Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed - Book Club Meeting

Something very cool happened last week. The author of Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed, Marc Blatte, found my blog and commented on my review of his book. I emailed him and he agreed to talk with my Kewaunee library book club at our meeting last week.

We had a fantastic time talking with him. He gave us very interesting insights into his book and also asked us questions about how we felt about certain sections of the book. We all agreed that Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed was one of the best book titles we have heard in a long time. Overall it was very entertaining and a great way to experience the book. It also helped our book club to stay on topic and not delve into politics as we are apt to do.

Marc Blatte was a great sport and we really enjoyed talking to him. I think everyone in the Kewaunee library learned about Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed that day as we all had a great time and let everyone know! It was a great book and we all enjoyed it (except for Janice who is still finishing it - but she liked what she had read so far!) We can't wait for his next novel!

We are going to read Marc's pick for us, The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith, for our next meeting in July.

Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed by Marc Blatte

Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed was my May library book club pick. I must admit, I had a hard time getting started on the book as I the entire hip-hop scene was something that did not interest me. But as I got into the book, I found I couldn't put it down. It kept me riveted - wanting to know how it would end. I guess this is the power of book clubs - it put a book in my path that I could normally not read that ended up being quite excellent.

Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed is a murder/mystery tale set in New York at a murder scene where the world of hip-hop, overpivileged youth, and immigrants with a dream collide. Pasko, an eastern European immigrant and body guard at an exclusive club has been murdered, and his cousin Vooko was run down. Detective "Black Sallie Blue Eyes" is on the case and also on the case of Scholar and Proof Positive, a hip-hop manager and group that may have attacked a white R&B producer at the club on the same night. Why was Pasko murdered?

And what is up with the name for this book. It's from this quote by Pasko, “Take care with this little cuz. This place America ain’t like home. No way. Here nobody takes responsibility for anything. They got ‘no fault insurance’, bumper stickers and tee-shirts that say ‘shit happens.’ Come on, man, let’s be real, shit don’t just happen, yo, that’s what I’m talking about – Humpty Dumpty was pushed!” Too true!

I also thought the author's biography on the back flap was great. It sounds like Blatte has led a very interesting life and definitely has the street cred to write this novel. A great first novel and I look forward to reading his next book.