Books like Jordan Peele’s NOPE

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this one before, but it’s worth mentioning several times. Black people’s contribution to American culture still isn’t fully acknowledged. Peele references that fact in the first few minutes of his new movie when Keke Palmer’s character explains how the first person filmed was a Black man riding a horse, but no one knows his name. One could say that this very first disregarding of Black people’s contributions as far as film was concerned set the standard for the future.

With this book, Abdurraqib similarly shouts out the many Black people who have shaped America — from entertainment to politics — with their art. He injects his own personal history as well as the pain and joy, rhythm and musicality, that got us to this point as he shows just how woven into the very fabric of America Blackness is.

Book club bonus: Were you surprised by any of the contributions Abdurraqib mentions? What would you add?

If you see the movie and immediately start looking up theories like I did, you’ll likely run across articles speaking of how Peele was influenced by Hollywood and the film-making process. What you might not see as much of is what I felt like was his ode to the Black cowboy. Despite there being so many — an estimated 25% or more — they’ve never been shown in classic Westerns, much less as the heroes. In The Compton Cowboys, the legacy of Black cowboys is continued through a ranch in Los Angeles. At the ranch, the cowboys find camaraderie, freedom, protection, and pursue dreams of winning rodeo competitions.

Book club bonus: How does the image of Black cowboys settle in your mind? Does it feel natural or very unfamiliar? Discuss how, through media’s influence, actual history can feel so foreign sometimes.

Phew, ok, now this one is not for the weak-stomached. Merely reading the premise of it low-key makes me gag, so consider that your warning.

By showing how humans start being exploited in place of animals, I feel like this book perfectly tackles how animals and humans are treated. It follows Marcos, who works at a processing plant that slaughters humans, except they’re not referred to as humans any more. Since the virus emerged that made all animal meat poisonous to humans, all animals were killed on sight, and “special meat” soon became legal to eat. Well, one day Marcos gets a live specimen of the highest quality (ugh), and he breaks the rules by starting to treat her like an actual person. Once reality sets in, he starts to think that the humanity that’s been lost may be too much to bear.

The grotesque aspect of this book’s central premise scratches at that itch that Peele’s movie gives me — a gnawing, disturbing one that makes me feel like there are those who would disembody others for entertainment.

Book club bonus: So! There is so much with this one. The taking away of humanity from people reminds me of American chattel slavery. How people are willing to sacrifice other living beings for an unnecessary luxury speaks to capitalism and the United States overindulgent meat industry. SO much to discuss!