Ladee Hubbard's The Rib King is a historical novel that boldly explores America's exploitation of Black culture and the use of Black stereotypes to sell products to white America. The story follows the Black servants of the Barclays, a white family whose wealth is fading fast. In an attempt to revive their fortunes, the family sells their talented cook's barbeque sauce to a local store with an exaggerated portrait of groundskeeper August Sitwell on the bottle. However, neither August nor the cook will see a dime of the money, a reality that sets in motion a tragic course of events.
Out Jan. 19