The Sellout is a satirical novel by Paul Beatty that centers around a young man named Bonbon who lives in a fictional Los Angeles neighborhood of Dickens, which has been removed from the map due to gentrification.
Bonbon is on trial for attempting to reinstitute slavery and segregation in Dickens. The novel begins with Bonbon being arrested and taken to the Supreme Court, where he is being tried for agricultural theft and reinstituting slavery and segregation. He is accompanied by his lawyer Marpessa, who is also his girlfriend. As the trial progresses, Bonbon tells the story of how he came to be on trial and the events leading up to it. Growing up in Dickens, Bonbon was close with his father, who was a social scientist and professor at the local college.
His father died when Bonbon was young and Bonbon was raised by his mother and grandfather.
Bon Bon's grandfather was a sharecropper who had fled the Jim Crow South and settled in Dickens, where he established a successful farm. After Bonbon's grandfather dies, the farm is taken over by the government and turned into a landfill. Bon Bon's mother, who had worked as a school teacher, is also forced to retire due to budget cuts.
Feeling disillusioned and abandoned by the government, Bonbon decides to take matters into his own hands and bring back segregation and slavery in Dickens as a form of protest. Bonbon's actions spark outrage and controversy, and he becomes the subject of national attention. He is eventually arrested and brought to trial, where he must defend his actions and the importance of preserving the history and culture of Dickens.
Throughout the novel, Beatty uses satire to comment on issues such as gentrification, racism, and the commodification of black culture. He also explores the theme of identity and the ways in which society constructs and imposed labels on individuals.
The sellout is abiding and humorous critique of contemporary society and its treatment of marginalized communities. It is a thought provoking and provocative novel that challenges readers to consider their own views and biases.
