The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle

Purchase: [Amazon] [B&N] [Kindle] [Nook]

"Ireland America was never Ireland America to me." It's Langston Hughes rewritten, but the message works an ocean away from Harlem. And that's what drew me into Roddy Doyle's stories. Racism isn't just an American issue, nor is immigration. I'm sure the world will like to think so, but Doyle has painted a clear picture that it's not. But it's those topics that hit home. That made these stories memorable. 

The book collects nine stories - eight of which are set in Ireland, one in New York - and each deals with the xenophobia\racism of a nation. 

The title story is a sequel of sorts to Doyle's novel, The Commitments, in which Jimmy Rabbitte decides it's high time for another band. No whites, he wants to write in the ad. In fact, that's part of the interview. Do you like the Corrs? Are you sure you're not white? With a rag tag of immigrants, Jimmy decides that the name of this new band is The Deportees and they will sing folk songs rather than soul. 

"The Pram," a Polish nanny decides to seek revenge on her troublesome charges, two daughters who seemingly sabotage her romantic life, by telling them a ghastly story. Only the hauntings enter her waking life rather than their nightmares. The story echoes The Turning of the Screw with a slightly different ending.

In "Guess Who's Coming for the Dinner," a liberal-thinking father is faced with the fact that one of his daughters might be seeing a black man. How he acts surprises him and his family. Luckily, they're there to make sure he doesn't embarrass himself.

A group of teenagers shine some light on racism and stereotypes at local shops and how it hurts the stores financially in "Black Hoodie."

The Deportees and Other Stories is an eye opener at the state that we're in. Cross out Ireland and Irish and replace with America and American, and you'll see how this stories echoes across the sea. It makes the reader take a side step and evaluate how low we've come as a people by refuses others the seem benefits and dreams that we hold close to our hearts.

Before I close this post, I want to announce that I do have an extra copy of The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle. And because I'm such a nice guy, I've decided to give one away.


Now this giveaway will take place starting the moment the Tumblr post or this post hits 30 notes/comments.  The rules are simple:

1. This giveaway is only open to residents of the Continental USA, sorry.
2. To enter, you must comment below and tweet the link, mentioning me in said tweet (@EnnuiPrayer).
3. Once one of the two posts hits 30, a period of fifteen days will pass before I draw a winner. 
4. I will announce said winner on both pages and my twitter - hence the reason I want you to mention me. You will then have a period of 48 hours to contact me with your address. If you fail to do so, I will pick draw another winner.

If you have a Tumblr, there's more, but I feel no need mention those here. You can check out the page if you feel like it. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Read the new rules here.

Get a free $10 Barnes & Noble e-Gift Card. 

The Book Hunter Goes Hunting

Please note: I'm a book hunter, not a photographer. Pardon the picture.

Sometime last year, I decided that it'd be a great idea to hold book giveaways rather than just talk about it. Last week, I purchased a copy of A Blue Hand by Deborah Baker and - Bing! - it seemed like the appropriate book for my first giveaway. Sadly, I couldn't find a second copy. However, The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle seemed like a great choice, as well. The week before last, a copy of The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates also seemed like a good book giveaway, so I bought another copy of that. Tagging along was My Revolutions by Hari Kunzru. Now I'm struggling with the idea of which book is should be the first placed up for grabs. Perhaps a toss of a three-sided coin or with the help of my three-armed friend, I will find the answer. 

Until next time, keep on huntin'.

The Book Hunter Goes Job Hunting

Catch of the day

The book hunter is tired beyond belief that he is forced to speak in the third person in order to keep some balance in his train of thought. Waking up at 6:30 in the morning and heading to the public library to wait in line for a job fair, the book hunter arrives as the twenty-fourth job seeker. The enthused job seekers file in, expecting employers galore. Not so. A lot of them are either running late or no show. Because of the added weight of needing a job on his shoulders, this blow nearly enrages the book hunter. After an hour of waiting for the other employers to come in, the book hunter sneaks out and checks out what the library has on sale. That is where he finds a copy of Philip K. Dick's posthumous novel, Radio Free Albemuth. Hardbacks are usually a dollar and that is how much he spends.

On Wednesday, he ventured to Hobby Lobby, stopping off Dollar Tree before returning home. The itch - similar to what Dexter Morgan describes when he needs to play - came over him. There was a playmate so he dove into the disarray that is the book section. There he found a copy of The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle. It piqued his interest, but this isn't the playmate that was calling out to him. Just as he was getting ready to throw in the towel, he noticed a picture of Allen Ginsberg and a monkey. A Blue Hand: The Beats in India by Deborah Baker sticks out like a sore thumb. Bingo.

Now he plans to head off to another Dollar Tree hoping to find a copy of A Blue Hand as he plans to put it up as a giveaway on the Tumblr account - yes, there's a Tumblr account (tragic, I know). 

Total book hunting price: $3.17. 

Until next time, keep on huntin'.