How to make love by Dany Laferriere

Original title

How to make love to a Negro without getting tired by Dany Laferriere

Shocked by the title? That got your attention. It is a French translation of the francophone author, Laferriere who is brilliant. A name that is being watched followed and studied. I read this one on a Canadian Literature module focused on writing from the cities. My edition includes a review on the back from The Edmonton Journal comparing Laferriere to Kerouac, Miller, Baldwin and Bukowski. (Who will all feature on this blog) For a writer to be compared with such great (and different) authors is a fitting tribute and an accurate way to describe Laferriere’s writing. It is a novella that deserves to be read again and again. It came out in 1985 and caused a sensation. In a sense this is a book written by an immigrant about his experiences within American culture. And then it is completely different from other books on the same subject. Laferriere’s ability to describe American culture, trying to assimilate and at the same time staying true to his own identity is what makes this book a future classic. A must read for university students of American literature. For anyone who is interested the authors Laferriere is compared to or mentions in the book. If it feels like I have been vague in my review that is because the book does not lend itself to one side or the other. The writing is close to manic at times. Just read it. Buy it new. Ship it from Canada. Hell, swim to Canada and walk into the first bookstore you see. You will not regret anything once you start reading. (Even the onset of hypothermia thanks to the Atlantic Ocean)