Drop: A Novel

A new voice in American fiction recalling the work of Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin, Drop is an irreverent and unforgettable coming-of age-story about a 31-year-old black man who struggles to break out of the ghetto.Chris Jones has a gift for creating desire-no doubt a result of his own passion and desire to be anywhere but where he is, to be anyone but himself. He has a knack for creating effective ad campaigns. His work lands him a gig in London. Far away from his Philly roots, Chris is raking in the dough, has a Nigerian girlfriend, a beautiful apartment, and goes clubbing in the West End. He enjoys the role of the successful black American, living among the bourgeois Africans and West Indians of London. No longer afraid of what he calls the 'Pop pop pop' of gunfire so prevalent on the streets of his hometown, Chris is finally free.But life takes a turn for the worse, and Chris finds himself back where he started, forced back to Philadelphia where his only job prospect is answering phones at the electrical company, helping the poor pay their heating and lighting bills. Surrounded by his brethren, the down and out, indigent, the hopeless, Chris hits bottom. Only a stroke of inspiration and faith will get him back on his feet. Drop is a funny, moving and ultimately profound tale of a man determined to break the pattern of the ghetto he despises and who, in the process, is forced to come to terms with his hatred for himself. Chris Jones has a gift for creating desire-a result of his own passionate desire to be anywhere but where he is, to be anyone but himself. Sick of the constraints of his black working-class town, he uses his knack for creating effective ad campaigns to land a dream job in London. But life soon takes a turn for the worse, and Chris finds himself back in Philly where his only job prospect is answering the phones at the electric company. Surounded by the down-and-out, Chris hits rock bottom. Only a stroke of inspiration and faith can get him back on his feet. The funny and heartfelt tale of a young black man who, in the process of trying to break free from the city he dispises, comes to terms with himself. 'Nuanced, elegant and witty' -Publishers Weekly 'A very humorous debut novel... Johnson's poetic reflections recall the work of James Baldwin....Wonderfully written.' -Library Journal A passionate and original new voice of the African-American literary tradition. Mat Johnson... "Chris Jones has a gift for creating desire - a result of his own passionate desire to be anywhere but where he is, to be anyone but himself. Determined to break free from the constraints of his black working-class town, he uses his knack for creating effective ad campaigns to land a gig in London. Now, after having spent his twenties taking care of his dying mother, he has finally cut loose from his Philly roots.". "But life takes a turn for the worse, and unexpectedly Chris finds himself back where he started, forced to return to Philadelphia. Surrounded by his brethren, the down and out, the indigent, the hopeless, Chris hits bottom. Only a stroke of inspiration and faith will get him back on his feet."--BOOK JACKET. Me: poor and broke, alone, thirty-one-years-old and only just finishing as an undergrad at a third-rate Pennsylvania state college, no work experience except comforting my mom before she passed.