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A review by gabsalott13
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
1.0
Meme Corner: I tried to channel the nonsense on display in this book. Thanks also to Michaela for sending me this perfect TikTok from @SakuraBuffett , which summarizes Marie’s elevator pitch.
Y’all have Michaela and my mom to thank for this re-read, as one’s hilarious commentary led me to convince the other to purchase the audiobook (in some systems, it is available by Libby, just not WCPL.)
First things first: the subtitle for this book should literally be “no emotions, no politic, just vibes.” It’s funny for me to say this now, because, during my first review back in 2019, I was probably not much better. I remember being delighted with how bad at her job Marie was, and annoyed with how much she justified the particular brand of anti-communism the Cold War created in Gen X Black Americans, but that was the extent of my understanding of what a mess this was. I’m going to leave that review up just for my own documentation/accountability, as I don’t want this 2021 review to come across as “woker than thou” moreso than just generally perturbed. After all, we are all still learning the best ways to deactivate our coon chips!
I try not to expect more of an author than they can give. However, at the point in which Lauren Wilkinson researched enough to write a whole damn book about a “Black Marxist”, said book should have to be more than “a part of [her personal] brand” (quotes taken from her recent IG comments.) Marie can be incompetent and opportunistic, but I was disappointed that Wilkinson was, too. In the hands of a better author, American Spy would have been a really meaningful story about a Black American coming to terms with how her family’s quest for upward mobility--particularly through the “good government jobs”--has contributed to the oppression, surveillance, and literal assassination of Black freedom fighters throughout the disapora. In the hands of this author, American Spy is a trainwreck of political confusion.
My central confusion: if Marie doesn’t believe in communism, then like WHY is Thomas Sankara such a hero for her??? Quickly!!! I would have enjoyed a version of this book that talks about desirability and how it plays into who gets to have any sort of political influence, whether it is used for good or for evil. I imagine it’s true that Marie is not the only person who was drawn to Sankara through his attractiveness, instead of his politics--in 2021, people are thirsting over old pictures of Joe Biden! I think this could’ve worked if that critique were developed, because I *guess* it’s the answer to what Marie so respects about Sankara, if not his commitment to ending the exploitation of his people. I would’ve been happy if there was just an admission that Marie was dickmatized and that got her caught up in this man’s cult of personality! Like Michaela notes in her astute review, if Lauren Wilkinson wanted to write a fan fiction erotica about falling in love with Thomas Sankara, that would have been FINE. I probably would’ve read that book too!!
Instead, this book contributes to a larger point/question I have about a lot of this “Black radical cosplay” media that’s coming out: American Spy, Snowfall on FX, and the upcoming Black Judas and the Messiah are just three immediate examples. It’s like you detail the FBI and CIA’s role in destabilizing Black (and Nicaraguan) movements through COINTELPRO, assassinations, or the introduction of crack in Black communities: all the dots. But then, there is an appalling lack of interest in actually connecting them! No interest in actually taking a political stance in the work beyond “well, both sides weren’t perfect.” What a waste and also what an indictment of me, who continues to consume this sort of content LOL.
In American Spy, Marie’s political agnosticism is also a waste of her alleged intelligence. The MFA highbrow plague strikes again…Wilkinson’s desire to make a “complex character” means she made a character without adequate rationale for her decisions. Even if the answer was Marie was just in it for the money, that would’ve at least given us something to roll with! Instead, Marie’s motivation is some vague advice from Helene and the dad that she should be in the CIA because “we’re Mitchells...we make room for ourselves!” This whole “we need a seat at the [assassination] table” thing just didn’t work for me--like what are we saying here? That someone is a role model if they’re the first Black operative to kill a Black revolutionary? That Marie can fall in love with said Black revolutionary, because his utility is as a vintage celebrity that can be resurrected for “cool points” and uncritical use?
In summary: this is enjoyable for all the wrong reasons (another of my beloved hate reads!!!!) Wanting to reject moral absolutism DOES NOT equal needing to reject having any opinions at all. I would like to see the marbles rattling around in Marie’s head in place of brain cells. And finally, WHY THE HELL does she blame the white men for “making her complicit” in you know who’s murder when she literally signed up for an organization known to murder people like you know who?!? Another win for Black mediocrity!!!
