Swiftian satire in the 21st century

The National Press Club's monthly Books and Brunch will meet on Saturday, Feb. 24 at noon in the Club's Fourth Estate. "The Sellout" by Paul Beatty, the first American to win the Man Booker Award, will be discussed.

The novel is a comic satire highlighting much of the hypocrisy in a so-called post-racist America. Our country is rich with material worthy of ridicule, and Beatty has written a book that is funny, profane, and an intelligent send-up of so much of our culture.

The book's black narrator was born in the "agrarian ghetto" of Dickens on the outskirts of southern Los Angeles. He is shocked and dismayed by the society he sees around him. His efforts to bring about change eventually lead him to an appearance before the Supreme Court to argue his case after he reinstates slavery in his town and home and segregates the local middle school. Beatty carves up almost the entirety of American culture and stereotypes.

Beatty is the author of three novels and two books of poetry. He is the editor of "Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor." In 2016, he became the first American to win the Man Booker Prize for "The Sellout.” This novel also won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature.

Books and Brunch is open to all Club members and their guests. Meetings are held at noon on the third Saturday of the month in the Fourth Estate. Lunch may be ordered off the menu.

Everyone in attendance for lunch and the book discussion is invited to vote on the reading selections nominated for consideration to be read in two months. Reading selections alternate between fiction and non-fiction work. The only requirement is that the author of any nominated work must be a prominent, published writer and a winner of a literary award.

We encourage you all to come on Saturday, Feb. 24, and enjoy a spirited discussion. For any questions regarding NPC Books and Brunch or to let us know you will be joining us, please contact Fay Iudicello, 703 989-4503 or at [email protected] or Pat Schoeni, 703 340-4017 or at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you.