is particularly troubling for our hero: A 20-something young man with a Black father and a white mother, struggling to figure out who he is. His situation is confounded by his passion for punk rock. He plays in the local band Paper Fire and not only are most of his peers in the scene white, but they see him as one of them.

Black Card poses the question: What does one do when we’re caught between two cultures? In this case, the answer is to invent someone who understands. The protagonist has an ongoing dialogue with an imaginary friend named Lucius, who ultimately serves as something of an alter ego. Lucius is unambiguously Black and engages in stereotypically Black behavior. Only by acting and thinking more like Lucius can the narrator earn his Black card. Hijinks ensue.

Not surprisingly, the more the narrator embraces his Blackness, the more likely he is to experience racism. In Richmond, it’s part of the air he breathes.

“Racism here is often fancier than the Dixie flag bumper stickers you see next to race car logos on pick-up trucks. Lee is one of four statues of famous Confederates on Monument Avenue. It’s the ritziest street in the Fan, with a wide, grassy median, beautiful new town houses, and a new monument to a famous slaver every few blocks.”

Terry’s wry sense of humor and caustic wit is reminiscent of Joe Meno’s Hairstyles of the Damned and Todd Taylor’s Shirley Wins. Black Card is a powerful reflection on race and identity that packs a punk rock punch.
...more

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Sep 13, 2019 Kaitlin rated it it was amazing

I read the majority of this book in two very long sittings (one at a bar, one at the Manhattan DMV, to give you an idea of how long) and, while I actually think it might be better-suited to short spurts, like a commute, I did really enjoy immersing myself in its world for that long. And while for quite a bit of this book I was thinking more along four stars, by the end I really felt like there was something a little brilliant about the novel, though it was tough to put my finger on exactly what. I read the majority of this book in two very long sittings (one at a bar, one at the Manhattan DMV, to give you an idea of how long) and, while I actually think it might be better-suited to short spurts, like a commute, I did really enjoy immersing myself in its world for that long. And while for quite a bit of this book I was thinking more along four stars, by the end I really felt like there was something a little brilliant about the novel, though it was tough to put my finger on exactly what.

The unnamed narrator (an author proxy, but it’s fine) is a mixed punk rocker living in Richmond. He’s so light skinned that he often passes for white around white people (but not around black people); all his friends are white (as punks tend to be); and he feels wildly uncomfortable around black people, including the girl he likes, who he perceives as thinking (not altogether incorrectly, at times) that black people don’t see him as “black enough.” The narrator feels caught between cultures—he wants to be black, but doesn’t feel he’s earned it by liking “white stuff.” Enter The Black Card, which he earns as a kid after many a “training session” with his friend Lucius. But after witnessing a racist situation (a bunch of hicks using the n-word indiscriminately, because they didn’t see any black people in the area and thought that made it okay) and not intervening, Lucius takes the Black Card away. And the narrator is desperate to get it back.

Look, here’s the thing about this book—it balanced very precariously. Between humor and seriousness, between “race is a construct” and “race is very real,” between success and failure as a conceit. I was pretty much waiting around for this book to collapse in on itself—it should have. But it didn’t. It’s not perfect—for example, there’s all these characters introduced, but you really shouldn’t expect much to come of them. The book is about the narrator and his journey, and so the cast doesn’t really matter much when it comes down to it. (Although the narrator is SUPER lame when it comes to dealing with the girl he’s crushing on getting attacked, in pretty much every way—that was kind of rough to watch, but mostly because it’d be how a lot of 21-year-old kids would react. I.e., with no sensitivity whatsoever and making it about themselves. But still, hard to read.)

But what made this book a little bit brilliant was Lucius. He’s introduced as the narrator’s friend but, over time, you realize that no one ever speaks to Lucius. He’s always there, but no one notices him. Because he’s actually the narrator’s spirit guide to blackness. The narrator feels so far removed from black culture that he made himself up his own magical negro to teach him how to be black. And Lucius is every black stereotype in the book—because that’s the only definition of blackness that the narrator has to work with when manifesting him. Lucius says it best himself: “We cut on the TV and see the same mess as white people. It gets in our heads, too.” It would; media is pervasive, and very often terrible to black people—it relies on stereotypes both thoughtlessly and maliciously. Chris Terry’s Black Card engages with those stereotypes thoughtfully in order to prove his point: that race doesn’t matter, except that it really does. ...more

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Oct 17, 2019 Steven rated it liked it

This is such a petty, petty, petty, little complaint to have about a book and I know that. And while this petty little complaint nagged away at my brain for the entire time that I was reading "Black Card," and most definitely impacted my experience with this novel in a slightly negative way, and while I really wanted to beef about it in an online review for no other reason than to vent my annoyance, I never would have actually done so, because it's such a petty, petty, petty, little complaint, b ...more

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Sep 26, 2019 Ashton rated it it was amazing

This book is absolutely fantastic. The story itself is well written and progresses with ease. The actual plot points and thought exercises within the story are where the novel becomes increasingly important to the race conversations happening in America today. I cannot recommend this novel enough to anyone who is aware of social stereotypes and prejudices and interested in being an upstanding member of their community.