***Original 2019 Review***
Ever since (belatedly) falling in love with [a:Attica Locke|2829019|Attica Locke|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332466009p2/2829019.jpg]'s novels, I've been challenging myself to genre-jump, and when my (new, very enjoyable!!) book club chose Lauren Wilkinson's An American Spy, I realized I had a chance to do so.
For starters, I loved reading about a profession that thrives on the art of social cues: as someone who misses a lot of them, Marie pointed out the plot twists and eyebrow turns that I likely would have missed in person, or even while watching a Jason Bourne film. The problem, however, is that MARIE IS A TERRIBLE SPY. While you might expect her to be a Serena Williams-like figure in her field, knocking down microaggression-prone co-agents and crooked foreign dignitaries alike, please be forewarned. In the Shondaland-inspired era of SBW leads, Marie is something arguably more interesting: a truly incompetent black woman. She misses ALL THE CLUES, and then explains how she missed them to the readers, namely me, who missed them too! It was a helpful experience, but I definitely wanted Marie to be a bit better at her job, or at least for Lauren Wilkinson to realize her limits.
Even so, there are great topics here: your good-old complicated mother-daughter relationships, the ill-explained political ideologies of the black middle class, and a bunch of ruminating on what became of Cold War/Gen X children and all their end-of-the-world terror. These threads left me with many book club talking points, but didn't make for a solid story on their own.
We miss a good deal of characterization, and needed much more time in the places where Wilkinson is clearly able to flex her chops in the genre: there are about two action scenes, which would be fine if the narrative portions weren't often boring. The on-the-run chases and mini shoot-outs were some of the best moments for characterization in this novel, and without them, Marie was not nearly as interesting as her sister, boyfriend(?), or bosses.
With American Spy, Lauren Wilkinson has proven she can set up a rare thing—a time-traveling diasporic thriller with a black female protagonist. The problem is that said protagonist gets lost in her head much too frequently, and we as readers got lost daydreaming about the other characters and alternate endings. Next time around, I'm excited to see if Wilkinson can finish as well as she starts.
Y’all have Michaela and my mom to thank for this re-read, as one’s hilarious commentary led me to convince the other to purchase the audiobook (in some systems, it is available by Libby, just not WCPL.)
First things first: the subtitle for this book should literally be “no emotions, no politic, just vibes.” It’s funny for me to say this now, because, during my first review back in 2019, I was probably not much better. I remember being delighted with how bad at her job Marie was, and annoyed with how much she justified the particular brand of anti-communism the Cold War created in Gen X Black Americans, but that was the extent of my understanding of what a mess this was. I’m going to leave that review up just for my own documentation/accountability, as I don’t want this 2021 review to come across as “woker than thou” moreso than just generally perturbed. After all, we are all still learning the best ways to deactivate our coon chips!
I try not to expect more of an author than they can give. However, at the point in which Lauren Wilkinson researched enough to write a whole damn book about a “Black Marxist”, said book should have to be more than “a part of [her personal] brand” (quotes taken from her recent IG comments.) Marie can be incompetent and opportunistic, but I was disappointed that Wilkinson was, too. In the hands of a better author, American Spy would have been a really meaningful story about a Black American coming to terms with how her family’s quest for upward mobility--particularly through the “good government jobs”--has contributed to the oppression, surveillance, and literal assassination of Black freedom fighters throughout the disapora. In the hands of this author, American Spy is a trainwreck of political confusion.
My central confusion: if Marie doesn’t believe in communism, then like WHY is Thomas Sankara such a hero for her??? Quickly!!! I would have enjoyed a version of this book that talks about desirability and how it plays into who gets to have any sort of political influence, whether it is used for good or for evil. I imagine it’s true that Marie is not the only person who was drawn to Sankara through his attractiveness, instead of his politics--in 2021, people are thirsting over old pictures of Joe Biden! I think this could’ve worked if that critique were developed, because I *guess* it’s the answer to what Marie so respects about Sankara, if not his commitment to ending the exploitation of his people. I would’ve been happy if there was just an admission that Marie was dickmatized and that got her caught up in this man’s cult of personality! Like Michaela notes in her astute review, if Lauren Wilkinson wanted to write a fan fiction erotica about falling in love with Thomas Sankara, that would have been FINE. I probably would’ve read that book too!!
