Knucklehead, Adam Smyer
Knucklehead, Adam Smyer
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Knucklehead

Author: Adam Smyer

Narrator: L. Steven Taylor

Unabridged: 10 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/01/2018

Synopsis

In Knucklehead we meet Marcus Hayes, a black law student who struggles, sometimes unsuccessfully, with the impulse to confront everyday bad behavior with swift and antisocial action. The cause of this impulse is unknown to him.When Marcus unexpectedly becomes involved with the brilliant and kind Amalia Stewart, her love and acceptance pacify his demons. But when his demons return, he is no longer inclined to contain them.

About L. Steven Taylor

L. Steven Taylor is a New York actor who has played on Broadway as both Mufasa and Scar in Disney’s The Lion King. In addition to being very active in the commercial and voice-over world, working for such names as McDonalds, Bounty, Burger King, and Nickelodeon, he is also an avid spoken-word artist—penning his own spoken-word series: Perspective. He can also be seen on television in Madam Secretary, Elementary, Person of Interest, and The Electric Company.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Lark

The writing in this novel is deceptive. It pulls you into unexpected places. There is a casualness about the prose that is both endearing and disarming--it's a style where you never know what the narrator is going to do or say next. In one scene after another the protagonist continues a debate with......more

Goodreads review by Andre

A satirical new voice has arrived and he will be around a long time judging from this debut effort. Simply fascinating how the author, Adam Smyer uses the character Marcus Hayes, an African-American attorney, to traverse through nearly a decade from 1988-1997, all the while chronicling the days in t......more

Goodreads review by Nakia

Started out really good and funny, but took an odd, sad, and unbelievably wacky turn midway through. Wanted to knock the protaganist upside the head many, many times during the latter half of the book. Characters who make a habit of dumb decision making cause my blood to boil, so once that became th......more

Quotes

“Narrator Steven Taylor’s portrayal of the cocky, intelligent Marcus Hayes is arrestingly natural…Taylor matches the rhythm of Smyer’s conversational prose and hits all the humorous, shocking, and ultimately touching notes with ease.” AudioFile

“By setting his novel in the ’90s, Smyer, who lives in Oakland, has crafted some brutal deja vu. As [protagonist] Marcus reflects on Rodney King, the Million Man March, and the Oklahoma City bombing, we think of Freddie Gray, Black Lives Matter, and school shootings that have become a way of life. And when Marcus laments San Francisco’s dwindling black population, here we are more than twenty years on, and it’s only gotten worse. We should all be furious.” San Francisco Chronicle

“A whole lot of guns, violence, and rage, as well as plenty of love and sadness.” Literary Hub

“This book is bold in how it treats the reader as an insider to the reality of American blackness. It can be, in turns, lyrically poignant, cynical, hilarious, and infuriating.” Foreword Reviews (starred review)

“Marcus is an intelligent, acerbic, and often hilarious narrator, bringing a fresh, biting perspective to the social and racial tensions of the time.” Library Journal

“Smyer gives Marcus a sardonic and hilarious voice…and endows him with a troubled psychology that plumbs the nuances of black male identity.” Kirkus Reviews

Awards

  • Literary Hub Pick
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