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Jan 05, 2020 Antonio Depietro rated it it was amazing

LOVE this book. What a total surprise. Couldn't put it down. I guess it's about racial identity, but for me it seemed like that time in life when if you're lucky you're figuring out who you are and accepting it. Good insight about the Richmond punk scene which i have no clue about. ...more

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Sep 12, 2019 Lavon Youins rated it it was amazing

I myself am biracial (Black/Korean) who lives in the South, so I know firsthand the struggle concerning confederate monuments, microaggressions committed by friends - and having them allow others to openly racially-antagonize you directly. I also know the struggle of having to atone for turning your back on the maintained struggle of one's race in favor of a better chance of a good day. I also know forgiveness of self.
What Terry has done is not just written a story that is deeply personal to him ...more

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Sep 10, 2019 Aaron rated it it was amazing

One of the stock pieces of writing advice for writers is "write what you know". This dude took it to heart. It rings true, just about everything rings so sincere and tactile that it's really ridiculous. From the cringey racism of white people at karaoke night, to the logistics of dirtbag punk band touring. It's a quick read, everything moves the plot forward, and there's enough magical realism/flashbacks/diversions that nothing ever gets slowed down by real life. I've never had a struggle with r ...more

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Sep 15, 2019 Alexander P. rated it it was amazing

One of the best of 2019. Brilliant prose, spot-on descriptions, and a main character you wish to spend more time than this wonderfully-paced novel gives you. This is definitely a book Terry should be eating off for years to come.

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Jul 21, 2019 Lizenbyl rated it liked it

This book is about a young gentlemen trying to figure out is he "black" or is he "white." The book started out slow and had a minimally effective plot. Book was a quick read. ...more

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Aug 31, 2019 Lee Barnes rated it it was amazing

A quick, affecting read about a biracial person's experiences of coming to terms with their intersectional identity in Richmond, VA. Black Card challenges racist tropes and cliches through a self-aware satirical lens, while simultaneously providing levity with a touch of magical realism. ...more

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Aug 27, 2019 james r. hise rated it it was amazing

Where do I start?!
This book was riveting. I couldn't put it down. It was powerful, emotional and completely relatable. The characters are so we'll developed I felt like I was reading a story about my friends. I can't wait to see what Chris L. Terry writes next! ...more

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Feb 16, 2020 Rami Jubran rated it it was amazing

I went into this book without knowing much about it except that i liked Chris L. Terry as a person. I did not expect to connect with this book as much as i did, especially not being black. As a person whose ethnicity is just as difficult to guess as the narrator of the book, it put into a words a lot of things i've felt throughout my life.

The book itself is fantastic and quick, its a moment in time and reminded me a lot of "The Hate U Give" as they both deal with difficult situations around race ...more

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Jul 15, 2019 Pete Hsu rated it it was amazing

This is my kind of book! Smart, funny and heartbreaking.

The unnamed protagonist is a mixed-race black guy in Virginia who’s trying to navigate his conflicted desire to: (1) continue participating within the levels of racist America while also (2) desperately (re)claim his black identity. It’s a heartfelt and entertaining read that takes a stark turn forcing the narrator to confront what it really means to be a black man in America.

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Aug 10, 2019 Sarah Langan rated it it was amazing

I got an advance copy of Chris Terry's Black Card. It's a propulsive coming of age story, about a mixed race kid who doesn't know who he is, or whether he should listen to the voices in his head. ...more

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Jun 24, 2019 Erika Kraus rated it it was amazing

Shelves: goodreads-giveaway

I won this book in the giveaway! I was entertained and interested throughout the story and I already have someone in mind to pass it along to!

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Jun 26, 2020 Monique rated it liked it

Shelves: just-good-general-easy-reading-fict, own-it-books-in-my-library, itsblack-itswhite-race-relations

“This card entitles the brotha or sista who bears it to all black privileges, including, but not limited to: Use of the n-word, permission to wear flip-flops and socks, extra large bottles of lotion, use of this card as a stand-in for the BigJoker in a spades game, and, most important, a healthy and vocal skepticism of white folks aka crackers aka honkies. To be renewed in five years, upon evaluation.” (Pg. 7)

Getting back to a physical read and got this one a year ago (thanks Facebook Memories f ...more

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About Chris L. Terry

Chris L. Terry

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Chris L. Terry is the author of the novel Black Card, about a mixed-race punk bassist with a black imaginary friend. NPR called Black Card, "hilariously searing." Terry's debut novel Zero Fade was on Best of 2013 lists by Slate and Kirkus Reviews, who called it, "Original, hilarious, thought-provoking, and wicked smart...not to be missed."

Terry was born in 1979 to a black father and white mother. ...more