The All-American by Joe Milan
“Joe Milan Jr. has rocketed himself into the literary stratosphere.” —Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar WaoIntroducing a character as viscerally believable and unforgettable as any in fiction, The All-American is a triumph—full of energy, dark humor, suspense, and hard-won wisdom.
"A potent, spellbinding novel about the meaning of family and the pull of homeJoe Milan Jr. is a writer with guts and talent." -- Jean Chen Ho, author of Fiona and Jane
"With the speed, power, and vision of a superior running back, Joe Milan Jr. renders Bucky’s odyssey with extraordinary energy and urgency." -- Chris Bachelder, author of The Throwback Special
"With lean, propulsive prose, Joe Milan Jr. has created an unforgettable character in American fiction. Part high drama, part dark comedy of the absurd, The All-American is as wonderfully entertaining as it is moving, and I simply could not put it down. I suspect that you won’t be able to either." -- Andre Dubus III, author of Such Kindness
"The increasingly manic episodes lend The All-American a resemblance to comic picaresque novels.… Bucky, a highly likable meathead, thinks better with his fists than his brain, and the shortage of introspection allows the story to zip from one calamity to another." -- Sam Sacks - Wall Street Journal
"A funny and heartbreaking novel that gets to the heart of our post-national world…revealing the human consequences of white altruism and cultural myopia." -- Jess Row, author of White Flights
"An explosively powerful, unpretentiously original, darkly comic novel about dreams fulfilled by the most unexpected, convoluted path. There are no model minorities, no redemptions, neither heroes nor villains, only those who strive against the odds of underprivilege. Milan’s refreshingly different voice and narrative keep you reading to the sweetly bitter and weirdly hopeful end." -- Xu Xi, author of Habit of a Foreign Sky
"The All-American is a compulsively readable page-turner that continues to surprise. The novel burns with major themes and issues central to America. At its heart are the central questions: Who gets to be American, and what does it mean to belong to a country?" -- Krys Lee, author of How I Became a North Korean
"The All-American is an irreverent, bold page-turner, self-assured and engrossing, this is one of those rare first novels that breathes new life into the journey toward self-revelation. Endlessly rewarding." -- Mat Johnson, author of Invisible Things
"Milan sustains in his narrator an amusingly bewildered, blundering, bumptious voice along with a leavening sense of absurdity.… An unusual take on undocumented immigration that makes for a strong debut." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The setup is convincingly Kafkaesque (if devoid of absurd humor), and Milan skillfully captures Bucky’s increasing disorientation. This is a memorable riff on identity." -- Publishers Weekly
"An immersive, fast-paced story.… Milan’s writing is tight, with fresh and vivid descriptions that illuminate the contrasts in Bucky’s background and cultural makeup. The novel raises questions about who and what exactly determines your identity." -- BookPage
"Amid the uncomfortable laughter, Milan confronts transracial identity, societal roles chosen and forced, limits of language, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ mutability, and the porousness of truth and lies." -- Booklist
"With the speed, power, and vision of a superior running back, Joe Milan Jr. renders Bucky’s odyssey with extraordinary energy and urgency." -- Chris Bachelder, author of The Throwback Special
"With lean, propulsive prose, Joe Milan Jr. has created an unforgettable character in American fiction. Part high drama, part dark comedy of the absurd, The All-American is as wonderfully entertaining as it is moving, and I simply could not put it down. I suspect that you won’t be able to either." -- Andre Dubus III, author of Such Kindness
"The increasingly manic episodes lend The All-American a resemblance to comic picaresque novels.… Bucky, a highly likable meathead, thinks better with his fists than his brain, and the shortage of introspection allows the story to zip from one calamity to another." -- Sam Sacks - Wall Street Journal
"A funny and heartbreaking novel that gets to the heart of our post-national world…revealing the human consequences of white altruism and cultural myopia." -- Jess Row, author of White Flights
"An explosively powerful, unpretentiously original, darkly comic novel about dreams fulfilled by the most unexpected, convoluted path. There are no model minorities, no redemptions, neither heroes nor villains, only those who strive against the odds of underprivilege. Milan’s refreshingly different voice and narrative keep you reading to the sweetly bitter and weirdly hopeful end." -- Xu Xi, author of Habit of a Foreign Sky
"The All-American is a compulsively readable page-turner that continues to surprise. The novel burns with major themes and issues central to America. At its heart are the central questions: Who gets to be American, and what does it mean to belong to a country?" -- Krys Lee, author of How I Became a North Korean
"The All-American is an irreverent, bold page-turner, self-assured and engrossing, this is one of those rare first novels that breathes new life into the journey toward self-revelation. Endlessly rewarding." -- Mat Johnson, author of Invisible Things
"Milan sustains in his narrator an amusingly bewildered, blundering, bumptious voice along with a leavening sense of absurdity.… An unusual take on undocumented immigration that makes for a strong debut." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The setup is convincingly Kafkaesque (if devoid of absurd humor), and Milan skillfully captures Bucky’s increasing disorientation. This is a memorable riff on identity." -- Publishers Weekly
"An immersive, fast-paced story.… Milan’s writing is tight, with fresh and vivid descriptions that illuminate the contrasts in Bucky’s background and cultural makeup. The novel raises questions about who and what exactly determines your identity." -- BookPage
"Amid the uncomfortable laughter, Milan confronts transracial identity, societal roles chosen and forced, limits of language, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ mutability, and the porousness of truth and lies." -- Booklist
Joe Milan Jr. is a second-generation Korean American and taught in South Korea for nine years. An assistant professor of creative writing at Waldorf University, he lives in Forest City, Iowa. His website is joemilanjr.com.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781324075226 |
| ISBN 10 | 1324075228 |
| Title | The All-American |
| Author | Joe Milan |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | WW Norton & Co |
| Year published | 2024-05-17 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |