Black Will Shoot

by Jesse Washington

Book Overview

Marq Wise is a talented, ambitious young writer with a good life, a gorgeous girlfriend -- and the inescapable feeling that something is missing. When he's offered a job at Fever, his favorite hip-hop magazine, Marq finally realizes just what that is.

Now he can uncover the real, gritty stories -- unless his older brother, Dontay, a one-hit-wonder producer turned crack smoker, ruins everything first. As Marq immerses himself...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416938796
• ISBN13: 9781416938798
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Hmm

Okay I bought this book cause the cover interested me. So it sat for a few months really. Until I decided to pick it up this weekend. I took the weekend and read through it and I have to say it was a good book. The only problem I had was that some of the information wasn't clear and there were some mistakes. *******Quick Spoiler Alert*********** When Dontay went to visiit his mother she mentions something about him being in love with Holliday. It was never clear that Gutter was dead, no one never saw him again. Although the connection between Cox and Holliday was made, it was never clear they had anything more than the moment mentioned. ******************* Now with these things aside it was a good book, rather longer than it needs to be IMO, and like some one else said Dontay could have easily been the main character, but i don't think some of the hard hitting themes could have been expressed in the way they were.

Read in One Night

This book is great. I had it for two weeks until finally I decided to "get down to business." I was up until 7 AM reading! It's too good to put down. Not up on my hip-hop and rap history compared to most, but the drama is incredible (and I love drama)! Plus the characters just seem so familiar, reminding me of myself, friends, family, or today's popular artists.

A Winner

The language and references to popular culture make this work believable. The main character Marq is a wannabee and his brother Dontay steals the show, he is really a complex dude. Everyone knows a Dontay and that is why he is so likable. I welcomed Dontay's wisdom and was disappointed with the way in which Washington handled the ending. Despite a few short-comings, this is a great read.

Behind the Bling

When I first picked up Black Will Shoot I didn't know what to expect. I'm allergic to mediocre fiction so it was a risk. First thing I noticed: The prose is extremely clever. Right away I was laughing. The plot moves at a rapid pace but that's not what kept me interested. I was riveted by the way Washington captures some of the industry's most ridiculous, scary, profound, and undeniable truths. The characters are believable -- I know people just like the ones in this book. From the rappers to the journalists to the full assortment of industry insiders, Black Will Shoot was on point. It was like, finally! Someone had the guts to pull the curtain back and lookie what we have here behind the bling. My only gripe is that I think Dontay should have been the main character instead of Marq. He is the jewel of this book. In any event, Black Will Shoot goes on the bookshelf next to Coldest Winter Ever, the only other fiction of this genre that's impressed me thus far.