Chapter 40: A Conversation with Mateo Askaripour – Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

In the interview, Mateo Askaripour explains how Black Buck emerged from a creative low point in 2018 after two unpublished manuscripts. Reading Stephen King’s On Writing pushed him to write about what he knew: race, sales, and startups. He felt obligation to help Black and Brown people navigate corporate spaces, leading him to craft a narrative that also works as a sales manual.

He estimates the novel as about 30% autobiographical, with differences in height, upbringing, and career path. He did not initially set out to write satire; he learned from readers and tradition that the book functions as both earnest and satirical. He pushes back against calling it absurdist, arguing that real incidents in Black history—like Sammy Davis Jr.’s army hazing—were far more absurd.

Askaripour intentionally tackled sales because he believes the archetypal salesman in America is white. He wanted to reconfigure that image by featuring LGBTQ salespeople, women, and people of color. The book’s goal is to empower those made to feel less than to chase their dreams, while also serving as a cautionary tale about the “sunken place” that ensnares Black people who ignore malicious intentions.

Key Events

Interview context: Chapter 40 is a Q&A with the author, not a narrative chapter. Askaripour discusses the novel’s origins, creative process, and intended impact.
Inspiration explained: He cites reading On Writing, feeling obligation to help people of color, and reading John A. Williams’s The Angry Ones as key influences.
Autobiographical percentage: He playfully gives a changing percentage, around 30%, and lists differences between himself and Darren (height, neighborhood, career entry point).
Satire vs. earnestness: The author reveals he wrote earnestly; readers helped him see satirical elements. He challenges the label “absurdist” by comparing Darren’s experiences to historical racism.
Sales rep representation: He critiques the default image of a white salesman and aims to broaden that picture with diverse salespeople who own their destiny.
Book’s dual purpose: Askaripour states the novel is both an empowering call to action and a cautionary tale, similar to Get Out.

Character Development

Since this is an author interview, character development here refers to the author’s reflections on the cast:

Darren Vender: Askaripour confirms Darren is partially based on himself but with key differences. Darren’s journey through Sumwun reflects the startup world’s intensity and the pressure to conform. The author emphasizes that Darren’s outcome is a cautionary model rather than a simple autobiography.
Supporting characters: Askaripour notes that many other characters—even despised ones—contain refractions of himself. They are not one-dimensional; they embody different aspects of the corporate and racial dynamics he observed.
Authorial intent: By structuring the book as a “sales manual,” Askaripour positions Darren as a figure whose skills readers can learn from, while also warning against losing oneself in a predatory environment.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Sales as an American institution: The author calls sales “as American as slavery” and argues the typical salesman image is white. The novel reconceives who can be a salesman and how sales can be a tool for empowerment.
Diversity with fangs: Askaripour rejects passive, hand-out-seeking diversity. Instead, he advocates for a form of diversity that is “light on its feet” and assertive, owning its own path—similar to Malcolm X or Muhammad Ali.
Earnestness and satire as coexisting truths: The book holds both earnest sincerity and biting satire. The author sees this as a valid literary position, not a contradiction.
The “sunken place” caution: Borrowing from Get Out, the motif of being lulled into a false sense of safety. Black protagonists must remain aware of others’ intentions to avoid being “got.”
Bootstraps myth rejection: Askaripour explicitly distances himself from “pull yourself up” ideology. He acknowledges privilege and advocates for small, gradual steps toward freedom rather than expecting everyone to start from the same place.

Why This Chapter Matters

This interview provides the author’s own lens on the novel, clarifying themes that some readers may find ambiguous. It confirms that Black Buck is both an earnest call to action and a satirical critique of startup culture, race, and sales. For students and book clubs, the chapter is essential reading because it offers a primary source on the author’s intentions, the autobiographical roots, and the literary influences (like The Angry Ones). It also answers common reader questions about satirical intent and the book’s relationship to absurdism, deepening understanding of how the novel participates in a tradition of Black writers depicting white-majority spaces.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why did Askaripour decide to write about sales, and what problem did he want to address?

Askaripour wanted to disrupt the default image of a salesman as a white man. He noticed that even positive portrayals like Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness or LaKeith Stanfield in Sorry to Bother You are not seen as “salesmen” in the same way as Jordan Belfort or Willy Loman. He aimed to broaden that representation to include LGBTQ salespeople, women, and people of color. Additionally, he viewed sales as a path to empowerment for marginalized groups and hoped the novel could function as a sales manual.

2. How does Askaripour respond to readers who call Black Buck absurdist?

He pushes back, arguing that calling the book absurdist often correlates with how far someone is from the Black American experience. He cites historical examples—like Sammy Davis Jr. being painted white and beaten by fellow soldiers—to show that real racist incidents are far more absurd than anything in the novel. Askaripour challenges readers to reconsider what they label absurd, especially if the events fall outside their personal reality.

3. What does Askaripour mean by “diversity with fangs,” and how does it differ from typical corporate diversity?

“Diversity with fangs” refers to diversity that owns its own destiny rather than pleading for handouts. Askaripour contrasts it with a passive form of diversity that relies on white benevolence. Drawing inspiration from Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Nina Simone, he describes a diversity that is agile, smiling, and ready to strike in a way that “rocks your perception of opportunity and race in America to the core.” In the novel, this manifests in characters who use sales skills to claim power without waiting for permission.