Book
Hell of a book, or the altogether factual, wholly bona fide story of a big dreams, hard luck, American-Made Mad Kid / Jason Mott.
In Jason Mott's Hell of a Book, a Black author sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline drives Hell of a Book and is the scaffolding of something much larger and urgent: since Mott's novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour. As these characters' stories build and build and converge, they astonish. For while this heartbreaking and magical book entertains and is at once about family, love of parents and children, art and money, it's also about the nation's reckoning with a tragic police shooting playing over and over again on the news. And with what it can mean to be Black in America. Who has been killed? Who is The Kid? Will the author finish his book tour, and what kind of world will he leave behind? Unforgettably told, with characters who burn into your mind and an electrifying plot ideal for book club discussion, Hell of a Book is the novel Mott has been writing in his head for the last ten years. And in its final twists it truly becomes its title.
"From a New York Times bestselling author, an astounding work of fiction, both incredibly funny and heartfelt, asking readers to embrace the fantastical in order to get to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon not only Black Americans, but America as a whole." -- Provided by publisher.
"Soot, a young Black boy, lives in a rural town in the recent past. The Kid, a possibly imaginary child appears to a Black author on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. As their stories build and converge, they astonish. As the nation reckons with a tragic police shooting playing over and over again on the news, what it can mean to be Black in America? Who has been killed? Who is The Kid? Will the author finish his book tour, and what kind of world will he leave behind?" --Adapted from jacket.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780593330968
- ISBN: 059333096X
- ISBN: 9780593330982
- ISBN: 0593330986
- Physical Description: 319 pages ; 22 cm
- Publisher: [New York] : Dutton, [2021]
- Copyright: ©2021
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Fictitious characters > Fiction.
Authors > Fiction.
Book industries and trade > Fiction.
Racism > Fiction.
Police > Fiction.
Murder > Fiction.
FICTION / African American & Black / General.
FICTION / Literary.
FICTION / Southern.
Book industries and trade.
Authors.
Fictitious characters.
Murder.
Police.
Racism. - Genre:
- Novels.
Fiction.
Fiction.
Novels.
Available copies
- 28 of 31 copies available at Westchester Library System.
Holds
- 1 current hold with 31 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Free Library | FIC MOT (Text) | 31002150817210 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Bedford Hills Free Library | MOTT (Text) | 31003151548002 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Chappaqua Library | FICTION MOTT (Text) | 31005153448735 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Eastchester Public Library | FICTION MOTT (Text) | 31008152555021 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Greenburgh Public Library | MOTT (Text) | 31009154875946 | Fiction | Checked out | 03/02/2026 |
| Harrison Public Library | MOTT, J. (Text) | 31010300257229 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Hastings-on-Hudson Public Library | FICTION MOTT (Text) | 31011151435344 | Fiction | Checked out | 02/17/2026 |
| Hendrick Hudson Free Library | MOTT, JASON (Text) | 31016151753166 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Irvington Public Library | FIC MOTT, J (Text) | 31012154370256 | Fiction | Available | - |
| John C. Hart Memorial Library | MOTT (Text) | 31030155026446 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Katonah Village Library | FICTION MOTT (Text) | 31013151950934 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Larchmont Public Library | MOTT (Text) | 31014152971218 | Fiction | Checked out | 02/14/2026 |
| Lewisboro Library | FICTION MOTT (Text) | 31032151418379 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Mamaroneck Public Library District | FICTION (Text) | 31015152626132 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Mamaroneck Public Library District | FICTION (Text) | 31015152647849 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Mount Kisco Public Library | FICTION MOTT (Text) | 31017100346672 | Fiction | Available | - |
| New Rochelle Public Library | MOTT (Text) | 31019156728522 | Fiction | Available | - |
| North Castle Public Library | FIC MOT (Text) | 31001152126869 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Ossining Public Library | FICTION (Text) | 31021101890951 | Adult Fiction Temporary Location | Available | - |
| Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library | FICTION MOTT (Text) | 31025152626461 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Purchase Free Library | NEW MOTT (Text) | 31027150605737 | New Fiction | Available | - |
| Ruth Keeler Memorial Library | F MOTT (Text) | 31020150816792 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Rye Free Reading Room | FICTION MOTT (Text) | 31028153402114 | Fiction | Available | - |
| The Field Library | MOTT, J. (Text) | 31022152288111 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Warner Library | FICTION MOTT (Text) | 31033152102954 | Fiction | Available | - |
| White Plains Public Library | FICTION (Text) | 31544101218444 | Fiction | Available | - |
| White Plains Public Library | FICTION (Text) | 31544101239721 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Yonkers Crestwood Library | FIC MOTT (Text) | 31035161929988 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Yonkers Grinton I. Will Library | FICTION (Text) | 31035162228976 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Yonkers Grinton I. Will Library | FICTION (Text) | 31035162710940 | Fiction | Available | - |
| Yonkers Riverfront Library | FICTION (Text) | 31035600047764 | Fiction | Available | - |