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Paul Beatty
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The White Boy Shuffle: A Novel Paperback – May 4, 2001

by Paul Beatty (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 562 ratings
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"A bombastic coming-of-age novel....The White Boy Shuffle has the uncanny ability to make readers want to laugh and cry at the same time."--Los Angeles Times

The first novel from National Book Critics Circle Award and Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Sellout

Paul Beatty's hilarious and scathing debut novel is about Gunnar Kaufman, an awkward, black surfer bum who is moved by his mother from Santa Monica to urban West Los Angeles. There, he begins to undergo a startling transformation from neighborhood outcast to basketball superstar, and eventually to reluctant messiah of a "divided, downtrodden people."

Previous page
  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 4, 2001
  4. Dimensions
    8.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    031228019X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0312280192
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A bombastic coming-of-age novel . . . The White Boy Shuffle has the uncanny ability to make readers want to laugh and cry at the same time. Beatty mingles horrific reality with wild fancy without ever losing a grip on his story.” ―Los Angeles Times

“The White Boy Shuffle is one of those novels of enormous energy and verbal dazzle . . . Mr. Beatty is a fertile and original writer, one to watch.” ―The New York Times

“Laugh-out-loud funny and weep-in-silence sad . . . The language is always vibrant and alluring.” ―The Nation

“Ferocious and funny and also streetwise.” ―The Boston Globe

About the Author

Paul Beatty is the author of the novels, Tuff, Slumberland and The White Boy Shuffle, and the poetry collections Big Bank Take Little Bank and Joker, Joker, Deuce. He was the editor of Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor. In 2016, he became the first American to win the Man Booker Prize for his novel The Sellout. In 2017, he was the winner the American Academy of Arts and Letters Literature Award. He lives in New York City.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador; 2nd edition (May 4, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 031228019X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312280192
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 562 ratings

About the author

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Paul Beatty

Paul Beatty

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Winner of the 2016 Man Booker Prize

Winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction

Named one of the best books of 2015 by The New York Times Book Review and the Wall Street Journal

Paul Beatty is the author of three novels―Slumberland, Tuff, and The White Boy Shuffle―and two books of poetry: Big Bank Take Little Bank and Joker, Joker, Deuce. He is the editor of Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor. He lives in New York City.

Author Photo - Beatty, Paul (c) Hannah Assouline

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
562 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jason Squire
5.0 out of 5 stars Odd and deeply satisfying!
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2018
Verified Purchase
WHITE BOY SHUFFLE - Paul Beatty
Paul Beatty’s debut novel takes no prisoners with his irreverent, unapologetic tale about Gunnar Kaufman, a young, teenage black surfer relocated from predominantly white Santa Monica to urban Los Angeles. Beatty turns race relations upside down as Gunnar has to unlearn the mannerisms of his white friends while figuring out how to navigate his way in a predominantly black world. Initially shocked by his change in surroundings, in time Gunnar adapts and learns to thrive in his new city landscape. His heightened physical and mental skill set find both an outlet and a fan base as Gunnar becomes a discomfited basketball star and a reluctant spokesperson for race relations. Feeling no need for the appearances of fealty to any given group, Gunnar offers up the fiercest loyalty only to his coterie of friends and family. Any person or organization attempting to utilize Gunnar’s voice to promote their own agenda often finds themselves on the receiving end of a withering attack by Gunnar’s sharp intellect. With a Man Booker prize in his future for The Sellout (2016), the seeds of Paul Beatty’s literary success are clearly visible with his odd, deeply satisfying rookie foray into the world of fiction.
6 people found this helpful
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Jeremy Brigstocke
4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Bag
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2017
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Smartass writer. Some trenchant satire. Hits and misses. Contrived. Goes nowhere in the end. Still a worthwhile read.
One person found this helpful
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Eweiss
5.0 out of 5 stars I have fallen in love with Paul Beatty's work
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2016
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I have fallen in love with Paul Beatty's work. His use of language is breathtaking and the character and story development is historical, educative and full of surprises. It's tough to be a white guy praising this work. It is a richly drawn parable on the black experience and so I have no business reviewing it other than to say. Read it. Wake up. It's important writing.
5 people found this helpful
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Con Brio
5.0 out of 5 stars READ IT
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2016
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Paul Beatty's writing reminds me that the emergence of genius always comes unheralded - a mature well thought out style, belief or idea that seems to have no precursor - mushroom (truffle more apropo for Mr. Beatty) that wasn't there yesterday. Beatty's talent on every page - a restless mind spraying ideas and poetic images at you at a pace that seems unsustainable. But he fails to shake my belief that nihilism is just a way of pissing away our most precious commodity, time. Carpe diem Mr. B. - hellish lives need that brilliant mind to shine a light.
D. Thomas says it better.
"Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night."
One person found this helpful
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m raymer
3.0 out of 5 stars A dribble off the foot.
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2017
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I greatly enjoyed Beatty's The Sellout, so I next read the White Boy Shuffle, which I found very similar but not nearly as good. It seems the WBS was just a warm-up for writing The Sellout, which I highly recommend if you like dark, crazy humor with social satire. The problem for me with the WBS is that it just falls apart at the end. All the interesting setup in the first 2/3 of the book seems wasted. Now maybe Beatty is clever enough to have done that on purpose, as a metaphor for the main characters' potential being wasted in our culture. If so, too bad - it didn't really work.

Beatty is a brilliant wordsmith and both of these books can be enjoyed for that alone. But while the Sellout is a slam dunk, the WBS is a dribble off the foot.
One person found this helpful
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vervonto
5.0 out of 5 stars fun story even if not required to read read it
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2021
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Fell in love, with another book. It is way fun. It also might remind some of their adventures. For class, of course, not class, yeah, still a buy.
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peter nichols
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun read
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016
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Nice verse and plenty of chuckles
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Daniel Barnett
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, fast pace and a book to read several times over!
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2019
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Bought the book for my Sociology class and thought it wasn't going to live up to all the hype I have heard. I was very wrong, I love the book and will be rereading it again over winter break!
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Top reviews from other countries

Joe
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
Great read, medium sized length. Premise is reminiscent of an episode of Atlanta/Twilight Zone. Need to check out more of this author ASAP
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SHM23
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely brilliant!!
Reviewed in Canada on November 1, 2017
Verified Purchase
Absolutely brilliant!!! The best satire I have ever read! This book makes you laugh and cry at the same time! A masterpiece!!
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Silvia T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Reviewed in India on July 26, 2017
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A profoundly disquieting portrayal of an unreasonable America. Over the top and offensive in many ways, at the same time comforting and entertaining.
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Aashi Hussain
4.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 17, 2014
Verified Purchase
Had to read this for my university class, despite the language used i did enjoy it.
it was incredibly funny yet serious at the same time. Delivery was fast.
One person found this helpful
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roger brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best debut novel ever
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2017
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Seething polemic. Probably the best debut novel ever. The world is divided into those who love this and spoon fed Demi corpses. Choose which you is.....
One person found this helpful
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