{"product_id":"book-dxx1","title":"The Rib King","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Ladee Hubbard’s voice is a welcome original.” —Mary Gaitskill\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eUpstairs, Downstairs\u003c\/em\u003e meets \u003cem\u003eParasite\u003c\/em\u003e: The acclaimed author of \u003cem\u003eThe Talented Ribkins\u003c\/em\u003e deconstructs painful African American stereotypes and offers a fresh and searing critique on race, class, privilege, ambition, exploitation, and the seeds of rage in America in this intricately woven and masterfully executed historical novel, set in early the twentieth century that centers around the black servants of a down-on-its heels upper-class white family.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fifteen years August Sitwell has worked for the Barclays, a well-to-do white family who plucked him from an orphan asylum and gave him a job. The groundskeeper is part of the household’s all-black staff, along with “Miss Mamie,” the talented cook, pretty new maid Jennie Williams, and three young kitchen apprentices—the latest orphan boys Mr. Barclay has taken in to \"civilize\" boys like August.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the Barclays fortunes have fallen, and their money is almost gone. When a prospective business associate proposes selling Miss Mamie’s delicious rib sauce to local markets under the brand name “The Rib King”—using a caricature of a wildly grinning August on the label—Mr. Barclay, desperate for cash, agrees. Yet neither Miss Mamie nor August will see a dime. Humiliated, August grows increasingly distraught, his anger building to a rage that explodes in shocking tragedy. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElegantly written and exhaustively researched, \u003cem\u003eThe Rib King\u003c\/em\u003e is an unsparing examination of America’s fascination with black iconography and exploitation that redefines African American stereotypes in literature. In this powerful, disturbing, and timely novel, Ladee Hubbard reveals who people actually are, and most importantly, who and what they are not.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49344241860912,"sku":"BDdxx1","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49344241893680,"sku":"ZEdxx1","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio MP3-CD","offer_id":49344241959216,"sku":"ZMdxx1","price":45.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/dxx1-Square-cover.jpg?v=1778404659","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-dxx1","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}