{"product_id":"the-talented-ribkins-9781612197289","title":"The Talented Ribkins","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"For sheer reading pleasure Ladee Hubbard's original and wildly inventive novel is in a class by itself.\" --Toni Morrison \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe Talented Ribkins \u003c\/i\u003eis a charming and delightful debut novel with a profound heart, and Ladee Hubbard's voice is a welcome original.\" --Mary Gaitskill \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer's Award\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the William Faulkner - William Wisdom Prize\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn INDIE NEXT pick\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eHurston\/Wright Legacy Award Nominee\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eAt seventy-two, Johnny Ribkins shouldn't have such problems: He's got one week to come up with the money he stole from his mobster boss or it's curtains. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e What may or may not be useful to Johnny as he flees is that he comes from an African-American family that has been gifted with super powers that are a bit, well, odd. Okay, very odd. For example, Johnny's father could see colors no one else could see. His brother could scale perfectly flat walls. His cousin belches fire. And Johnny himself can make precise maps of any space you name, whether he's been there or not. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the old days, the Ribkins family tried to apply their gifts to the civil rights effort, calling themselves The Justice Committee. But when their, eh, superpowers proved insufficient, the group fell apart. Out of frustration Johnny and his brother used their talents to stage a series of burglaries, each more daring than the last. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Fast forward a couple decades and Johnny's on a race against the clock to dig up loot he's stashed all over Florida. His brother is gone, but he has an unexpected sidekick: his brother's daughter, Eloise, who has a special superpower of her own. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Inspired by W. E. B. Du Bois's famous essay \"The Talented Tenth\" and fuelled by Ladee Hubbard's marvelously original imagination, \u003ci\u003eThe Talented Ribkins \u003c\/i\u003eis a big-hearted debut novel about race, class, politics, and the unique gifts that, while they may cause some problems from time to time, bind a family together.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Melville House Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/07\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781612197289\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.90d","brand":"Ladee Hubbard","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36662049407132,"sku":"9781612197289","price":14.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_887b7aad-428c-4336-9457-9334380d6c8d.jpg?v=1603900929","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-talented-ribkins-9781612197289","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}