An oddity, this story of New York street-smart black life by columnist and
Bible studies instructor Goldblatt is actually hip and moving. It takes chutzpah
for a non-black to write something like this, but some risks are worth the
effort for what they reveal of essential humanity. This is one.
--Kirkus Reviews
An ambitious debut novel from a white news columnist. Goldblatt [has a]
remarkable ear for idiom. --Publishers Weekly
In his debut novel, Goldblatt breaks taboos with a vengeance, telling the
first-person story of a 23-year-old black man, Africa Ali. Think Philip Roth's
Portnoy's Complaint, except instead of a Jewish man speaking to his
analyst, here a black man is recording a series of interviews with a (white)
sociologist. Goldblatt's renedering of black urban street idiom seems flawaless,
but the author's chutzpah in tackling this subject, in this in-your-face way, is
even more impressive. --Newark Star Ledger
With an uncanny knack for the hip-hop idiom, stiletto-sharp satire, unusual
sensitivity, and unparalleled courage in tackling racial taboos, Mark Goldblatt
has created a masterpiece. Africa Speaks sings.
--Michelle Malkin, syndicated columnist
There is a lot of sadness in this book, the sort of sadness you here about in
the news. But there is also a lot of very funny writing. Goldblatt has a
gifted ear for the vernacular of his subject, no doubt about that.
--Free Williamsburg