The social satire within the pages of Mat Johnson's latest offering, Pym, is nothing short of brilliant and extremely hilarious -- I found it to be a seriously and literally "laugh out loud" funny novel! Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of …more Nantucket, Pym's protagonist is a recently dismissed, professor Chris Jaynes, who is frustrated with his former employer's decision to deny him tenure for what he views as insubordination. His act of defiance is refusing to join the Diversity Committee and pursuing non-African American literary interest many of which explore theories of racist pathology in popular American literature. As the title implies, Jaynes's interest lies with Poe's only novel which contains stereotypical depictions of non-whites and a fantastic, seafaring journey.

If you are unfamiliar with Poe's work, worry not, because the author, through Jaynes, summarizes the story quite nicely, pointing out the inconsistencies, social relevance of key passages, and cleverly ties in Jaynes' driving passion to rediscover, Tsalal, the mythical island of blacks cited near the end of Poe's book. Once Jaynes is convinced that Poe's work is truly authentic (despite its many holes, flaws, and inaccuracies), the adventure begins with Jaynes's contacting his deep-sea diving, boat-owning cousin, Booker, as captain of a motley crew which consists of Jaynes's ex-girlfriend and her new husband (both attorneys), his unemployed best friend, and a gay thrill-seeking, documentary-making couple. Everyone has their own agenda regarding the re-discovery of Tsalal: Jayne's being anthropological/academic in nature, the couple's being social networking fame/reality show publicity, and Booker and the attorney's desires are rooted in profit-making (exploitative) purposes.

Sounds humdrum, right? Wrong! The strength of the book is its quirky characters, their absurd trek to discover an unknown land/people, and the endless uncanny situations where America's racial views, fears, stereotypes and archetypes are subtly (and sometimes overtly) reanimated on the frozen tundra. There are so many facets to this rich novel, for example, an ironic point that resurfaces repeatedly in the novel is that Jaynes is of mixed heritage. Using an antiquated term, he is a self-described "octoroon"; however, he identifies as African American, but can "pass" as white and this often puts a different spin on many of the zany, precarious situations he finds himself in.

It is highly recommended for those who enjoy satire or for anyone who wants to sample something different. No doubt, Pym is my first five-star read of 2011! I truly enjoyed every page and am looking forward to whatever Mat Johnson releases next.

This book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub (less)

The actual Book of Negroes is an amazing historical document, a British military ledger that contains the names and descriptions of 3,000 men, women, and children who served or were supported by the British during the American Revolutionary War. Lawrence Hill's book ( …more published as the The Book of Negroes in Canada and as Someone Knows My Name in the USA) is a brilliantly imagined novel based on the document of the same name and the events surrounding the relocation of thousands of Black Loyalists to various British colonies and eventually to Sierra Leone after the conflict. Similar in approach to The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Hill's offering spans the lifetime of the fictional Aminata Meena Diallo, an African born woman who escaped to freedom.

At the beginning of the novel Meena is in London, an old woman who has lived a tumultuous life. At the urging of her abolitionist sponsors, she is asked to pen her story which would be used as evidence depicting the cruelty and inhumanity of the slave trade. Meena, an intelligent, educated woman, authors her autobiography via vivid flashbacks through time. She writes, "Let me begin with a caveat to any and all who find these pages. Do not trust large bodies of water, and do not cross them. If you, dear reader, have an African hue and find yourself led toward water with vanishing shores, seize your freedom by any means necessary." She continues and details her life as a young child in an African village, her capture and Middle Passage crossing, enslavement while in America, relocation to Nova Scotia, return to Africa Freetown, Sierra Leone, and partnering with abolitionists in England.

However to summarize the book in such a way is a huge understatement - it is steeped in historical facts that educate and enlighten the reader; I was pulled in immediately after reading the opening passages. Before her capture, African Meena's father taught her to read and write, her mother taught her midwifery, family structure, and culture are illustrated in her interactions with her parents and other villagers. After witnessing her parent's murder at the hands of African slavers, she is mournfully treks through the African interior for months before arriving exhausted at the coastal slave port. Meena transcribed the inhumanity of the trade, the stifling stench and horrid conditions aboard the slave ship, the rapes and attempted revolts that occurred during the crossing, and the shameful and dehumanizing experience on the auction block. [edited to remove plot spoilers]

The author notes in the Afterword where he has taken a few liberties with the timeline and some historical figures; however the vast majority of the book is factual; extracted from history books and inspired by diaries, memoirs, notes, etc. Hill expertly layers the social and political climates of the time against the protagonist's story. This novel is extremely well-written, perfectly paced, and highly recommended as a study aid for students or to anyone who enjoys the historical fiction genre. (less)