Instead, this book contributes to a larger point/question I have about a lot of this “Black radical cosplay” media that’s coming out: American Spy, Snowfall on FX, and the upcoming Black Judas and the Messiah are just three immediate examples. It’s like you detail the FBI and CIA’s role in destabilizing Black (and Nicaraguan) movements through COINTELPRO, assassinations, or the introduction of crack in Black communities: all the dots. But then, there is an appalling lack of interest in actually connecting them! No interest in actually taking a political stance in the work beyond “well, both sides weren’t perfect.” What a waste and also what an indictment of me, who continues to consume this sort of content LOL.
In American Spy, Marie’s political agnosticism is also a waste of her alleged intelligence. The MFA highbrow plague strikes again…Wilkinson’s desire to make a “complex character” means she made a character without adequate rationale for her decisions. Even if the answer was Marie was just in it for the money, that would’ve at least given us something to roll with! Instead, Marie’s motivation is some vague advice from Helene and the dad that she should be in the CIA because “we’re Mitchells...we make room for ourselves!” This whole “we need a seat at the [assassination] table” thing just didn’t work for me--like what are we saying here? That someone is a role model if they’re the first Black operative to kill a Black revolutionary? That Marie can fall in love with said Black revolutionary, because his utility is as a vintage celebrity that can be resurrected for “cool points” and uncritical use?
In summary: this is enjoyable for all the wrong reasons (another of my beloved hate reads!!!!) Wanting to reject moral absolutism DOES NOT equal needing to reject having any opinions at all. I would like to see the marbles rattling around in Marie’s head in place of brain cells. And finally, WHY THE HELL does she blame the white men for “making her complicit” in you know who’s murder when she literally signed up for an organization known to murder people like you know who?!? Another win for Black mediocrity!!!
***Original 2019 Review***
Ever since (belatedly) falling in love with [a:Attica Locke|2829019|Attica Locke|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332466009p2/2829019.jpg]'s novels, I've been challenging myself to genre-jump, and when my (new, very enjoyable!!) book club chose Lauren Wilkinson's An American Spy, I realized I had a chance to do so.
For starters, I loved reading about a profession that thrives on the art of social cues: as someone who misses a lot of them, Marie pointed out the plot twists and eyebrow turns that I likely would have missed in person, or even while watching a Jason Bourne film. The problem, however, is that MARIE IS A TERRIBLE SPY. While you might expect her to be a Serena Williams-like figure in her field, knocking down microaggression-prone co-agents and crooked foreign dignitaries alike, please be forewarned. In the Shondaland-inspired era of SBW leads, Marie is something arguably more interesting: a truly incompetent black woman. She misses ALL THE CLUES, and then explains how she missed them to the readers, namely me, who missed them too! It was a helpful experience, but I definitely wanted Marie to be a bit better at her job, or at least for Lauren Wilkinson to realize her limits.
Even so, there are great topics here: your good-old complicated mother-daughter relationships, the ill-explained political ideologies of the black middle class, and a bunch of ruminating on what became of Cold War/Gen X children and all their end-of-the-world terror. These threads left me with many book club talking points, but didn't make for a solid story on their own.
We miss a good deal of characterization, and needed much more time in the places where Wilkinson is clearly able to flex her chops in the genre: there are about two action scenes, which would be fine if the narrative portions weren't often boring. The on-the-run chases and mini shoot-outs were some of the best moments for characterization in this novel, and without them, Marie was not nearly as interesting as her sister, boyfriend(?), or bosses.
With American Spy, Lauren Wilkinson has proven she can set up a rare thing—a time-traveling diasporic thriller with a black female protagonist. The problem is that said protagonist gets lost in her head much too frequently, and we as readers got lost daydreaming about the other characters and alternate endings. Next time around, I'm excited to see if Wilkinson can finish as well as she starts.